


The Nightmare Begins

by LizzeXX



Series: The Heart of Time Saga [8]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Amnesia Recovery, Angel struggles with the Vortex, Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Clara Who?, Doctor Who 50th Anniversary, Drama, Embedded Images, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Fluff, Gallifrey, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Control, Mind manipulation recovery, Nightmares, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Psychic Abilities, Reestablished Relationship, Telepathy, The Doctor Is A Father, The Doctor has a lot of nightmares, The Doctor hates River Song, The Doctor hates himself for what he did last story, The Doctor is not Alone, The Heart of Time Saga, The Impossible Girl, The Last Great Time War, Time Lord Mating Process, Time Travel, Time Vortex, Vortex Powers, doctor who - Freeform, friendships, series 7 rewrite, space travel, time child, time family, time lady - Freeform, visionary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 75
Words: 533,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29496501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzeXX/pseuds/LizzeXX
Summary: The Doctor and his Mate, Angel, have finally found their daughter, Ayla, and escaped the Silence. But things are far from over. The loss of the Ponds, the mystery of Clara, the threat of River Song will take its toll. Can anyone help as Angel loses control? Will the Doctor last when the guilt of all he's done to Angel hits him?11/OCTime Lady
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/Original Female Character(s), The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Original Female Character(s), The Doctor/The Angel, Thella - Relationship, Theta/Nella
Series: The Heart of Time Saga [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086098
Kudos: 4





	1. Pond Life

**Author's Note:**

> I have been plagiarized many times since I began writing fanfiction :( So please, do not copy my work onto other sites. And if you see my work, whether in full or tweaked or mish-mashed into other people's works, reach out to me on tumblr (LizzeXX) and let me know so I can look into it, post evidence on my tumblr's 'Plagiarizers' page, and ask for help reporting when it happens :(
> 
> I have seen it all by now. From people flat out copying everything and just pasting it as is, to changing the OC's name or from 3rd to 1st person, to alternating parts of their own work with putting in parts of mine, to starting off originally and then transitioning to my work, to using Proffy for 1 story then switching to Evy in their next, to people literally taking chunks from 5 different series and piecing it together into a story, so please, PLEASE, let me know if you see it happening. I am nervous enough posting this on AO3 or any other site, it is reassuring to me if people can keep an eye out and just let me know if you see anything happening :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aloha! Welcome to the eighth story in my third(!) OC series, the Heart of Time Saga, The Nightmare Begins. I would recommend new readers check first read the seven preceding stories of the saga (A Treasured Discovery, Meeting of the Minds, Hearts to Hearts, Fading, Mated Souls, Among the Forgotten, and A Fallen Angel) to really understand who my OC is, her unique abilities, and her relationship with the Doctor. This will be a Doctor/OC series, the pairing name officially called Thella, featuring my OC The Angel, AKA the Time Lady Nella, a woman with quite a few gifts, and hers/the Doctor's daughter Ayla ;)
> 
> Quick physical description: Angel, on her 12th body, is a tall woman, just a bit older looking but in a timeless way, with long, wavy strawberry-blonde hair that she likes to wear hanging but clipped on one side. She has deep blue eyes with specks of gold in them (a part of the Vortex inside her peeking out). Her typical outfit of choice is a white and blue (-cough- TARDIS blue -cough-) stripped top that is like a cross between a fashionable poncho and a baggy shirt, like a poncho with sleeves, black pants tucked into boots, for some reason I see black uggs :) She also wears a Whitepoint Star necklace the 10th Doctor gave her before he regenerated. She loves dressing up in period style clothing for those trips :) I picture her to look something like Nicole Kidman.
> 
> Her daughter Ayla, on her 2nd incarnation due to extreme illness suffered by her first self, is, by this story, appearing as a 10-year-old girl, with blonde hair that has a more strawberry hue to it. She had very green eyes (the 11th Doctor's eyes) and a small birthmark/freckle by her nose. She tends to wear a light green sleeveless dress with pink flowers on it, a white buttoned up shirt underneath, with a white belt around it and little white shoes. Her hair is often left in pigtailed braids and she wears a small necklace with a pink bowtie (a gift from the 11th Doctor) on it. I see her to look similar to Dakota Fanning as a child.
> 
> Every chapter (except 'mini-sode' chapters) will be at the very least 4,000 words. I have been making it to about 5,000 so far but it'll depend how much I liked that episode (just so you have fair warning). Every episode will be broken into three chapters that has a special title to it. Some mini-sodes won't have a special title to it if they already have a title sort of thing :) Both Christmas specials will be posted in 5 chapters since they are quite a bit longer. This story will also include the 50th anniversary episode, tentatively set for 6 chapters. The mini-sode chapters will be only 1 chapter long :) This story will be also feature about...15 original chapters (just 1 chapter per original). Which will make it about...75 chapters long, my LONGEST story yet ;) 
> 
> ~8~ is a scene break
> 
> 'italics' is telepathic communication between the Doctor and Angel (and Ayla at times)
> 
> '...words...' or ...action... is Angel hearing/seeing through time
> 
> Disclaimer 1: I do not own Doctor Who...or I would not be in America right now but living the dream in Europe ;)
> 
> Disclaimer 2: My OCs are not associated with any DW stories that have a Time Ladies named The Angel or Ayla (or whatever Ayla might pick as a title).
> 
> Enjoy!

**APRIL**

"Hello Ponds!" the Doctor's voice rang through the kitchen of the Pond household, blaring out from the answer phone as he left a message for the companions.

Amy and Rory leaned on the counter by their small phone, listening to the recording, they'd been at their respective jobs, just starting them really, it was...quite the change from their ordinary lives, to wake up, in their house, step outside and see grass and blue skies, and then get in a car and head to a building, working 9 to 5 and heading home for dinner. It...still didn't seem real to them, that they were back on Earth and not flying out among the stars with the Time Lords.

"Hi Uncle Rory!" Ayla giggled, which made them smile, they could practically imagine the young girl waving at the phone as though it were them, "Hi Aunt Amy!"

And then they heard Angel let out a laugh, "That's right sweetheart, hello Rory, hello Amy."

Amy smiled wider seeing Rory's own smile get bigger at not just the sound of their 'niece' but of his 'sister' as well. She really DID love how close Rory and Angel were, it was as close, she liked to think, as she and the Doctor were...though she knew he was a little closer to Ayla than she was. She'd apologized to the girl during Christmas for...for having shot at her, but Ayla had just given her a hug and said that it was ok, she was trying to protect her mummy and daddy and that her mummy had kept her safe. And she'd also informed her that the spacesuit had a minor shield to it, she wouldn't have been badly hurt at all even if the shot had hit her, the most there would be was maybe a cracked class on the helmet, but nothing bad at all.

It didn't do much to relieve her, she still had nightmares about firing and the shot hitting the girl...she...she had a lot of nightmares really, about Ayla, about River, about what the Silence had tried and succeeded to do to them. She couldn't help but think of River's words, if that timeline had never existed...what if Kovarian was still alive somewhere, what if she was still out there? Waiting?

"Checking in," the Doctor added, pulling her out of her thoughts, "That's what family does right?"

They chuckled at that, the Doctor was actually...really making an effort to be in his companions lives more than before. Not just them, they kept in contact with Jack and the others, they still did holidays with them, and they all talked about the Doctor and Angel and Ayla. The Time Lords had been popping into the last few as well, Angel's doing they were sure. If the Doctor had been piloting they wouldn't see the little family for years in between! But they were all glad for it, their family wasn't complete without the founding members of it, without their Pilots.

"How are you both doing?" Angel asked in a very...odd way.

It made them pause a moment. It was like...a cross between her hesitating to ask, because she'd had a feeling, and her genuinely being casual and asking how they were. They weren't quite sure what to make of it.

~8~

_The Doctor ran through a door, Ayla's hand held tightly in his, Angel behind them with a surfboard in hand. They stopped on a bridge above a river of magma when the doors on the other end opened and Sontarans began to march through. They turned, but the other doors opened and even more entered._

_"Really?" the Doctor huffed as Angel held up a hand at the Sontarans raising their weapons, a soft golden swirl appearing around them, protecting them._

_This was supposed to be a nice trip! They were going to a volcano planet, it was like a natural wonder, like a preserve of sorts, where tours were given and you could watch lava flowing. It was really a wonder, the planet had DIFFERENT types of lava and magma. Some were colored, some were cold...some were even toppings on foods! It was just incredible how different the same thing was all throughout the planet and they'd thought it would be a fantastic trip for Ayla._

_It wasn't every day you could touch lava and not have your hand burned off. They even sold jars of it! They'd decided that...they wanted to remember these trips, their adventures with their daughter, sort of like...one vacations (adventure) after another and that was what families did right? They took pictures and things. Well, pictures weren't really their style so they thought, perhaps, they could take little keepsakes from the planets, something to remember the adventure (vacation) by. They could make a little room that they could go to to look at the things and remember the memories of it._

_And Ayla seemed to love doing it! She always took whatever they kept with them and ran into the TARDIS to show her Aunt Idris, giving her a detailed description of the adventure and what happened during it. Even now she had a little jar of cold, blue, lava to show the box._

_It was SUPPOSED to be a calm, slightly educational (as Angel had insisted some be) trip...and then they'd gotten there and ended up wandering right into the middle of the Sontarans trying to take over the planet, wanting to use the magma and the other natural resources of the planet for weapons against the Rutans. So, naturally...they'd had to stop it._

_And they'd succeeded too!_

_...and now they were being chased off the planet by the irate Sontarans who were quite cross that they'd been 'defeated' in battle...even when there hadn't really been any battle at all._

~8~

"Not much to report," the Doctor's voice went a bit squeaky, which made the Ponds smirk, and he thought _Angel_ was a rubbish liar?

"Daddy that's rude!" Ayla chastised her father, "You mustn't lie!"

"Oh Rule 1, sweetheart," he laughed, "I _always_ lie."

"Which is _not_ the best lesson to teach our daughter my love," Angel commented.

There was a kissing noise, that had the Ponds shaking their heads, just imagining the Doctor kissing Angel's cheek...or hand...or forehead...or lips...or, well...he seemed very fond of kissing her anywhere he could didn't he? They honestly couldn't tell (and were quite glad they didn't know the Time Lords THAT well) where he'd kissed her just then.

"As long as I never lie to you or Ayla, I'm alright with that."

Angel laughed, "Rule 3 in play then?"

"And Amended Rule 3," he corrected, "I don't lie to you, or Ayla."

And they knew he was being entirely serious. They'd actually talked with the Doctor and Angel about a few things regarding Ayla during some past trips, the way he described some of the adventures they'd been having...it was like, even being dangerous, Ayla knew exactly what was going on. And they'd found out it was because they told the little girl what the danger was. Rory had been concerned that wasn't the best thing to do, but Angel had actually agreed.

She had lived...a sheltered life, very sheltered, while the Doctor had gone about and explored and seen the Universe. And, despite that, she'd noticed with Rose during their first actual trip together to Satellite 5, that...she had a sense of the danger, she knew EXACTLY how dangerous things were getting but Rose didn't. She'd treated it as a game at first, it wasn't till her she'd saved her father that she realized the true impact of travelling in time. They didn't want that for their daughter. Even the Doctor agreed that they wanted her to have fun, but to be responsible with time, with danger. They didn't want to alarm her, so they always kept her protected, but they did want her to know things were serious.

It was the only way to keep her from wandering off in very, VERY bad situations. She needed to know the true danger they were all in so that she would listen and stay with them and not wander as children so often did. They never flat out told her they were about to be killed or anything like that, no! They just...in their own words (and the Doctor's stutterings) made her aware there was a delicate situation at hand and that she had to be careful, stay with them, and be a good girl.

And she really was. Ayla did what her parents said, she didn't wander off when it was really serious, she listened to what they told her to do, and she was, quite clearly still alive. Which relieved the Ponds to no end. Amy herself had been a bit wary of the girl going on adventures with the Doctor and Angel. She knew they were a family, and she knew the Doctor would NEVER put his daughter in a situation like that, but...as Martha had once described it to her, things always escalated with the Doctor. Things got out of hand, things popped up, his timing was off, and they never knew what would happen wherever they went...

Till now it appeared. Angel had a very firm grasp on her abilities, her visions at least, she could sense whether a place was good to stay or not. And the Doctor actually listened to her when she requested they leave a place. It was rare...actually it hadn't happened yet...that Angel would do that, because as much as she sensed the danger she could sense the people who needed help, and she always knew...without at doubt that they would be ok in the end. And they always were, they protected each other more than ever and...Amy was actually quite terrified if anyone dared try to harm Angel or Ayla now that the Doctor was not only a Mate but a Father.

"You shouldn't lie to _anyone_ daddy," Ayla playfully scolded her father, which made him and Angel laugh over the speakers.

~8~

_"Come along, sweetheart," the Doctor took Ayla's hand, pulling the surfboard from Angel not only to toss on top of the magma below them, but so that she could focus her whole attention on the Sontarans._

_He smiled as he saw a golden light appear on the bottom of the board, curving out like a bowl beneath it, one he knew would eventually expand and encapsulate the person standing on top of it in a bubble of sorts. It was a gift from the TARDIS for one of her niece's birthdays. They'd gone to the beach and Ayla had wanted to learn to surf, or at least to ride a wave, so the TARDIS gave her a surfboard infused with a bit of the Vortex, much like the extrapolator but less technological and more...a board. If anything happened to the girl, a slight shield would appear around it and bring Ayla to safety till they could get to her. It was a very thoughtful gift an done he was truly touched the TARDIS had taken the care to give._

_He grinned, reaching back to take Angel's hand, only to frown, feeling her far more tense than she normally was. He looked over his shoulder to see her entirely focused on the Sontarans...and the glow of the wall surrounding them getting thicker and brighter and the Sontarans hadn't even fired yet. It usually wouldn't worry him too much, Angel's focus, he knew that it took quite a lot to be able to manipulate the Vortex into a shield as she was doing now but...she was starting to shake. And he'd seen her forming a wall in the past, it never took...this much effort or concentration._

_"Angel," he whispered, squeezing her hand, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the glow dimming just slightly, Angel blinking and looking back at him, "Time to go," he winked at her._

~8~

"Surfed the Fire Falls of Floridal 9, didn't we sweetheart?" the Doctor spoke again.

"It was an accident," Angel added, "We were lucky we had that surf board."

"You know, I thought it was odd that you thought we should bring it with us," the Doctor remarked, clearly to Angel, "I didn't think they allowed visitors to surf the magma."

"Would you have let that stop you?" Angel laughed.

"Touché," he chuckled as well.

"It was the best!" Ayla told them, "It was SO much fun!"

~8~

_With a grin at his girls, and each of them in hand, the Doctor turned and jumped off the ledge of the rock, right onto the surfboard, the golden energy of Angel's Vortex fading as the shield of the board curled around them. He laughed, Ayla settling down on his lap as they sat on the board, his arm winding around Angel's shoulders as they floated away, the Sontarans firing after them._

_He grinned, kissing Angel's temple, "Psychic," he murmured, patting the board that she'd insisted they bring._

_"Thief," she countered, turning his head to kiss him deeply as Ayla giggled at her parents, only THEY would be kissing while floating away on magma._

~8~

"Met Mata Hari in a Paris hotel room," the Doctor added.

~8~

_The Doctor was sitting cross-legged beside Ayla as she knelt before the fireplace in a quaint hotel room, with a poker in hand, a crumpet stuck on the end of it. He'd showed her how to use the sonic to start a fire in an emergency, and ONLY an emergency, and was now showing her how to properly roast a crumpet using it and a poker. He planned to show her how to make smores next, Angel seemed to love them in this incarnation, smores and coffee. Oh! Maybe they'd go camping later! The African Safari should be peaceful if they picked the right time of year, maybe took care to bring a hunter with them just to be safe. That would be a nice trip, Ayla could see a lion in real life instead of just her Aslan doll, which she still had and still snuggled with at night._

_He'd just been about to Angel and ask her what she thought, when he heard her call out, "Hello Mata Hari."_

_He turned around to see that a woman had just entered the room, wearing a thick fur coat. Which was odd, the room was rather warm, the entire hotel was, and she couldn't still be chilled from the snow outside, there wasn't any snow on her coat so she'd been inside for a while._

~8~

"I _still_ can't believe you DIDN'T notice," Angel laughed.

"Well why would I?" the Doctor countered, his words growing soft, "She's not _you_."

~8~

_Mata Hari dropped her coat, now standing there before them, completely stark naked, making Ayla giggle and look away as her mother moved to get a blanket for the woman, knowing she'd be very embarrassed very quickly._

_T_ _he Doctor though just smiled politely, "Crumpet?" and held out the poker at her, as though not noticing her nudeness at all, looking the woman in the eyes instead of...elsewhere._

_...which made Mata Hari blush to realize and try to cover herself just as Angel got the blanket around her with an amused smile._

~8~

"She was funny," Ayla giggled.

~8~

_The Doctor stood in a sound booth, a cap on his head twisted backwards, Ayla in his arms, the girl with big sunglasses on and a rather thick 'bling' necklace as the two of them sang to some song or another that was playing, recording them. Angel stood beside two men outside the booth who were bobbing their heads, mostly to be polite and humor Ayla. Honestly, the Doctor sounded like a deaf moose, but Ayla loved it when her father sang, as much as she loved hearing him sing too. It didn't always matter how well someone sang if the words and emotion truly meant something. She knew that Ayla loved it when SHE sang to her as well, she'd found she actually had a rather nice voice this time, nowhere near opera or amazing levels, but not as terrible as she'd been, just...normal._

_She couldn't help but smile as she watched them, they were both just so happy to have time with their daughter again._

~8~

"Me and my girl laid down some backing vocals, didn't we?"

"That was fun!" Ayla cheered.

"Ayla requested a copy of it made for you," Angel told them, "We'll bring it round later..."

~8~

"Probably in the next few days," Angel called as she helped the Doctor pilot the TARDIS, Ayla watching them from the jump seat, "Or maybe tomorrow," she looked at Ayla, "What do you think?"

"Can we mummy?!" she cheered, clapping, before blinking and pointing at her father, "Don't let daddy drive though."

Angel laughed, knowing the Doctor he'd get them there weeks later.

"Helmic Regulator's playing up," the Doctor sighed, struggling with a lever, proving their point, "Can't get the temporal steering right..."

~8~

Amy and Rory sipped their wine as they listed to the Time Lords.

"My love," Angel called, "We seem to be about to collide with Ancient Greece..."

"Can we go to the Acropolis mummy?!" Ayla gasped.

"Oh of course," Angel cheered, "Just let me get us out of a collision..."

"See you later Ponds!" the Doctor called and Rory hit a button to end the message.

"The Time Lords," Amy held up her glass, toasting with Rory.

**MAY**

Amy and Rory were sound asleep...when an odd noise sounded down the stairs, a _wheezing_ sound…followed by someone making their way _up_ the stairs, well…running up the stairs really. A rather heavy set of footsteps and small pitters.

A moment later the door flew open, banging against the back wall as the Doctor ran in. The Ponds gasped, sitting up in bed at the crashing sound as the Doctor covered his eyes, "Stop everything!"

"Daddy they were _sleeping_!" Ayla tugged on his arm.

"I DID tell you to knock first my love," Angel commented as she walked in behind him, smiling as the Doctor immediately wound his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"What's going on?" Rory looked over, resting a hand on his racing heart.

"Doctor!" Amy huffed, " _Bedroom_!"

"We have a RULE about the bedroom!"

"Always knock," Ayla nodded, before whispering to her father, "It's polite."

The Doctor smiled down at her, reaching out a hand to stroke her hair once, "You are most certainly your mother's daughter," he tapped her on the nose, making her beam at he praise. She was so polite, nothing like how rude he tended to be. And then he remembered why they were there, "No one on this planet is safe right now," he told the Ponds, "We have to solve this before it's too late. Get your clothes on. If we move fast enough we at least stand a chance…"

He trailed off, seeing them looking at Angel, who was shaking her head at him, amused.

"They look very confused daddy," Ayla pointed out.

He sighed, looking at them, "You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?"

"No," they shook their heads, they didn't even know what point in time the Time Lords were at either, Ayla did look a bit older though.

"Oh Helmic Regulator! Again! Too early, wrong point. Come along sweetheart," he took Ayla's hand as they turned to go, "As you were!"

"Doctor, you can't just go like that," Amy rolled her eyes, "What's happening? Don't WE need to know?"

Angel moved over to them, sitting on the edge of their bed, "We just got the order wrong is all," she reassured them, "The Doctor wouldn't let me fly and then proceeded to get into an argument with Sissy so she took us here to spite him," she laughed a bit, "Trust me though," she reached out and put a hand on their arms, "There is _nothing_ wrong with the future, everything WILL be fine."

"Mummy!" Ayla called from down the stairs, "Aunt Idris has locked daddy out!"

Angel laughed and shook her head, getting up, "We'll be back soon enough, I'LL pilot this time. Please, don't worry about the future. Good night."

"Night," they called, though still a bit worried despite her reassurances.

They waited till they could hear Angel's laughter dying out and the wheezing fading before lying back down in bed, "I really hate it when he does that."

Amy nodded.

**JUNE**

Rory stretched as he walked down the hall toward the bathroom, pulling on a dressing gown as he went. He pushed the door open, jumping back out into the hall with a cry of "WOAH!" and pulling the door shut behind him

He rubbed his eyes, peeking back in to make sure what he saw was _really_ there, before shutting the door again and leaning back against it, straightening when he saw Amy making her way down the hall again.

"Out of the way Mr. Pond," Amy called as he blocked the door, but he just shook his head, his eyes wide, "What? Why not?" he nodded at the door as though trying to convey something before sighing, and opening it.

Amy walked in, but gave a little jump…

There, sitting on the toilet, was an Ood.

"May I be of any assistance?" it asked, its orb brightening as it spoke, though its voice was high and squeaky.

Ayla, they thought, had to be. She tended to giggle at squeaky things, especially the Doctor when his voice went all squeaky. And she was rather curious, they'd seen her nab the Doctor's sonic on more than one occasion...they'd seen Angel plucking a smaller sonic out of the Doctor's hands as he tried to gift their daughter with one as a result. She must have gotten her hands on the sonic and used it on the Ood.

"Ood on the loo."

"Yeah…" Amy breathed.

**JULY**

The Doctor was sitting on the floor of the TARDIS, under the console's glass floor, across from Ayla, with a TARDIS blue boa around his neck. There was a small splattering of little plastic cups and plates set in front of him, his daughter dressed in an adorable green princess outfit with a little cone hat that had a cloth at the end of it, pouring make-believe tea into a cup for him. He'd offered her a small tiara from a distant planet that he'd picked up on his travels but his daughter was _just_ like his Mate, simple and not showy-offy, even at a pretend tea party.

Angel was watching them fondly as she worked on the console, sitting in the harness, just...so touched to see it. She'd always thought that the Doctor would be the best father in the Universe, and now, to see him with a little girl...sitting there with a boa and having tea...she knew he was FAR more than the best. Words...failed her to describe how brilliant her Mate was with their daughter.

He did everything for her, he danced with her and read to her and played with her...she'd had to wash numerous drawings off the walls as a result, but it had been worth it. And he sat with her, told her about his adventures, tales of wonderful worlds and the best part was...it was all true, it all happened. The best part, her favorite part, was when they'd cook together...because it always turned into a 'flour fight' with the Doctor and they ended up a mess which meant more family time getting Ayla cleaned up and then some...very nice adult time getting themselves cleaned up.

She was starting to get suspicious that he did that more for the adult time than the family time. But she wouldn't complain, she was rather fond of that. It was...odd, how much things had changed but in a good way. With Ayla around, people might assume that they had little time together, she and the Doctor, that they'd settle down, go domestic, focus on Ayla. And they did focus on Ayla, the other things...couldn't be further from the truth.

The Doctor was even more excited for adventures, for showing his daughter the different places and wonders of the Universe, for all the running Ayla seemed to love as much as Jenny, for all the memories they made. Things were only slightly domestic, they _did_ have a child to care for and feed and put to bed, but Ayla was just what the TARDIS needed, what THEY needed, to really be a family and they loved spending time with their daughter. Her being there had brought them all the more close to their 'family' as well, she loved seeing her aunties and uncles and the Doctor was far more willing to see them for that too, wanting them to be a part of her life as long as they could be.

The most impressive thing was...how close SHE and the Doctor had grown in all that time. They were just...on another level, such an intimate one she never really ever thought she'd reach. He was...it was like he was all too aware that, just as he was no longer just 'The Doctor, Mate of the Angel' but now also 'Father of Ayla,' _she_ wasn't just his Mate or just 'the Angel' either but...the mother of his child. He was...different around her than he had been. She wasn't sure if it was what he would have normally been like had he never forgotten her, just his natural current personality peeking through now that the rifts and wounds had healed between them, she didn't know if this was how he was always meant to be around her but...she liked it.

He was always looking at her or talking about her or touching her. Oh he loved to touch her even in the most childish of ways, like poking her side to tickle her or his hand ghosting past her, turning his leg to rest on hers when they sat, just...always connected to her. He was always touching her and teasing her and complimenting her...even more than his last self had and that was a feat in and of itself. She'd heard that Mates, often after a child, were...different, more aware of each other because of the child.

The child was, literally, the physical manifestation of their love, a representation of it, it was...their love. Having the child around, being around it, loving it just increased their own affections even more, strengthened their bond. It was like...their bodies changed, their minds changed, became more in tune with each others after the birth of a child. She hadn't noticed it before, too hurt from everything, but she'd been telling the truth, this her was stronger than the last her. This her was...ready to let herself be happy.

And she was, for the first time in what felt like ages, she was truly happy, just sitting there, watching them, wires dangling around her everywhere, blackened goggles protecting her eyes, a headset on to talk to the Ponds, "The Ood was in your house?"

"I was wondering where he'd got to," the Doctor called, hearing her, "I thought he'd just gone for a walk in the TARDIS. Must have wandered off."

"Which is bad," Ayla nodded, knowing how her parents felt about that, "Most important rule is to not wander off, right daddy?"

"Right sweetheart," he leaned forward and kissed her head, before he got up and moved to Angel's side. He grinned, taking the boa off to wind it around her neck, tugging her in to kiss her.

She was beaming as she pulled away, remembering how he'd mentioned she should wear a boa if he ever selected an outfit that had no tie or lapels, ages ago when she and Donna had just founded Gingers United, "I think he snuck out…" she began.

~8~

Amy and Rory sat, eating breakfast, listening to the conversation over their phone. Amy reached out and stole one of Rory's sausages when he looked away, smirking as he looked back at her, noticing that.

"When the Doctor landed us there last night…"

"If it was last night," the Doctor remarked, "You know, we rescued him from the middle of the Androvax Conflict. We were taking him back to the Ood Sphere, going to show Ayla one of our more beneficial adventures."

"We freed the Ood from human control."

"Anyway, he's not being a nuisance is he?"

~8~

_The Ood ambled around the house, doing all the chores someone possibly could._

_Like packing Amy and Rory's lunches for them._

_"Enjoy your workday experience," he offered Rory his packed lunch._

_And making the beds._

_And drying the laundry._

_And cleaning the windows…_

_And..._

~8~

"Doctor…Doctor?" Rory called over the headset, "He, um, seems to think that he's out butler."

"The Ood are raised to serve," Angel told them, before frowning up at the Doctor, "We really should take care of that a bit more."

He smile, nodding at her concern, "You know, the best thing at the moment is let him do just that. We'll come and pick him up tonight. Whenever tonight is. Hmm?" he looked over at Ayla and pointed at her, "What do you think of that sweetheart? Want to see your Uncle Rory and Aunt Amy again?"

"Yes please!" Ayla smiled, jumping up to go hug him.

Angel though shook her head and got up, heading up the steps as the warning bell went off, "Sorry," she called into the headset, "There's a power drain threatening to implode the TARDIS."

"What?!" the Doctor gasped, rushing up to help her, starting to race around the TARDIS, trying to fix it, frantic, worried for his family, "Oh no, that's bad. Why's it doing that? No, no, no, no, no, don't do that!"

"Calm down, my love," Angel put a hand on his arm, reaching out to tap something into the keypad and pull a lever to turn the alarms off and stop the drain, "All sorted."

He laughed, leaning forward to pull her closer, "Brilliant," he whispered, before kissing her gently as he tapped the headset off.

~8~

"Your infusions," the Ood handed Amy and Rory their coffees, "How else may I be of service?"

"I feel so guilty," Rory mumbled.

"Just eat your breakfast," she told him under her breath before they both looked at the Ood, smiling in awkward thanks.

**AUGUST**

The Doctor was standing on a ladder, one arm around Ayla's waist to keep her steady as she stood near the top with him on the ladder as well, eagerly watching him...change the bulb on top of the box. He really...treasured that about their daughter. He could see it, in everything she did she was so curious...like him but, at the same time, she had such an appreciation for the little things, like Angel had when she'd first regenerated. It really did warm his hearts SO much to see his daughter so like the two of them.

He tilted his head, keeping a red phone wedged between his ear and shoulder as he spoke to the Ponds, "Ponds! Us again..."

"Hello!" Ayla called, waving at the phone.

"Sorry about the gaps in communications. Dropped your Ood back home, reconnected it to the hive mind. Helmic Regulator's _still_ not working..."

"Helmic Regulator's just fine!" Angel's distant voice called from within the TARDIS.

"It got hit by an arrow at Hastings Hill!" he reminded her with a shout so she could hear him.

"And I fixed it!" she remarked, "Better than it was, won't be acting up again, thank you very much."

"Uncle Rory I rode a horse!" Ayla reached out to take the phone, far too excited to share that bit of information, practically buzzing to tell him that, her first horse ride.

"Right through 11th century Coventry," the Doctor laughed as he took the phone back.

~8~

_The Doctor, Ayla, and Angel sat before a Chinese man in a hut, noodles handing around them as they ate some, the Doctor rubbing his belly as the Chinese man laughed. He grinned widely and picked up some chopsticks, gathering some noodles before he turned to Angel, holding up a portion. She smiled and opened her mouth, letting him feed her though she laughed as she couldn't get all the noodles in and had to hide her mouth till she'd gathered them all._

_The Doctor had just smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her still-munching mouth._

~8~

"Also, I think I may have accidently invented pasta…" the Doctor added.

"We came round," Angel stepped out of the TARDIS, wiping her hand off on a small rag, "I told the Doctor you were out, he didn't listen."

"I always listen to you," he countered, "I just thought, since the park was across the street there was no harm in swinging by."

~8~

_The trio stood before the Ponds' door, the Doctor holding an umbrella over them, his arm around Angel to keep her close, as Ayla repeatedly hit the doorbell, excited to see her Aunt and Uncle, but no one answered._

~8~

"Which is fine," the Doctor nodded.

~8~

_"Come along, sweetheart," the Doctor said he unwound his hand from Angel, taking Ayla's hand as she did, the three of them walking back, the two Time Lords swinging their girl between them over the puddles that were forming in the rain._

~8~

"Everything's alright, isn't it?" the Doctor frowned as he helped Ayla off the ladder, the three of them standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, till Ayla ran inside to tell her Aunt Idris about the brand new bulb she was wearing, "With you two?"

"Of course it is my love," Angel whispered, kissing his cheek, "They're the Ponds, they'll always be fine as long as they're together."

He nodded, resting his head to hers, "Just…just worrying unnecessarily, me. Anyway," he pulled back, "Just call us if you need us, ok? Toodle Pip," he looked down at the phone in his hands before sighing, pulling out the sonic and deleting the message.

~8~

"Message deleted," the answer phone stated as the messages went from 1 to 0, just a moment before Amy entered her house.

She stopped by the phone, checking the messages and sighed, "We need you Raggedy Man, Golden Girl. _I_ need you."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Such a sweet chapter right? We see the Ponds and we see the Time Family...just wait till the next one }:) I can say now that the next chapter will be the prequel to Asylum of the Daleks, BUT! With something extra to it ;)
> 
> I tried to get as much Time Lord fluff in here as I could with it being 'Pond' Life and everything, I hope you enjoyed the little glimpses of it. MUCH more of it to come ;)
> 
> And, since this is technically the first 'episode' we get the Pyramid early ;) Just as a refresher, my 'pyramid' is the 3 episodes I'm super-excited about and are the ones I think has something in them that is important to Angel's story or her relationship with the Doctor. The 2, is usually my most looked forward to 2-parter episode either because something happens in it or it's just my favorite episodes lol. But since there aren't any 2-parters here, I'm going to make these the episodes I feel have something very important to Angel's abilities/powers in them :) And the 1 is the episode that I liked least and probably struggled with so if it's really bad, that's why. So here it is:
> 
> 3...Asylum of the Daleks, The Snowmen, The Name of the Doctor  
> 2...Hide, The Day of the Doctor (I have a quite a few ideas that I think will make that one essential to Angel)  
> 1...The Power of Three


	2. A Dream or Reality?

"Daddy!" Ayla screamed as she clung to Angel, the woman pounding on the glass wall that separated them from him, "Help!"

"Hold on!" the Doctor shouted, sonicing the wall, needing it to crack, needing it break, needing it to release them, but it remained whole, "No!"

"Doctor!" Angel gasped as a humming noise sounded, she and Ayla looking up, terrified.

"No!" he raged, banging on the wall with his fist, trying to break through it with his bare hands. His rational mind would have realized that it was impossible to do, that he'd do more harm to himself than good in helping them...but his rational mind had been completley consumed by the sheer panic only someone whose Mate and Child were in danger could feel.

This couldn't be happening! It couldn't! Not now, not when they were supposed to be safe! The Silence had found them, River had let it slip that the whole murder was a ruse, and word had spread, whispers of it, that he was still alive, that Angel was, that they'd found their daughter. And all hell had broken loose. The Silence had come at them in full force, and despite their best efforts, despite his mind and Angel's abilities and foresight...they hadn't seen the consequences coming. The Silence had captured Angel and Ayla, had separated them, pulled them away from him and managed to trap them in the stark white facility he was standing in, holding them in a cell of glass for observation.

He'd flown through the Universe in a rage to get back to them, not about to let the Silence harm his family again...but he was too late. Even now, even having found them, it was too late. Because he recognized that hum, he knew what it meant, he knew what was building, and he _had_ to get them out, but the walls were strong despite being glass.

"Teleport out!" he cried to Angel.

"I can't," she looked back at him, tears in her eyes, absolutely terrified, "I tried! They've managed to add time-lock technology to the glass...I can't break through."

He looked frantic at that, the time-lock on Gallifrey, time-locks in general were impenetrable. No form of time travel could enter them and the Vortex...it was their direct link to travelling in time. It was the path they took, the energy they used to do it, to fuel it and control it...not even the Vortex could break through a time-lock. And if the Silence had somehow managed to get their hands on that sort of technology...the only person capable of knowing it, in his mind, being Torchwood and River...and Jack would rather die permanently than give that secret up...it _had_ to be River. Would that woman never cease to ruin their lives?

He spun around to see if there was anything, anything at all, that he could use to smash the window, but there was nothing, the entire hall was deserted and dark, save for him standing there before the glass. He'd been about to run down the hall, look around a corner...when Angel groaned, and then Ayla cried out in pain. He spun back to them, his hearts freezing in his chest at the sound of their pain, to see a red light had turned on in the room, bouncing off the originally white walls and casting a disturbing image of them bathed in the red light, like blood. He flashed the sonic again, his hearts dropping, they were flooding the room with stet radiation! Far too much, far too quickly, it wouldn't just kill them...it would kill them too quickly to regenerate!

"NO!" he beat against he wall once more, forced to watch as the two girls who were his entire Universe sunk to their knees, their bodies weakening, failing, dying, before his very eyes, "Angel! Ayla!" he beat the walls harder, ignoring a crack in his one hand as he was certain his hand had broken, but he didn't care, he didn't feel it, he didn't feel anything except the blinding need to get in there and save them.

He couldn't lose them, he just couldn't! Not only because of the Mating but...even if he'd had the bracelet on him at that exact moment, he...he could be strong for his daughter, he could live for her in a way he knew Angel would want him to. But Ayla was in there too! Ayla, his little girl, was dying beside his Mate! He couldn't survive that, not losing the both of them at once, he wasn't that strong.

To have lost everything one had and be given a chance of getting it back...to lose it again...

He'd once said to Auntie and Uncle, that they had given him hope in finding other Time Lords and taken it away, had been on the brink of rage then. But this...this was real, he HAD a Mate and a daughter and a family again, he wasn't alone, he had THEM...and now they were being taken away from him. And he knew exactly what that would do to him.

Break him.

Kill him in more ways than just physically dying ever could.

He started shoving against the glass, his hearts pounding, his blood pumping ice water, his mind racing, feeling the panic of the Mating instinct and his own paternal bonds springing to life at the sight of his daughter and his love suffering so. He threw his weight against the wall, slamming his shoulder into it in a vain attempt to get them out...but...nothing.

"Doctor..." Angel breathed as she and Ayla collapsed to the floor, him sinking to his knees with them, shaking, unable to breathe, unable to really see any longer with the tears in his eyes.

No...please...he begged, he begged and pleaded with every deity, star, power-that-be, he could think of, please don't take them!

"Dad...dee..." Ayla weakly reached for him, his hand pressing to the glass where hers was heading...when her little hand fell, the two of them breathing their last, no sign of regeneration on the horizon...

~8~

"NO!" the Doctor gasped, shooting up in bed, shaking, the breeze he'd made at his sudden move chilling the sweat that had layered him. The sheets were twisted around him from his thrashing, his hearts racing, his head pounding, his breath not coming quickly enough. He felt dizzy and off balance as he pressed a hand to his head, trying to shake off the dream, trying to erase it from his mind, feeling...so... _scared_.

He swallowed hard, knowing what he needed to feel calm and safe and...happy...again. He looked over beside him...and saw Angel wasn't there. He leapt up, his mind on the dream, and went crashing over the side of the bed to the ground, landing hard on his shoulder, still twisted in the sheets that he frantically kicked off. He pushed himself to his feet and stumbled into the hall, shoving through the bedroom door and nearly running into the wall across from him in his panic. He stumbled more, his body too tense and agitated and shaky to really focus on walking properly as he grabbed another doorknob and opening it, his hearts stopping when he saw Ayla wasn't there either.

Had it...had it been real?

Had it been a memory?

But just as his mind went to a VERY dark place and he moved to check his wrist to see if the Dampening Bracelet was there...he heard the faint sound of Ayla giggling, of Angel laughing, coming from down the hall. Before he even realized he'd moved, he bolted down the corridor, half-running into the door frame of the kitchen, his eyes wide, his hearts slowing as he saw his girls were in there. They were actually and physically standing in the kitchen, in their pajamas, Ayla sitting on the counter as she stirred a mix in a bowl, Angel at the stove, flipping pancakes. Ayla was wearing a small green night dress while Angel seemed to prefer dark blue, baggy flannel pants and a light blue tank top to sleep in for this incarnation. He himself preferred simple bottoms and no shirt, which he very much loved because it made him feel all the closer to Angel when they cuddled at night.

"Daddy!" Ayla cheered, spotting him, not seeming to notice his flustered state, "Look what mummy and I made!" she turned and set the bowl down so she could pick up a plate of pancakes sitting beside her for him to see.

He just stood there, panting. Just...staring at them as though he couldn't believe they were there, that they were ok...that they were smiling at him given the fact he hadn't been able to save them... He closed his eyes and shook his head, it was a dream, he hadn't needed to save them because they were perfectly fine.

"Are you alright my love?" Angel asked, looking back at him over her shoulder, concerned. Not even needing to feel his rampant emotions to know something was wrong. He was...pale, he was shaking and there was a fine layer of sweat covering him, and not the good kind. He seemed...frightened and alarmed and...relieved at the same time.

"Fine," he swallowed, taking a much needed breath to try and calm himself more, "Just fine," he took a step in, still a bit shaky, but managed to walk over to Ayla without stumbling or jerking which was something given the terror he still felt in his hearts, "What have you got there sweetheart, chocolate chip?"

"Mhmm," Ayla nodded, taking one off the plate and taking a bite of it.

He smiled at that as she offered him the one she'd started eating and just...kissed her forehead instead, brushing a hand down her hair as it was out if its pigtails, just...taking a moment to revel in the fact that his daughter and Mate were ok. That thought alone had him falling back onto a chair by the small kitchen table, relieved. It had been just a dream. A terrible, awful dream, but a dream none the less, the worst one of his life, but...his girls were just fine.

"Why didn't you wake me?" he looked at Angel.

"It was meant to be a surprise," she told him, glancing at him over her shoulder, flipping a pancake, "Ayla wanted to give you breakfast in bed. And so did I," she added, "It's not often I wake up before you."

He gave a small chuckle at that, this new her was a very...deep sleeper. Unless Ayla was having a bad dream or there was some danger, then she flew awake, but she could sleep through practically anything it seemed. He did rather LOVE waking her up in the mornings when they did sleep, his favorite part of the day...well, his favorite part of the start of the day. He loved seeing her blush when she fully woke to the different ministrations of his, always different every day.

"Eat up love," Angel smiled, setting a plate of warm pancakes before him.

He reached out as she passed him, catching her hand and tugging her back, looking up at her as he took her in, just...smiling in relief that she was alive and ok. He gently pulled her down by the hand he was holding to kiss her, deepening it a little more than was probably necessary for having just woken up, but... _needing_ it. He needed to be reminded she was there, she was ok, she was alive, and she didn't hate him.

He sighed as he pulled away, resting his forehead to hers as his eyes drifted closed, "I wish I could wake up like that every time," he murmured.

Angel laughed, "You already do," she winked at him.

He smiled, watching her walk over to Ayla, it was true. He _did_ wake up like that every morning after they slept. Well, not with the crippling fear haunting him, but...with Angel in his arms. He would wake up and just stare at her, watch her sleep, content to let her sleep, feeling a patience and a calm he rarely ever felt when he wasn't with her. Sometimes he'd trace her face with feather light touches, or just lay his head beside her and look at the side of her face, or trace patterns on her shoulder and back, or give her little kisses, gently coaxing her awake. He loved that, he loved the little intimate moments they shared in the morning before Ayla awoke. It wasn't often that they needed sleep like that so it made the moment even more special. And Angel always gave him a kiss once she was awake, much like she always did as they fell asleep as well. According to her, that was the best note to end a day on and the best omen to being one with as well, kissing the person you loved.

He nodded to himself, yes, everything was just fine, and turned to dig into his rather delicious looking pancakes...

But...just as he was about to lift his fork to his lips...he noticed a Headless Monk was sitting right in front of him on the other side of the table where Angel usually sat, Ayla typically sitting between them...

~8~

The Doctor looked around and saw that Angel and Ayla were gone, his hearts about to stop, fearing that he'd just been dreaming before, that they had _really_ perished...when he noticed the colors around him seemed dim... _this_ was another dream.

Which meant the last dream was a dream and the one before that was a dream and...oh his head hurt now.

"What do you want?" he glared at the Monk, knowing he had no right to be there, that it had to be something more than a dream. The only time he dreamt of the Headless Monks was when he remembered Demons Run and what happened to Ayla. He would never EVER just dream of one sitting before him as though they were having tea and scones in a café.

"There is a woman who wants to meet you," the Monk replied, his voice deep.

"That's nice," his jaw tensed at the mention of some random woman, "I've got a Mate already. _Not_ interested. _Never_ will be."

"Your help is required."

The Doctor set down the fork still in his hands, leaning in to try and peer at the Monk, "Who are you?"

"A messenger."

"Whose messenger?" he leaned back, he hated that, he hated that someone had a message for him...because it meant it was someone who knew he was alive. And that was NOT a good sign at all.

"Darla Von Carlson."

"Never heard of her," he stood, about to force himself awake...

~8~

...when he saw they were now in a disused room, most certainly not in the TARDIS, "Where's the TARDIS?"

"We were never in the TARDIS," the Monk stated as he stood before the Doctor now, confirming his thoughts that the enitre thing, all of it had just been dream after dream.

"Right," he sighed, rubbing his head, "Psychic projection. Someone sending me a dream message. Well I hope I fell asleep somewhere comfy. Preferably in Angel's arms..." that was the thing about dreams, you could never really remember what your last thought or position or place was till you woke up.

"Do you recognize where you are?"

He looked around, grimacing as he hated to admit that yes, he DID know where he was. He could recognize the architecture around him, the markings on the walls, the feel of it, there was only one place in the Universe it could be, and it was NOT a place he wanted to remember or dream or even think on.

"I remember," he nodded, now tense, alert, "How do you hang up on this thing?"

"You can't."

"Oh yeah? And what if I just wake up?" he closed his eyes, concentrating, and woke up...

~8~

...on a beach, Angel beside him on a beach chair, basking in the sun, while Ayla played near the water, building a sandcastle. He smiled as he eyed Angel, she was wearing a bikini with a small sort of skirt/wrap over her hips. Oh he loved it when she wore it, it had taken him _ages_ to convince her to. It seemed this incarnation of her was quite a bit more modest than her last selves had been as well. He doubted Martha would be able to get this her into some of the outfits she'd attempted in the past. But he'd finally managed it, with quite a few kisses thrown into the mix to distract her of course, a double victory for him. Because not only did he get kisses out of it, he got to see her looking glorious as ever. She was lying there, dozing off beside him, unworried about getting sunburn, they'd been sure to get the strongest form of sun block they could, not wanting Ayla to burn either.

"Eyes front, my love," Angel called, as though feeling his eyes on her, which she very much could.

He chuckled and held out a hand as she blinked her eyes open, taking her hand and just...playing with her fingers a moment, glancing over at Ayla as she built not just a sandcastle, no, he could see she was building a sand-TARDIS. He started to laugh at that when he heard the Monk's voice echo in his mind, "No, Doctor, the beach isn't real either. You are still dreaming."

He jerked up, looking around for the Monk, to see the beach had disappeared, the world shifting again.

~8~

They were floating in space, him and the Monk, standing there really, "What do you want?!" he demanded of the Monk.

He didn't like this, not one bit. Not just that he kept being forced out of lovely dreams about his Mate and daughter, but because this projection...it was powerful if it wouldn't let him wake till the message had been given. And anything powerful enough to get to his mind without him letting it in...besides Angel...was something he was automatically wary of.

The Monk simply waved his hand and symbols appeared in the air between them, "Space time coordinates. You will meet Darla Von Carlson here. Her daughter is in danger and only _you_ can save her," the Monk was silent, seeing him flinch at the mention of a daughter being in danger, "You recognize the planet?"

"Yes," the Doctor swallowed hard, before glaring at the Monk, "And I will NOT take MY daughter there."

He would not, he refused. That planet, that was not a planet HE even wanted to go to. He wanted to help but...too much didn't add up. How had this woman found out he was alive? Did she even know? How was she projecting this to him? Why THAT planet? What happened to her daughter?

"You will," the Monk insisted, "But first you must say it."

"No."

"Name the planet."

"I will _not_ say that name!"

"SAY IT!" the Monk ordered...

~8~

And the Doctor jolted awake to find himself lying on one of the sofas of Torchwood, where he KNEW he'd fallen asleep before, with a cry of, "NO!"

"Name the planet," he could hear the Monk's voice fading in his mind.

"Skaro," he swallowed, running to Jack's office, glad the man was elsewhere in the Hub at the moment, and sonicing his bottom drawer of his desk open, pulling out the man's poor old beaten down Vortex Manipulator. After all the sonicing it off and fixing it by Jack and sonicing it off and fixing, over and over, the poor thing had barely any life left. He could see Jack had tried to repair it again, but that it just wasn't working any longer, the man keeping it for the memories.

But with a little sonic help it might be able to get through two more trips...one there, and one back. He looked up as he strapped the device to his wrist and swallowed hard, he didn't want to do this. But...he couldn't risk Angel or Ayla going there, or Jack trying to stop him, he couldn't risk the TARDIS being there either and...he needed to know who this Darla woman was, how she knew how to contact him, how she knew he was alive. Because if she knew, who else did?

There were only a handful of people he trusted to know he and Angel were alive, that they'd found Ayla, and not say anything. He was hanging around one portion of them, helping to repair the Rift Manipulator that Jack had said a Weevil had managed to tear apart only a day or so ago, not trusting anyone else to repair it...except Angel, but...Angel was visiting Sarah Jane with Ayla as the girl had a playdate with her 'cousin' Sky, and he didn't want to disturb her. They'd agreed that he would be dropped off there before Angel took the TARDIS to Sarah Jane's and then she'd pick him up once more, everyone trusting that Angel would pick him up in time and not months later like he might have ended up accidently doing.

And...it was probably better that they weren't there...he didn't want to risk them. His jaw tensed, he would NOT risk them in this. He would go find out how this was possible, he'd find out how this woman knew, and then...he'd deal with it himself. He would NOT let anyone harm his family.

Never again.

And, with that, he slapped his hand down on the Vortex Manipulator...and disappeared.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were you scared at first? I hope so ;) Big, BIG things planned for this story in the saga that I think/hope quite a few people will enjoy ^-^ This was actually really fun to write, mostly because I liked how the Doctor kept waking up in all these different places and I wanted to see how much of Angel and Ayla I could sneak in ;) So I sort of altered the original café scene to be the breakfast moment ;)
> 
> But we know what's coming next, Asylum of the Daleks. Oh boy... }:) I'm glad you all enjoyed the first chapter though ;) I really am SO excited for you to see what's coming in this story ^-^


	3. Asylum of the Daleks: Acquisition

" _First there were the Daleks...and then there was a man who fought them and a woman who stopped them. And then, in time, she died and in her death, destroyed this man. There are a few, of course, who believe they somehow survived...and that one day they will both return. For both our sakes, dearest Hannah, we must hope these stories are true._ "

~8~

The Doctor stood in the shadows of a rundown, disused room, watching as a woman with straight ginger hair, in a black cloak, walked to a circular window and looked out at the devastated, corroded land beyond. And he knew, she was waiting for _him_. He'd tracked the source of the psychic message he'd received from that Monk down to this spot, used the space/time coordinates to get there. And he wanted to leave, just setting foot on this planet felt wrong, felt...dangerous. He just wanted to see what she knew and then leave. The Vortex Manipulator had held strong enough, but he didn't want to risk it failing and needed to be quick.

"I got your message," he called to her, "Not many people can do that, send me messages."

She spun around at the sound of his voice, gasping as she saw the Doctor step out of the shadows, "I have a daughter," she told him, seeing him stiffen, she had been told to start with that, knowing the man himself had lost a daughter, it was practically gospel throughout the Universe how he had searched for 200 years for the girl before...his Mate died and he along with her. She was infinitely thankful the rumors, the whispers, were true, that he was still alive, which meant his Mate was as well. She glanced to the side of him, as though expecting her to be there but she wasn't, "Hannah. She's in a Dalek prison camp. They say you can help."

"Do they?" he sighed, "I wish they'd stop."

And he...almost sort of DID wish they'd stop.

He could never refused people who needed help, being a Doctor too far ingrained into him, not that Angel was much better, but...help meant danger. And he loved it, he did, he loved the excitement of it all and the running and the exhilaration...and he loved the very large kiss Angel always bestowed upon him when they survived. But...he was a father now. It was one thing when it was just his life on the line, it didn't matter, it was another when Angel joined him, though she was just as determined to see people saved as he was and they could protect each other because they trusted each other to do it. But it was quite another thing to have his daughter put in harm's way or in danger because of him. He was very much like an overgrown child, he knew he came across as that, but beneath that was a man who just wanted the people he cared about safe. He had someone else to think about now, to consider, and, luckily, Ayla was just as curious to get out there as he was, to see the wonders and learn on the adventures, but THIS? He was more careful about some adventures than others, not wanting to put his daughter in danger.

When people asked for help, he tried to help, but it often meant danger and the more he helped the more people knew about him still being alive, Angel being alive.

He shook his head and walked to the window, looking out at the rain falling through the dark clouds to the near-decaying planet below, "Helluva choice of meeting place."

"They said I'd have to intrigue you," the woman, Darla, explained, though he tensed at that, realizing there was more to it than just Darla, he knew there had to be but he'd been hoping it was JUST her that knew of him and now he saw there were more.

"Skaro," he muttered, thankful that Ayla and Angel were visiting Sarah Jane at the moment, they should _not_ be there, exposed to such evil and darkness, not them, "The original planet of the Daleks. Look at the state of it," he turned to her, frowning, "Who told you about me?"

The woman blinked, "Does it matter?"

He walked over to her, "Maybe not," and pulled off her hood to look at her face intently, "But you're _very_ well informed."

And anyone who knew THAT much about him, about how to contact him, was...either a great ally or a formidable enemy and he was sure his allies would have warned him about this, contacted him themselves. He turned away from her, he would have to do something about this. The Universe was _not_ meant to know he'd survived past Angel's supposed death, that Angel hadn't actually died. He hadn't been about to answer the dream message either…but she'd lost a _daughter_ , he could empathize. He couldn't just turn away from that, but now…now he was starting to grow even more suspicious of the whole thing.

"If Hannah's in a Dalek prison camp, tell me, why aren't you?"

"I escaped."

He chuckled mirthlessly, "No, _nobody_ escapes the Dalek camps," he strode back over to her, the only ones that 'escaped' were the ones let out for a purpose. He grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly, "You're very cold," and then put a hand to her cheek, before looking around nervously.

"What's wrong?"

"It's a trap," he stated, just feeling it in his bones, spending so long with Angel had given him a better feel for the things around him, made him trust himself and his instincts more when she wasn't there. It really was remarkable how much being a father improved ones sense of self-preservation…

"What is?"

"You are and you don't even know it," he backed away from her, watching in horror as a Dalek eyestalk sprouted out of her forehead.

He quickly moved to slap his hand on the Vortex Manipulator and get out of there, but she raised her hand, a Dalek laser extending from her palm, and fired at him.

The Doctor fell back with a cry, Darla just turning and walking away, blank-faced, unfazed at what she'd done, when a Dalek ship descended by the window, a beam of light shining on the Time Lord...

~8~

'… _The Doctor is acquired…_ '

~8~

Amy, styled and dressed to perfection, just a hint of something wild to her, extended a fist at a camera, HATE written on her knuckles, LOVE written on the other hand, as the photographer snapped pictures. She looked up when her assistant entered, waving to get her attention and sighed, "I'll just be a minute," she told the photographer, sliding down the banister of the stairs she was standing on and striding over to her the man.

"Er...your husband is here," her assistant stated.

"I don't have a husband," she remarked coldly, walking through the halls of the photo shoot, more attitude to her walk than ever before, her expression hard yet blank at the same time, emotionless.

"Well, apparently you still do."

She turned to glare at the man, who quickly backed up, as she entered the makeup room, to see Rory sitting in one of the chairs before the mirrors.

"You have to sign these," he called, seeing her reflection, not looking back at her as he held up a stack of papers.

She walked over and snatched them out of his hands, eyeing them, making sure it was really what they were meant to be, divorce papers, "And then we're not married?"

"Just like magic," he remarked stonily, _very_ unhappy with all this.

He just...he didn't know how this had happened. Things were fine, they'd been starting their new life together but...it had been hard, to adjust. It was so weird to wake up normally, to an alarm and not to the TARDIS throwing a fit at the Doctor. It was odd to not sit down in the kitchen and have breakfast with aliens or open the doors and see stars or...go through the same day over and over. It was hard, but...they were managing. They were starting to settle in a little and...they had jobs, a house, each other, all that was really missing...were children. They had talked about it a little, but...Amy just kept getting more hostile each time so he dropped it...but it didn't stop, it just got worse and Amy kept pushing him further and further away. He just...didn't know what to do, she'd kicked him out!

"Can't chat," Amy cut him off, signing the papers promptly, not even hesitating, "Working."

He scoffed, taking them back, "Really? Thought you were just pouting at a camera," he stood up and headed for the door, ever since she'd started this whole modeling thing, she'd been different, distant, colder. Especially to him.

"Rory..." she tried to call, a note of...something in her voice, as though she was hurting to see him so upset, but he just dodged a makeup girl and headed out.

Amy sighed, turning back to the mirror as the lights around it flickered a moment.

"Sorry, love, was I interrupting?" the girl asked, moving over to Amy as she sat down, "Gosh look at you, you've gone so pale. Come on take a seat, we'll soon sort that out," she smiled at Amy, when her head suddenly dropped to her chest.

Amy frowned, seeing it in the mirror, and turned, concerned, only to see the girl lift her head, a Dalek eyestalk sticking out of her forehead, raising her hand to fire as a bright light lit up the room...

~8~

'… _Amelia Pond is acquired…_ '

~8~

Rory sighed as the doors to a bus slid open, him ambling in, "Cheers," he called to the bus driver, heading to take a seat in the quite empty bus and look down at the signed papers, shaking his head.

Amy had signed them, yes...but he hadn't. He just...he didn't want to. Ever since he was a child he'd loved Amelia Pond, she was just...it for him. A man didn't wait 2,000 years outside a box without sleeping or anything for someone they didn't love with their whole heart. All that time, all 2,000 years he'd loved her, he'd been true to her and faithful and protected her and he was quite certain that he would love her for 2,000 more. He just...couldn't understand it, she'd been happy. They had been happy, so...what had changed?

He glanced at the papers again and rubbed his eyes, he still had to sign them before he dropped them off and yet he kept hesitating. Hoping for a miracle he was. Which made him chuckle just a bit to think on. He could only imagine how long it would be before Angel appeared, just sensing, across time and space, that something was wrong and coming to check on him. She was...amazing like that. Ever since she'd regenerated she just...knew...when he needed to talk to her. He swore it, he would be walking somewhere and just think that he could really do with a talk with his sister...and then a phone, no matter where, would ring near him and it would be her, calling for a chat.

He had to smile at that, Angel, despite her regeneration, still maintained that special something that just let her know. Psychic indeed. But...even he had to admit, she was cutting it a little fine this time. He was on his way to drop the papers off right now...so really she only had the duration of the bus ride to try and help.

He looked up suddenly, hearing a squealing as the bus jerked to a stop, to see the driver in the rearview mirror, an eyestalk popping out of his head, a bright light filling the vehicle.

~8~

'… _Rory Williams is acquired…_ '

~8~

Angel blinked as she shook her head from the vision she'd just seen, sighing as she looked across from where she was sitting before Sarah Jane, Ayla off to the side, playing with Sky.

Sarah Jane could only smile, guessing exactly what that fond sigh was about, "The Doctor?"

Angel nodded, offering the woman an apologetic smile before standing, "Come along Ayla," she called, holding out her hand to her daughter, "It seems daddy's got himself into a bit of a situation."

"Again?" Ayla giggled, taking her mother's hand.

Her daddy was rather silly wasn't he? He was always going off and getting into trouble. Even more now than before! She had to admit, she DID love it very much, things were so...boring when it was all peace and quiet, she liked the adventure of it, the running, the way her parents saved so many people during those trips. She knew her father wasn't doing it on purpose, things just...escalated as her Aunt Martha always said. She really did love it when that happened, she knew she'd be alright, her parents would protect her no matter what, and they'd protect each other, so they would always be ok. And she liked them because she got to prove to her parents that she was a 'big girl' now.

It had been a few decades since her parents had found her. She was always getting older, but she still appeared as though a child, still thought like one at times. Children had such a capacity to learn, in every species it was remarkable how much a child could absorb. Their people tended to age slower, not just in physical appearance but also in mental capabilities too. Their brains developed slower, matured slower, to retain that ability to learn what they needed to know of the Universe and time. It's why they were so clever!

It meant she learned a lot but she was still technically a child. She knew her parents worried about her, about the danger of the adventures, but she tried to prove as best she could that she really was their daughter. That her mother's intuition would keep her safe and her father's cleverness would help protect her. Well, that and the fact that she always did what her father told her to when things got very clinchy, she wanted to prove that they could trust her to not wander off...much. She did love a good wander when the places were interesting, but she tried her best not to do it when her parents really meant 'don't wander off.'

"Goodbye Sarah Jane," Angel called, nodding her goodbye to the woman, pulling Ayla's thoughts back to her mother, "Sky."

"Bye Aunt Angel!" Sky waved, making Angel beam at how all the children of the companions had come to call her Aunt Angel and the Doctor 'Uncle Doctor,' much like Amy had when they'd entered the Signora's school, "Bye Ayla!"

Sarah Jane moved and gave them both a quick hug, "Take care," she whispered, stepping back.

Angel nodded and the two of them headed back to the TARDIS that was parked in Sarah Jane's attic. Oh she knew she shouldn't have left the Doctor in Torchwood. It was either like leaving a bull in a China shop...or a child in a sweet shop. Neither was very good and there was never any middle ground with the Doctor. She was...worried though, she could feel it inside her, that this adventure...it was going to be more a nightmare than anything.

She just...didn't now why.

~8~

Rory blinked awake, finding himself lying on the floor of a stark white room. He sat up with a start, looking over to see Amy already standing there, her arms crossed, "Where are we?" he asked but instead of answering she just jerked her head towards a large window. He stood, moving over to it to see a large number of Dalek spaceships outside and very nearly hung his head, instead settling for closing his eyes for a moment and shaking his head, "So…how much trouble are we in?"

A door opened beside them and a Dalek rolled in.

"How much trouble, Mr. Pond?" the Doctor called, following the Dalek, another following behind him, its laser aimed at him, clearly he was a prisoner too, "Out of ten? Eleven."

And he was _infinitely_ thankful that Angel and Ayla weren't there now.

The white room...the room they were in right now...it reminded him of three places that he did NOT want to think of. Apalapuchia, when Angel had nearly died, Demons Run, when Ayla had been taken, and...his dream. The dream that had jolted him awake before coming to Skaro, that white room that Angel and Ayla had been trapped in. He just...it was too white. It was all too white and he knew, every time he saw a room as white as this he'd just end up thinking about them, about the dream and the events that had really happened.

Even now he could feel himself stiffening, afraid to turn round, afraid that if he did he'd see Angel and Ayla behind him, trapped in a room like in his dream. God it had been terrible. He felt his hearts picking up, his body starting to shake as he just _thought_ of it and he knew he had to get himself under control, the Daleks would be able to sense and scan him and if they saw him afraid they would use it to their advantage. And now he had not just himself to worry about getting out of there alive, but Auntie Red and Uncle Beaky too.

He barely had time to take a breath though when the ceiling opened in a circular pattern, pulling their attention up to it even as the floor started to rise.

Rory quickly made his way over to the Doctor, "Doctor," he began quietly, "Angel and Ayla?"

The Doctor had to smile though at the man's concern for his Mate and daughter, "They're fine, visiting Sarah Jane at the moment."

Rory nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. Ayla…she was special to him. He had been the only one there for Angel from the moment she discovered Ayla's existence right up to and after they had lost the girl. He cherished the time he got to spend with his 'niece' for it was really the only time he got to spend around a child. Yeah, he got to spend some time with the other companions and their children, he loved it, he was like the Doctor in that regard, children always had a special place in his heart, but...it wasn't the same as with Ayla. She was his 'special girl,' she was the one he'd gotten to hold as a baby, he'd gotten to deliver her! It made the girl all the more precious to him. He'd always wanted to be a dad, to have a baby to take care of, to be there for, but…it hadn't happened for him and Amy yet. Well, it had sort of happened with River, but he really found that he couldn't count the whole 'raising Mels' thing as they'd had no idea they were 'raising' her at the time, she hadn't been their daughter either then, just Mels, Amy's friend, someone who seemed to barely tolerate him too.

It was one reason he resented Amy's modeling career. Ever since she'd gotten it, she had gone on birth control, claiming she didn't want to ruin her figure being so new to the industry. So no children for them. He'd started by just asking her to consider going off it, the two of them trying to talk about the possibility of children. Eventually though...they'd fought about it, had such _terrible_ fights about it, but she refused to stop taking the pill, going so far as hiding them from him so he wouldn't be able to switch them with something else, not that he would ever tamper with medicine like that. But he hated it. He hated the fighting, he hated how it was driving them apart. So he'd stopped asking, he'd stopped talking about it. And, eventually, they'd both just...stopped talking to each other too. It was like every time he opened his mouth Amy expected it to be about children, even when it wasn't. It was like it was a more prominent thought in HER mind than his, but...women were complicated. He really had NO idea what was going on in her mind or why she was reacting like that.

It had to be _more_ than _just_ her figure. Amy was beautiful, she'd get loads of jobs as she grew pregnant for maternity, the beauty of motherhood and other such things, and she'd get her figure back…but she still refused. She _knew_ how much he'd wanted a child, ever since he'd been one, it had been his dream to have a family, she knew it when she'd married him…yet she was refusing it now. And...it was a little unfair. He knew she wanted to travel with the Doctor ever since she was a child, and he'd...offered to let her keep doing that while he went back to Leadworth after Venice. He knew she wanted to keep seeing the Universe, keep travelling, and they had as long as they could. Everything Amy had wanted he'd tried to do for her. She wanted to be a kiss-o-gram, he, as her boyfriend, had tried to be supportive and not be hurt that she was kissing other men. She wanted a 'Doctor' so he'd gone to medical school to be one. She'd wanted adventure and excitement and interesting things so he'd grown a ponytail...alright so that last one was from a Dream World but it still counted!

He sighed, shaking his head and stepping back, he just couldn't understand it. He'd done every thing he could possibly do for her, to make her happy...and all he wanted was just...a baby of his own. That was all, he just wanted to be a father.

But he had little time to think on that as they suddenly found themselves on the level above them, in an auditorium of sorts, surrounded by _thousands_ of Daleks of different makes and models. There was one on a pedestal to the side, out of its casing, the mutant visible to see, sitting in a protective glass.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, "Spaceship, right?"

"Not just any spaceship," the Doctor tensed, now very, VERY Angel had taken Ayla to Sarah Jane's, "The Parliament of the Daleks. Be brave."

"What do we do?"

"Make them remember you," he told her before stepping up, "Well, come on then. You've got me! What are you waiting for? At long last, it's Christmas!" he held out his arms, but was NOT about to let them take him down without a fight, "What do you want from me?" he asked them, "Why bring me here?"

"Save us," the mutant called, making him look over at it in shock, "You will save us."

He blinked, pointing at himself, utterly confused, of all the things they could say...that was the last thing he expected, "I'll what?"

"You will save the Daleks."

"Save the Daleks!" the other Daleks began to chant, "Save the Daleks! Save the Daleks! Save the Daleks! Save the Daleks! Save the Daleks!"

"Well, this is new," he commented…

When suddenly the familiar wheezing of the TARDIS sounded, cutting the Daleks off. The Doctor spun around to see the blue box fade into existence just beside them, solidifying before the doors opened moments later and Ayla ran out, right for her father, jumping into his arms with a cry of "Daddy!" and a giggle.

He hugged her close, catching her, and looked up to see Angel leaning in the doorway of the TARDIS, her arms crossed, smiling at the sight of her Mate holding their daughter, perfectly calm, as though they weren't standing in the middle of their most deadly of enemies. She was just...exhuding a confidence of sorts, an assuredness.

But he, on the other hand, was quite the opposite, "Angel!" he gasped, rushing over to her, "What are you doing here? Why did you bring Ayla here? You need to go, quickly!" he tried to pass Ayla over to her and usher them into the TARDIS...but Ayla just squirmed out of his hold and dashed over to her Uncle Rory, hugging his legs as the man laughed tensely, as though sensing the danger the girl was in as well, and knelt down to hug her, "You need to get out of here!" he turned back to Angel, about to reach out and grab Amy's hand to pull her towards the TARDIS, hoping to signal Rory to run over too, "Ay…"

But Angel just put a finger to his lips, quieting him, pulling his attention back to her, "Calm down, my love," she told him softly, stepping out of the TARDIS completely and shutting the door behind her, still not taking her finger off him, "Do you _really_ think I'd let our daughter be here if I wasn't absolutely certain she would be fine?" she moved her finger from his lips to his cheek, gently cupping it as her thumb stroked his face, "I know she'll be fine," she tapped her head with her other hand, "I can sense it."

He calmed immensely at those words, reaching up a hand to touch hers on his cheek, holding it to him more firmly, his eyes falling closed for a moment as he leaned into her touch, his own thumb stroking her knuckles as he felt a reassurance come to him from her, her own sensation of things. And, right now, he trusted her sensations more than his own frantic thoughts, fatherhood had certainly done a number to him in another sense, whenever there was even a hint of danger to Ayla...he just panicked, which was odd for a man as collected as he was.

He smiled, opening his eyes to look at her, "My guardian angel."

"My mad thief," she countered, leaning forward to give him a peck, the Doctor quick to cup her cheek with his free hand, holding her there, needing just a BIT more reassurance from his lovely Mate, knowing that, if the Daleks needed him so badly, they wouldn't dare anger him by attacking him right now.

Ayla giggled in her uncle's arms as she watched her parents, her father was very silly. He was very amusing too, how he went from funny to serious, from intimidating to sweet, scared to calm. She wondered very much if she would be like that at times when she was older. Her mother was a very...calm presence, she seemed to temper her father very well, keep him calm and in control and...happy. Well, she supposed her mother needed to be, her daddy was even more 'all over the place' now than he was before she'd been born.

~8~

Inside a small room, just wide enough to fit a control panel, a kitchen area, and a hammock, a young woman with brown hair in a red dress listened to La Habanera while lying on her hammock, recalling her day into a small recording device, "Day 363. The terror continues. Also, made another soufflé," she glanced at the rubbish bin where she'd been forced to throw it out, "Very nearly. Checked defenses," she turned her gaze across the room to a circular door with wooden boards nailed to them, "They came again last night," she eyed a few boards that had fallen to the floor from the attempted break-in, "It's still always at night. Maybe they're vampires. Oh, and it's my mum's birthday," she smiled, "Happy birthday, mum. I _did_ make you a soufflé, but it was too beautiful to live."

Suddenly there was a loud banging from outside the door and she could hear Daleks shouting, "You will let us enter! We will enter! We are the Daleks, you will let us enter! Enter! ENTER! ENTER!"

She quickly grabbed a control and turned up her music, putting her hands over her ears, trying to block them out.

~8~

The Doctor was currently pacing before the Daleks, who swiveled their eyestalks to watch him, as though trying to gauge if he'd attack them. Which was quite smart of them, they'd dealt with the Doctor before, they had records of what he was capable of just on his own. They had even more of what he'd do for the sake of his Mate and...statistically, logically, they could only generate suppositions as to what he'd be like in defense of his child...which was NOT something they wanted to risk at the moment..

Rory turned to Angel, who was standing beside him, Ayla next to Amy as the woman crouched down to braid the girl's hair, it having been let down when they'd gone to see Sky. It was another thing he didn't understand, Amy was just brilliant with children as well so it couldn't be her not liking them or not thinking she'd be good with them, but now was not the time, "What's he doing?" he asked the Time Lady with a nod to the Doctor who kept glancing around.

"He's picked out a place for us to hide if they attack," she explained, her eye on the Doctor, knowing that, despite her claims everything would be fine, he'd _still_ worry a little till he did his own survey of the danger, "Counted how many Daleks are here, made a note of all the exits, and..." she glanced at HIM now, "He's noticed you and Amy aren't standing close to each other and working out how far away you are," she leaned in to whisper, "The farther away the more he worries."

"Oh, and look at him, frowning now," Amy rolled her eyes as the Doctor glanced over at her, finishing up the last of Ayla's pigtails, really...she WAS very worried about the Daleks but...she didn't want Ayla to know, if they started to freak out and doubt the Doctor and Angel, Ayla would get worried too and...it was...distracting, to focus on something else like braiding her niece's hair. She blinked oh...if...if she divorced Rory...she wouldn't be Ayla's 'Aunt Amy' anymore, would she? RORY was Angel's brother. She swallowed and shook her head, no, that was just silly...Angel would still consider her to be a part of the family, right? She cleared her throat, "Let me guess…'something's wrong with Amy and Rory, and who's going to fix it?'" she scoffed as he tweaked his bowtie, "And he straightens his bowtie!"

"Bowties are cool!" Ayla cheered, making the Doctor smile.

"We have arrived," a white Dalek announced, making them all look over.

"Arrived where?" the Doctor frowned.

"Doctor..." the mutant Dalek called.

"The Prime Minister will speak with you and your Mate now," Darla stated, gesturing for him and Angel to walk towards the mutant, the Prime Minister apparently.

The Doctor stiffened at that, not wanting Angel anywhere near any sort of Dalek, but Angel just stepped to his side, smiling at him reassuringly. She took his hand and squeezed it more to reassure him than anything. This was...new. This was VERY new to her. Normally, she could remember it, every past incarnation fo her had been...on edge to face the Daleks, even to face just one. She'd never liked it, Daleks terrified her. Having faced them in the War and then been trapped with one...she didn't ever want to encounter them again, and she just kept doing so, she'd nearly died the first time after Van Statten's when they'd seen the Daleks again.

But right now...she felt...ok. She didn't like it, at all, she hated that they had to be there, surrounded by Daleks, with Ayla right there, but...she felt...sure of herself. She felt secure in her knowledge of her abilities, what she'd be able to do and what she couldn't. She doubted she'd be able to stop all the Daleks in that room like she had before, when she'd been consumed by the power of the Vortex. But she knew what she was capable of at the moment, enough to cover them or teleport them back to the TARDIS at least, and she trusted the Doctor as well, she knew that nothing would happen to her and Ayla while he was there. He'd spent 200 years proving to her that she _could_ trust him, that he would _never ever_ break her trust like he had again. And she fully believed him. She believed IN him as he did her. Perhaps _that_ was where it was coming from, this...confidence. There she was, standing in the middle of the Parliament of the Daleks, about to talk to their Prime Minister, and...for once...she didn't feel afraid.

Well, she felt a little afraid, it was natural, they were DALEKS! But she felt like she could handle this. She was glad she didn't have to do it alone, like with the Dalek she'd needed to get information from about the Silence. But she felt...better now, stronger, she knew that whatever the Daleks might try to do...she could just tell they'd be ok in the end.

' _They should be more afraid of me,_ ' she reminded the Doctor silently, still feeling his hesitation.

He had to nod at that, she _did_ have an outstanding track record for stopping the large numbers of Daleks they came across in the past, in Satellite 5, in the Crucible, they really _should_ be more concerned about letting _her_ near their Prime Minister. But he knew, despite stopping them in the past, she had _never killed_ them. It wasn't her. She wasn't a violent person, barely had a darkness in her, she was just…the light. His light in the darkness, well, one of them.

He glanced back to see Amy had pulled Ayla close, circling her arms before his daughter to keep her protected and near, and he nodded his thanks to the ginger for it before they headed towards the Prime Minister, trusting the Ponds to keep her safe while they got to work. He paused, though, when he came to Darla, "Do you remember who you were, before they emptied you out and turned you into their puppet?" he asked her quietly.

"My memories are only re-activated if they are required to facilitate deep cover or disguise," she stated.

"You had a _daughter_ ," he told her, his voice thick with emotion, Angel squeezing his hand. He felt...he wasn't sure what. It wasn't...empathy persay, he could relate to the woman's memories being taken, much like his had been blocked but...to KNOW she'd forgotten something, to know she'd forgotten her own daughter...and to not care? He knew that Angel had been terrified that, without his memories, he might deny her as his Mate if she explained the situation, worse yet that he'd deny or reject Ayla if she'd told him she was pregnant.

He knew, in his heart of hearts, that it had been an irrational fear, because even not remembering Angel, he still cared for her. It was why he couldn't empathize entirely with Darla, she'd forgotten and she didn't seem to mind her own daughter was likely dead. No one escaped the prison camps alive. He would still have cared, he'd have cared for Angel and for Ayla, even if he hadn't remembered, he would have, he knew it.

"I know," Darla merely nodded, "I've read my file."

Angel closed her eyes a moment, at hearing the woman just waving it off, speaking about words in a file as though they meant nothing to her. She was unable to imagine a mother talking so nonchalantly about the death of her child. She'd nearly lost Ayla quite a few times, both before she'd given birth and after and...it had killed her, it had literally nearly killed her the crushing guilt and sorrow and hurt...a mother, a true mother...how could they ever feel that way about their child as to not even feel a shred of pain for it?

The Doctor turned, not even needing to sense her emotions or read her mind to know where it had gone. He just knew his Mate, he knew that she was thinking of Ayla, he was too, and so he kissed her temple, silently promising that that would _never_ happen again. They would never lose Ayla the way they had in the past, not ever, he'd make sure of it. Their daughter, their poor girl, had already regenerated, she had barely been 6 years old at the time and had died.

Never again.

He squeezed her hand again, this time being the one to lead her on as they continued up a small ramp, coming to stand before the Prime Minister, "Well?" he asked when the mutant remained quiet.

"What do you know of the Dalek Asylum?" it asked.

"According to legend, you have a dumping ground. A planet where you lock up all the Daleks that go wrong. The battle-scarred, the insane. The ones even _you_ can't control. Which never made any sense to me..." he turned to look at the other Daleks.

"Why not?"

"Wouldn't you just kill them?" Angel remarked.

"It is offensive to us to extinguish such divine hatred."

The Doctor turned back, startled, "Offensive?"

"Does it surprise you to know the Daleks have a concept of beauty?"

The Doctor bent forward to look into the Dalek's eye, "I thought you'd run out of ways to make me sick, but hello again. You think _hatred_ is _beautiful_?" he turned, taking Angel's hand to walk away, wanting to get their daughter out of there, this was not the sort of lesson she should learn.

"Perhaps that is why we have never been able to kill you or your Mate, Doctor."

The Doctor stopped at that, turning to look back at the Dalek with a hard look in his eyes at the mention of their attempts to kill Angel in the past along with him, "Let me tell you something about _true_ beauty," he glared, "This..." he squeezed Angel's hand, "Is true beauty, not hatred, but love, kindness, compassion, THAT is what beauty is. It is not, nor will it ever be, hatred."

Angel smiled just a bit at his praise of her, knowing that he hadn't included himself in that little moment because...well, he still carried so much guilt of the things he'd done in the past, despite her best efforts to get him to release some of it. She knew that he was...actually starting to move on from the Time War, it would always be a thought in his mind, always there, always a haunting memory, but...she knew that he was starting to see what she had agreed with all along. It was necessary for the good of the Universe and no one would fault him for it. It had been an excuse he'd used on himself over the centuries, trying to convince himself that the time-lock was the right thing to do, but never quite _believing_ it.

It wasn't until he'd met her, and told her about what he'd done, seen her own reaction to it not being hatred, but acceptance...she had accepted it more readily than he thought any of his people ever would. But it was like she'd said, she wasn't sure if it was an effect of her abilities peeking through but she'd always known the end was coming for the Time Lords. And, in a way, it _had_ been with the Final Sanction that Rassilon was planning, the Time Lords would have all died anyway, the only difference was...the rest of the Universe didn't die as well. He was finally starting to see it wasn't an excuse he'd thought up to try and make the guilt less crushing but...a truth. It was a fact, it was reality. Slowly, he was seeing it. He'd always feel guilty about it, she knew that, but he was feeling better bit by bit.

He'd even started to feel less guilty about his companions as well. It really _had_ killed him to drop them off on Earth, each and every one of them, for them to leave the box. Because all of them had promised him forever and none of them, except her, had kept it. So he never looked back, fearing to see them age and die, but with her insistence and the 'family' that had formed because of her, he _did_ look back now, he looked back fondly. He got to see them _living_ , continuing on in his name, 'fighting the good fight' as the humans would say. He got to see them being happy and making their own ways in the world, yes, growing older, but growing happier and wiser and...with children. He got to see them living on in the children, much like she had reminded Jack he could do with Stephen's children.

She knew he was starting to feel less guilty about a lot of things, but...there was one he never ever would, what he'd done to her when he'd forgotten her, especially in terms of River. THAT was something she could feel in her bones that he would never move on from. To know that HE had hurt his Mate, even not realizing it, not intending to, not ever wanting to...he'd still done it. She'd felt hurt and pain and heartsbreak and sorrow _because_ of him, and THAT killed him more than anything. That guilt...that guilt was fueling a self-hatred he had already felt from the War. He hated himself for his amnesia and, because of that, he couldn't include himself in the 'beauty' category he was speaking of.

He seemed to have forgotten that she still hated herself for the bargain she'd made with the Universe, Ayla for him.

She was pulled out of her thoughts though when he tugged her on, leading her back to Amy and Rory, but she stopped suddenly, making him stop as well before they could reach the Ponds and their daughter. He looked at her questioningly when, a moment later, the floor opened, making them all step back to avoid falling down it, to show a planet below them, a force field around it.

"The Asylum," Darla stated, walking over to them as they looked down, Ayla kneeling on the floor to peer over, her Uncle Rory close beside her, watching her like a hawk to make sure she didn't get too close, "It occupies the entire planet. Right to the core."

"How many Daleks are in there?" the Doctor frowned at it.

"A count has not been made."

"Millions," Angel breathed, staring at the planet, her stomach twisting at the thought, now feeling just a bit more worried than before. She still felt like they'd be alright in the end but...she couldn't see everything, she had no idea what horrors might be coming between then and now.

"All still alive?" the Doctor looked at her, knowing her guesses were more spot on than anything.

"For the most part."

"The Asylum is fully automated," Darla added, "Supervision is not required."

"Armed?" Amy frowned.

"Daleks are built armed," Angel sighed.

"What color?" Rory asked as they looked at him, Ayla giggling, "Sorry. There weren't any good questions left."

"It's white," Ayla stated, pointing at the white planet, before pausing, "And…" she blinked, "It's...cold," she looked up at her mother, "Right mummy?"

Angel smiled and nodded, getting the same sensation, "Yes, very cold," she frowned after a moment and looked at Darla, "What else is down there?"

"I'm sorry?" Darla blinked, startled.

"There's something else…there aren't just _Daleks_ down there. If something non-Dalek got in, something Dalek can get out."

The Doctor's eyes widened at that bit of information. This version of Angel, her powers had grown so much from the Angel he'd first met. That Angel had spoken in riddles, half-thoughts, cryptic words, unable to understand the power within her, the abilities she possessed. But now, she'd had _centuries_ with them and, upon regeneration, it seemed she was even more in tune. Gone were the half-thoughts, and in their place were actual sensations, full statements, she could sense what was happening and express it completely. Now she could outright say what was coming instead of it slipping out without her realizing, something he knew she was greatly relieved about.

"There _is_ a signal being received from the very heart of the Asylum," Darla nodded, hitting a control on a wrist device, allowing Habanera to play over the speakers.

The Doctor smiled, closing his eyes and acting like he was playing along with the music, making Ayla giggle behind her hands and grin at her silly father.

"What is the noise?" the white Dalek demanded, "Explain! Explain!"

"It's me!" the Doctor cheered over the music.

Rory frowned, "Sorry what?!"

"He's playing the triangle," Angel laughed.

"Ok, I got buried in the mix," the Doctor admitted, "Carmen! Lovely show," he pointed at Ayla, "We'll go see it some time eh?" she nodded excitedly as he spun to the Daleks, "Someone's transmitting this," he walked over to a control panel beside the white Dalek, flashing his sonic across it, "Have you considered tracking back the signal and talking to them?" he glanced up at the silent Daleks, "He asked the Daleks..." he shook his head and shut the sonic off, the music cutting out slightly as he called, "Hello? Hello, Carmen? Hello?"

"Hello?"

He blinked, hearing a young woman call back, "Come in, come in, come in, Carmen."

"Hello, yes, yes, sorry, do you read me?!" the girl shouted.

"Yes, reading you loud and clear. Identify yourself and report your status."

"Hello! Are you real? Are you actually, properly real?"

He chuckled at that, "Yep, confirmed, actually properly...real..." his smile faded as he trailed off when he saw Angel frowning, almost in confusion, staring at the controls.

"Oswin Oswald," the girl called, pulling his attention back, "Junior Entertainment Manager, Starship Alaska. Current status: crashed and shipwrecked somewhere...not nice. Been here a year, rest of the crew missing. Provisions good, but keen to move on."

"A year?"

"Are you alright?" Angel asked, concerned but with an...odd note in her voice, "Is everything ok? Are you...are you safe?"

"Some local life-forms knocking around," Oswin replied, "I've been keeping them out."

"Do you know what those life-forms are?" the Doctor asked.

"I know a Dalek when I hear one, yeah."

"What have been doing, on your own, against the Daleks for a year?!"

"...making soufflés?"

"Soufflés?!" he laughed, "Against the Daleks?"

"You have that much milk and eggs?" Angel asked suddenly.

The Doctor looked over, ok, so sometimes a stray sensation came across before she could fully understand it, but not often. If she was asking about the milk and eggs, there _had_ to be something more about it.

"This conversation is irrelevant," the white Dalek called, moving to cut transmission.

"No, it isn't!" the Doctor countered.

"No, hello..." Oswin tried as static started to cut in, "Hello!" before cutting her off completely.

"Because a Starliner's crashed into your Asylum, and someone's got in," the Doctor continued, understanding Angel's words now, "Angel was right, if someone can get in, then _everything_ can get out...a tsunami of insane Daleks. Even _you_ don't want that."

"The Asylum must be cleansed," the white Dalek stated.

"Then why is it still here? You've got enough firepower on this ship, to blast it out of the sky."

"The Asylum force-field is impenetrable," Darla explained.

"Turn it off."

"It can only be turned off from within the Asylum."

"A small task force could sneak through a force-field," he decided, heading back to Angel and Ayla, frowning as he saw Angel still seemed concerned about something, she was standing in her 'concerned' position. It was one he'd noticed she tended to do when something was bothering her or she was trying to make sense of something. Mostly she crossed her left arm across her chest, gripping her right elbow, her right arm bent with her right hand in a fist pressed to her mouth as she looked down at the ground, frowning, deep in thought.

He was rather proud of himself, he'd noticed it the first time she'd done it, he...noticed a lot about this new her. He liked noticing her and getting to know her, it was like...every day he learned something new about her and, decades later, that was just...amazing to him. He loved that, he loved how captivating she was, but then again he could and HAD spent hours just watching her sleep or read, not moving for ages and just been fascinated with watching her breathe. He was just so aware of her, every detail of her, every move she made no matter how minute.

' _What is it dear?_ ' he asked her quietly so as not to alert the humans as he stepped closer to her, winding an arm around her waist to tug her closer.

Ayla looked up, not quite hearing them speaking silently, but aware that they were, she could tell from their facial expressions, how intently her father was looking at her mother, that they were speaking quietly, probably not wanting to worry her. But all it did was make her more curious about it.

' _What did you hear just then?_ ' Angel asked him in counter, ' _When Oswin spoke? What did she sound like?_ '

He frowned, ' _Like a young woman,_ ' he shook his head as she looked down, ' _What is it?_ '

She looked up, ' _I heard a Dalek._ '

He blinked, surprised at that. Angel had always been able to tell when others were lying, part of her gift at sensing things, her intuition, but she'd never actually heard things like that before, heard something other than he did. Well, she heard her visions and things, but...this hadn't been a vision.

He nodded to himself, keeping that information stored away as he turned to the Daleks, realizing they still thought he was talking to them, "Send in a couple of Daleks…" he stopped again, "Oh!" he started clapping, "Oh, that's good. That's brilliant. You're all too scared to go down there! Not one of you will go! So tell me, what do the Daleks do when they're too scared?"

"The Predator of the Daleks will be deployed," the white Dalek stated.

"You don't have a predator. And even if you did, why would they turn off a force-field for you?"

"Because your daughter will have no other means of escape."

The Doctor stiffened, Angel pulling Ayla closer as the girl gasped. The Doctor and Angel exchanged a glance, both of them rapidly going over plans of how to get Ayla out of there, from Angel teleporting them out to her trying to stop the Daleks before they attacked so they could go…

When Ayla herself tugged on her mother's arm, making them look down at her. They didn't even have to read her mind to know that _she_ wanted to have the deciding vote, the Daleks were planning to use _her_ after all, she should have a say even if it was a small one. And her expression…they recognized it all too well from the Doctor, it was the exact same face he had when he was determined to save someone, the exact same one.

Ayla wanted to help Oswin and she knew trying to escape the Daleks now would mean that Oswin would be trapped, the force-field around the planet would fry the TARDIS circuits if the box tried to get through.

Angel closed her eyes and rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder, shaking it, ' _She is JUST like you,_ ' she told him quietly, making sure Ayla wouldn't hear this either, ' _Wanting to save everyone._ '

He smiled, nuzzling her head a moment, ' _She's like you as well,_ ' he countered, ' _Knowing the dangers, and STILL wanting to go through with it._ '

' _But not alone,_ ' Angel decided.

' _No,_ ' he agreed.

Ayla was child, yes, but she was decades older than she appeared, she was mature enough to know the dangers of this, and while it was NOT her decision to make...while they hated the very thought of going down into the Asylum...what sort of example would it be if they turned their back on someone trapped and in danger? If Ayla wanted to do this, wanted to help Oswin, to rescue her, _they_ would be there with her, every step of the way, protecting her.

"May I clarify..." Darla cut in, taking their silence to be confusion, "The Predator is the Daleks' word for you."

The Doctor frowned, seeing her look pointedly at HIM, "Me?! _Me_?!"

"You will need this," she continued, ignoring him, "It will protect you from the Nano-cloud."

Two male Dalek 'puppets' stepped over, one snapping a wrist device with a blue light on it onto Amy and Rory's arm, while the other did the same to Angel and Ayla, Darla putting the Doctor's on.

"The what?" he shook his head, "The nano-what?"

The men just moved to the Doctor, pushing him back more towards the opening in the floor, Angel and Ayla moving with him.

"The gravity beam will convey you close to the source of the transmission," Darla finished, "You must find a way to deactivate the force-field from there."

A bright beam of light suddenly rushed up through the floor, connecting the ship to the planet.

"You're going to fire us at a planet?" the Doctor glared at them, " _That's_ your plan? We get fired at a planet and expected to fix it?"

"In fairness, that is slightly your MO," Rory remarked.

"Don't be fair to the Daleks when they're firing _my daughter_ at a planet!" the Doctor snapped, before gesturing at Amy and Rory, "What do you want with _them_?!"

"It is known that the Doctor and his Mate require their companions," the white Dalek stated.

"Don't worry," Angel turned to the humans, to her daughter and Mate as well, "We'll get through this I promise. Don't be scared. Nothing will happen and everything will be ok. Have faith."

"Scared?" Amy smirked, "Who's scared?" she reached out and poked Ayla in the stomach, "Geronimo eh?"

Ayla giggled and nodded, making the Doctor chuckle…only for him to be pushed into the beam with a cry of, "Oi!"

Amy was shoved in after him, followed by Rory, Angel and Ayla, all falling towards him, towards the planet.

"Wrong way up!" Rory shouted as he ended up upside down, "Wrong way up!"

"Rory!" Amy called, seeing the beam split in two.

"Angel!" the Doctor tried to make his way back to them, fighting as hard as he could against the power of the gravity beam, but it was too strong, "Ayla!"

"Doctor!" Angel managed to grab Ayla, holding her close.

"Daddy!" Ayla yelled as the planet loomed closer, the small group getting pulled apart as the beam split...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we officially begin Series 7! This particular story is going to be the LONGEST I've ever done in one go. We have about…75 chapters! Woo!
> 
> I'm really excited for the next chapter...I wonder how the Doctor will react to being separated from his Mate and child after decades of being there with them in dangerous situations? I can say that we'll find out exactly how old Ayla is and more about Time Lord aging for this story when we get to The Snowmen ;)
> 
> Also, since this is the first official episode of Series 7, I wanted to say that Angel's new theme song will be announced in the last chapter of it ;) Ayla's theme though won't be brought up till the Snowmen ;)


	4. Asylum of the Daleks: Distress

A black man in a white snow suit, stranded on the cold and desolate Asylum, looked up when he heard a powerful roar of some kind, frowning in confusion when he spotted a beam of light heading for the planet, splitting into two. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a thud from a few feet away before he spotted something black and red lying in the snow where one of the beams had hit. He dropped the tools he'd been using to work on a hatch buried in the snow and ran over, finding Amy lying on her back.

"Hello?" he asked as she slowly awoke, "Hello, who are you? Are you ok?"

Amy shot up, backing away from him in alarm, not sure if he was friend of foe before realizing she had more important things to worry about...like the fact that she was alone. She jumped up, spinning around trying to spot the others, "Rory? Angel? Doctor? Ayla?! RORY!"

"I'm Harvey," the man tried to introduce, trying to calm her down, "No..." he called as Amy walked off, "Who's Rory? Where are you going?!" he ran after her. He hadn't been on the planet for long, but he could already tell it was hostile, his scanners had picked up massive weaponry below and around the planet. He'd been trying to get into the sanctuary of the ship, to get back to the crew and warn them, help get them out of there.

~8~

In another area, a periscope that looked oddly like a Dalek eyelense popped up in the snow, swiveling around as though looking for something and catching sight of the Doctor lying a few feet away, on his back in the snow, and ducked down, popping up closer and closer.

The Doctor's face twitched as he heard the sound of the periscope going up and down and cracked an eye open to stare at the lens before lifting his head and laughing, whatever it was...it wasn't displaying any sort of hostile Dalek behavior, it was all rather comical really, "Hey! Huh?"

Suddenly Habanera began to play over the speakers before cutting off, "Sorry, sorry!" the girl, Oswin, was back, "Pressed the wrong switch."

"Soufflé girl?"

"Could always call me Oswin, seeing as that's my name. You ok?"

"How are you doing that?" he tapped the glass, "This is _Dalek_ technology."

"Well it's very easy to hack."

He frowned and flashed the sonic on her, "No, it isn't. Where are you?"

"Ship broke up when it hit. Somewhere underground, I think. You coming to get me?"

"Doctor!" he heard Amy call in the distance.

"Hey!" he flashed the sonic across the lens as the connection started to break, "Oi! Soufflé girl! Come back…" he frowned, eyeing the Dalek stalk, thinking about what Angel had said about how Oswin apparently sounded like a Dalek to her when…

"Angel!" he leapt to his feet and looked around, he hadn't sensed her or Ayla harmed, hadn't felt them in pain or crying out to him, he could feel it in his hearts that they were ok...but he couldn't _see_ them, and that made him even more alarmed than before. His dream came back to him, made all the worse by the white snow around him, he couldn't see his girls, he didn't know if they were even there or what had happened to them, "Ayla!" he spun, frantically looking around.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, Harvey following her as she crested a small snowy hill and ran to him.

He spun around, "Amy!" he rushed over to her, "Where's Angel, Ayla? Have you seen them?"

She shook her head, "Have you seen Rory?"

"There was another beam," Harvey cut in, seeing the two getting frantic, and pointed back the way they came, "There, over there…" he frowned as the two took off in that direction without a moment's hesitation, "Are you the rescue team?!" he ran after them, stopping as they came to a perfectly round hole in the ground that looked like a well, Amy and the Doctor kneeling beside it, trying to peer down into the darkness as if to spot the others.

"Rory!" Amy yelled down it, her voice echoing back up, "Rory? RORY!"

"Angel!" the Doctor tried, "Ayla!"

But there was nothing.

He couldn't even hear them in his mind, and that was NOT a good sign at all. It could mean anything, that there was dampening technology down there, that they were unconscious, so many possibilities that made his head spin and his hearts hurt to think of, but he couldn't stop. It was like thinking just one possibility opened the floodgates to even more, even more ridiculous ones, but they just wouldn't stop.

"That's it," he stood, pulling his jacket off.

"What are you doing?" Amy looked up at him.

"I'm going down there," he crouched down and moved to put his leg in the hole, when Amy pulled him back, "Amy let go!"

"No!" Amy tugged him further back by his braces, "Listen to me Doctor, I know you want to get to them, I do too, more than anything, but you can't _jump_ down that hole."

"Watch me!" he snapped, moving for the hole again…till Amy physically tackled him into the snow.

"Doctor!" she shouted as he struggled to get to his Mate and daughter, "Doctor stop it!"

"Amy get off!" he tried to shove her, _every_ instinct he had was telling him to get to them, to find them, to protect them. Knowing the planet was infested with the worst Daleks in creation was doing little to help ease his mind. Angel had faced them before yes, stopped them, of course, but...she'd nearly died doing it, she HAD died at one point or another and...he _couldn't_ lose her. He was determined to see her never regenerate again.

Because it was _his_ fault, it was his fault that she kept dying. If he had been more careful in the past...if he'd insisted she stayed with Van Statten, hidden instead of facing the Dalek, if he'd not gone into the Pit, if he'd turned them around at the end of the Universe, if he'd remembered her...she never would have died all those times, every time for him. She'd warned him about the Pit, about the end of the Universe, she'd said they shouldn't be there...he'd been too curious and she hadn't fought hard enough and...she'd died as a result.

He couldn't let it happen again! Even his daughter had died, grown so sick after having made her own escape and rescue, he just...his hearts broke at the thought of either of them regenerating ever again. He knew it was natural, that it would likely happen again, one day, but he was determined to make it hundreds of thousands of millennia before that happened to them. And right now...right now they were trapped, probably unconscious, left at the mercy of the most insane Daleks, and he was stuck on the surface.

And that wouldn't do.

He knew it was daft, insane really, to try and jump down that hole, but...he wanted to be with them, as soon as possible, and that was the only direct path down there, the shortest, the fastest. There was a tickle in the back of his mind, a memory of words Angel had told him once, to stop, to think, to take the time to make a plan because she trusted him and she didn't want him hurt because of her...but that flew out the window at the moment. It always did, no matter how calm he tried to be, when his Mate was in danger...just run...just get out of his way because he would let _nothing_ stand in the way of getting to her, to Ayla as well.

"No!" Amy shoved his hands into the snow, practically sitting on top of him to keep him from moving, "Listen! You jump down there, who knows how far you'll fall. What if you break your neck? Huh? You'd be _dead_ too fast to regenerate!" he stilled at that, her words registering, "What then? You told me about where you put the Dampening Bracelet remember?" she watched him closely, seeing realization dawning in his eyes, "It's in the TARDIS, somewhere you can't get at the moment. Angel will _die_ , Ayla may be trapped all alone then. And if, by some miracle, Angel survived your death, you'd be leaving Ayla without a father! Do you want that?"

He was quiet, no, he didn't.

But he couldn't _help_ it, his hearts were racing, his veins felt like they were filled with ice water, he just wanted to get back to them. He didn't like being separated from them, the last time it had happened he'd nearly lost both of them…he couldn't…

He cut off his thoughts, he knew what it was, on top of the desperate desire to be with his child and Mate, to protect them…it was the guilt. He felt an _enormous_ guilt over everything that had happened since he'd regenerated. His dream just before had been testament to that, it was where his mind always went when he wasn't actively thinking about something or physically with Angel and Ayla. He tried so hard not to let his mind take him back to all the times he'd let Angel out of his sight, all the times he'd let her wander into a dangerous situation he never would have done in his last body. But it rarely ever worked, because with each adventure they'd had, each danger he'd let her face...he kept thinking about how much worse it could have gone, how he could have lost her, lost Ayla, and not even realized because of how he'd forgotten how important Angel was to him. It terrified him to think that, to realize how close he really had come. So, right now...it was like his worst nightmare come to life. He hadn't been separated from Angel or Ayla since...just after they'd found her, when they'd helped the Arwells, he was always with them, ALWAYS...and now...he felt...lost and scared.

"I may be able to help," Harvey cut in, seeing the Doctor calming though no less determined, "We've got supplies in my escape pod, rope and everything."

"See," Amy turned to the Doctor, "He has rope. You can propel down then, alright?" he nodded, "You're calm?" he nodded again, "Good," she got off him and held out a hand, pulling him up, her own heart finally starting to slow, he'd scared her just then.

~8~

Rory winced as he slowly came around, blinking, wincing again as he covered his eyes, seeing a bright golden haze around him, nearly blinding him a moment. He sat up, looking around to see the golden haze was very familiar, it was the swirl of the Vortex…which could only mean…

He looked to his side to see Angel and Ayla curled up on the ground, Angel glowing faintly, maintaining the protective shield even in her unconscious state, Ayla held protectively in her arms, the little girl unmoving as well. He scrambled over to their sides, checking on them, breathing a sigh of relief to see they were both fine, just knocked out.

"Ayla," he whispered, gently waking the girl, knowing Angel would become frantic if she woke first to see her daughter unconscious, "Come on, wake up A," he murmured, adding his own special name for her, he loved calling her just 'A' at times, it was like...his own little nickname that only he called her. Jack had tried to once...Ayla had just pointed at him and said 'No,' which had made both men laugh.

Ayla squirmed a little, waking up as she rolled over in her mother's arms, "Uncle Rory?" she frowned, "What happened?"

He smiled, "Your mum protected us…again."

Ayla blinked and looked back in the direction she'd been laying to see her mother beside her, still maintaining the Vortex, "Mummy?" she called, knowing instinctively that her mother was alright, but that she also wanted her mother to open her eyes and prove it, there was a difference between sensing and seeing, sensing could just be hoping at times, seeing was believing more often than not, "Mummy, wake up," she reached out and put a hand on her mother's shoulder, gently shaking her like her uncle had done.

Angel took a breath, feeling herself start to wake...when she winced...

... _a hoard of zo_ _mbies waved a wrist device on a monitor, Amy gasping as she looked at her bare wrist_...

... _Amy wandered into a room, in a daze, staring blankly as Daleks surrounded her_...

... _Rory stood before Amy, pulling his own wrist device off, grabbing her hand, only to see she had one on already_...

... _Amy and Rory stood on a circular panel, explosions going off around them, kissing_...

Angel let out her breath, her eyes fluttering as they opened, "Hey there," she smiled at Ayla, reaching out to lay a gentle hand on her daughter's cheek, trying not to let on about what she'd seen, "How's my beautiful girl?"

Ayla smiled, "I'm fine mummy," she rolled over more to hug her mother, "Because of you."

Angel smiled, closing her eyes and hugging her daughter close as she moved to sit up. She opened her eyes to see Rory sitting there, smiling softly at them and then noticed the Vortex swirling around her. She frowned just a bit at that, she'd noticed that, this body of hers had taken the Vortex in a different direction than the others. The past hers had had to really work to bring up the power at times, yet this one used it almost...instinctively. She hadn't even realized that she was using it just then, that she had been shielding them, it was like it was going without her actively thinking about it. Usually, when she was knocked out, the Vortex just...faded away, like it couldn't work when SHE wasn't working. But this new her, well...it was getting stronger. It was like it just...happened, much like how it had in the beginning but more...naturally. Before she would try to fight against it, try to keep it from happening, not having wanted the Doctor to know about it, but this new her...it just sort of drifted off her at times. Which, she had to admit, made her a bit wary to use it. The last time she had really and truly instinctively used the Vortex in a way that she had no control over had been on Mars, and that had not ended well.

But along with the instinct to use it and let it be used, her body seemed to know her limits as well, better than before. It was like...they'd merged, her mind and her spirit, in terms of how to use the Vortex. Every her had been a progression of getting her to fully accept the Vortex within her, to really learn to wield it in a way the TARDIS wanted her to. She'd always been hesitant of it, really only just starting to accept it and try to actively use it in her last body, but also while being cautious and trying to just grasp at straws in getting the hang of it. She'd had quite a few decades in this new body, she felt...like it was just a part of her now. And because it was a part of her, her body seemed to know her limits, she hadn't had to use more than necessary.

So far.

She closed her eyes at that thought, hoping it was just her being a bit wary of the power as she had right to be, and not her getting a sense of the future. She took a deep breath and let it out, the gold fading from around them, "Are you alright Rory?" she asked him, opening her eyes.

"I'm fine," he nodded, standing up to help her up as well, Ayla standing beside them, "Though, you know, it's rather unfair."

"What is?"

He smiled, "I'M the brother, I should be protecting you not the other way around."

Angel laughed lightly at that, "You've had years of protecting me Rory, and besides," she nudged him, "I'M the OLDER sister," she winked, "It's my job to protect you just as much."

"Why don't you just protect each other like mummy and daddy do?" Ayla asked Rory.

He looked down at her and nodded, "Brilliant idea," he winked at her, trying to keep her calm...not that she really seemed to be needing it. She was just looking around at the dark, dusty hall they'd found themselves in, curious as ever. Not even a _hint_ of fear to her really, which was...not what he was expecting. The Daleks...he knew even the DOCTOR was terrified of them despite the brave face he put on for others. And if a man like THAT was scared of them...how was a little girl not?

"Where are we?" he looked around.

Angel looked up, seeing the well-like thing they'd fallen through, and reached out with her mind, ' _Theta?_ '

' _Nella!_ ' he shouted, making her wince at the volume of the call in her mind, ' _You're alright! And Kitta…_ '

Angel smiled at how he was using their names, he only ever really used them when he was being sweet, treasuring how sacred a secret they were, or when he was terrified, unable to help but call them the first thing he thought of them as. She reached out and took Ayla's hand, allowing her to sneak in on her mental conversation, boosting her connection to the Doctor via her own mental bond, knowing that the Doctor would only be calm when he'd heard from their daughter himself that she was ok.

' _I'm fine daddy,_ ' Ayla told him, not even needing to know what her parents were talking about to know that he was worried. She was worried about him as well.

They could both hear him breathe a sigh of relief, ' _Thank the stars,_ ' he sighed, ' _Where are you?_ '

' _I don't know_ ,' Angel replied, ' _But…_ ' she looked around, spotting Daleks around them, unmoving, not even having picked up a trace of the Vortex, clearly out of any and all power, though she still tugged Ayla closer, ' _There are Daleks here, out of power,_ ' she added quickly, ' _Though I doubt they ALL are the same._ '

' _Use your powers, teleport out, get back to the TARDIS and…_ '

' _I can't,_ ' she cut in.

' _Why not?_ '

She looked at her wrist device, ' _If I teleport out, it'll short-circuit the wrist devices…_ '

' _But we don't need them. Our biology protects us from the nano-cloud…_ '

' _Yes,_ ' she nodded to herself, ' _But we can't let Rory or Amy know that._ '

She could almost feel him frown, she could most certainly feel his confusion at her words, his wondering of why THAT was so important, ' _Why not?_ '

She smiled, ' _Trust me, them not knowing will save their marriage._ "

It had been hard, to hear Rory talking of how his marriage with Amy was going when she'd call to check up. Amy always put on a happy face whenever the family was together, but they'd all noticed how...distant she was from Rory. She recognized it more than most, having been equally as distant from the Doctor. They both knew that the Pond marriage wasn't quite...what it used to be, what it should be, there was something that had come between the Ponds, something big enough to drive Amy, the woman who tore time apart to get back to her husband, away from him.

' _And I'm not leaving Rory alone down here._ '

He sighed, not having the faintest clue how that could work, how the little wrist devices could save a marriage, but agreeing, for the moment, he knew Rory would protect Angel and Ayla with his life and now that Angel was awake, she'd be able to navigate them safely through the maze of tunnels, he had faith in her, she'd be able to do it. He'd be a wreck till he saw her and Ayla again...but, for now, he had to trust that they'd be ok, ' _Then find somewhere safe to hide. We're on our way down._ '

She nodded, ' _Be safe._ '

' _You too,_ ' he said, and she knew he was smiling, ' _I love you Angel, you and Ayla._ '

' _We love you too,_ ' Ayla called, squeezing her mother's hand.

"Come on," Angel reached out and took Rory's arm, "We need to find somewhere to wait for the Doctor and Amy."

"They're coming?" Rory looked at her as Ayla ran around him to take his other hand.

"Don't they always?" Angel smiled.

Mummy wasn't the only one who would always come.

~8~

Harvey led the Doctor and Amy back to the hatch he'd been working on, kneeling down to try and work it open once more, "We came down two days ago. There are 12 other escape pods. I don't know what happened to them..." he trailed off a moment as the Doctor, with a quick flick of the sonic, unlocked it, the Time Lord actually in no mood to listen to someone ramble or struggle with a simple lock when his Mate and child's lives were on the line, and Rory's. Harvey glanced back at him, "Thanks," he muttered, popping open the hatch, starting to head down.

Amy wiped some snow away from the top of it, seeing the ship's name, 'The Alaska,' and frowned, "Alaska? That's the same ship as soufflé girl."

"Yes..." the Doctor nodded in thought, eyeing Harvey suspiciously at his reference to how long he'd been there, "Except she's been here a year."

He believed Oswin more than Harvey at the moment. Angel's words, her question about the milk and eggs came back to him. She had been confused by that, by how Oswin had had so much of it in store which...should have been impossible. Angel brought it up, because of the length of time, which, to him, meant Angel believed the Alaska had been there a year as well. So why did Harvey think it was only two days?

They quickly made their way down after the man though, needing that rope more than they needed answers, "We should have some climbing rope long enough for that hole," Harvey called over to them, heading to a small locker across from what looked like a flight room, a control room of sorts with banks of equipment and chairs set up.

The Doctor paused, staring at the crew members, in white suits, sitting in the chairs, their backs to them, not moving at their entrance, "Won't you introduce us to your crew?"

"Ah yeah, sorry. Guys, this is the Doctor and Amy," he started to frown when the Doctor saluted but the crew didn't move, "Guys?" he took a step closer when the Doctor patted one of the crew's shoulder and the man fell forward to reveal a mummified corpse, "Oh, my God!"

The Doctor pulled out his sonic, scanning the bodies, confirming what Angel believed, a year old and looking it. There were all sorts of bodies scattered throughout time and space that didn't appear their age, he was one of them, but it was more like mummies or 'bog people' the ones that were preserved remarkably well. These were not the sort, they looked just like a body left alone in a sealed room would look...unlike if...he looked at Harvey, unlike if they'd been left out in the snow to be preserved.

"They're dead," the Doctor stiffened, realizing what that meant about Harvey, he honestly wasn't sure whether he felt better that Angel and Ayla were in another part of the Asylum, with halls to roam and run down as opposed to here, trapped in a small room with a man who didn't know how dangerous he was, "All of them."

"That's not possible. I just spoke to them. Two hours ago, we were doing engine repairs!"

The Doctor pulled the hood of another body off to see they were _all_ in the same state, "You're sure about that, are you? 'Cos I'd say they've all been dead for a very long time."

"But...but they _can't_ have been..."

' _Doctor…_ ' Angel's voice filtered into his mind, a note of panic to it that made him tense, ' _Don't trust Harvey._ '

"Well, they didn't get in that state in two hours," Amy rolled her eyes.

' _Why?_ ' he frowned, calling back to Angel as he eyed the man, he was sincerely hoping that the man wouldn't realize exactly what he was.

"Oh, of course!" Harvey breathed, "Stupid me."

' _Darla,_ ' was all Angel could say, ' _He's about to be activated, just like her..._ '

"Of course, what?" Amy shook her head, not seeing the Doctor's grip on the sonic tighten as he looked around for something to protect them with, something more...dangerous than a sonic...and spotted a fire extinguisher.

"I died outside and the cold preserved my body," Harvey started to nod, working that out, "I forgot about dying," he looked over as an eyestalk sprouted out of his forehead and he advanced on them.

The Doctor grabbed the fire extinguisher off the wall and blasted Harvey with it, "Amy! The door!"

Amy pushed a button to open the door, allowing the Doctor to shove Harvey back through it and lock him on the other side. Amy panted at that, "Explain! That's what you're good at. How did he get all Daleked?"

"Because he wasn't wearing one of these," he held up his wrist, tapping the device, there was even more proof that it affected humans at least, "Oh ho ho! That's clever! The nano-cloud. Micro-organisms that automatically process any organic matter, living or dead, into a Dalek puppet," he patted one of the bodies, " Anything attacks this place, it automatically becomes part of the on-site security."

"Living or dead?" Amy wondered.

The Doctor waved her off, "These wrist-bands protect us. The only thing stopping us going exactly..."

"Doctor, SHUT up! Living or dead?!"

"Yes, exactly, living, or..."

' _Doctor, run!_ ' Angel cut in.

He spun around, seeing the dead crew now had eyestalks as well and were starting to get up, "…dead. Oh, dear," he quickly climbed over the seats, kicking a body to clear the way for Amy to get to a door, the two of them running through it when a body grabbed Amy by the arm. He turned, yanking her free and slamming the door shut, locking it as they leaned against it, panting heavily.

He knew now, he was VERY happy Angel and Ayla were on another part of the Asylum, he did NOT want his daughter to have to see that, to see the dead corpses coming to life and trying to attack her. That was sure to give her nightmares and...she already had quite a few. There were times he'd wake up, rare though they were, it was usually when Angel was truly bone-dead tired that she slept through something like that. But he'd wake up and hear Ayla calling for them, having had a bad dream. Angel usually would sense their daughter about to have one or about to wake from one and sneak out to go check on her. It was always about Kovarian, about the Silence, about what they'd wanted her to do, what they'd hoped to raise her to do.

They had learned, much to their relief, that the Silence hadn't had a chance to do much to her before she'd escaped. They had wanted to be cautious, having no idea how much a Time Child could really be pushed before something got to be too much. They'd started with stories, tried to portray them as terrible people who needed to be stopped, but they hadn't counted on her awareness from the womb, how she'd known who they were, her parents, how she'd remembered them, how she'd cling to the bowtie he'd given her and Angel's own promises that it would be ok and that they loved her.

He'd learned though that...Kovarian had hit her once or twice, when she'd refuse to touch a weapon they tried to force her to practice with. He'd flown into a rage and wanted to fly across the Universe, track the woman down for daring to lay a hand on his daughter...when Angel calmed him, telling him that she doubted Kovarian would be a danger to them any longer. All she'd said was that she doubted anyone had taken the eye drive off the woman in the pyramid. He'd reminded her that the entire timeline hadn't existed, that Kovarian might still be alive. And then SHE had reminded HIM that if he went after Kovarian now, she'd know they were alive and it would put them in danger again. He'd been forced to swallow that, to agree, and had felt...thankful that he'd had Angel there to stop him, to think clearly when he couldn't. He knew that it hurt her as well to learn that, it killed her to know that their daughter had been hurt, that someone had had the nerve to strike a child that wasn't theirs. And he'd sworn to her, IF Kovarian survived, the next time they saw her...she'd see exactly what the Oncoming Storm was.

And then he'd held Ayla tightly, the two of them letting her sleep in their bed with them to ward off any nightmares. He'd just laid there, looking at his daughter sleeping peacefully, and hadn't been able to fathom how anyone could strike a child. It was just...terrible. Children on Gallifrey were treasured. He knew it also brought up memories for Angel as well, of the rare times her own father would strike her. And he promised himself, he'd never let anything hurt them again. Nothing at all, not even their nightmares, he'd be there for them no matter what.

"Is it bad that I've REALLY missed this?" Amy asked with a smile and laugh, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Yes," he nodded.

"Good."

"I know."

"Unauthorized personnel may not enter the cockpit," Oswin's voice came through the speakers above them.

"Shut up!" he pushed off the door, reminded that Angel and Ayla were still lost in the bowels of the Asylum from hearing Oswin speak.

"Ooh, Mr. Grumpy! Bad combo! No sense of humor and that _chin_."

He turned and peered at a Dalek lens, the camera, as though he might be able to see Oswin, ' _Still hearing Dalek?_ ' he asked Angel, knowing that she was keeping an eye out for them, keeping her senses open for dangers looming.

' _Yes,_ ' Angel sighed.

"Is that her again, soufflé girl?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," he answered, glancing at Amy, "Shh," and turned to the camera, "What is wrong with my chin?!"

"Careful, dear, you'll put someone's eye out," Oswin laughed.

He pouted, ' _Is there something wrong with my chin?_ ' he asked Angel.

He heard her give him a soft chuckle, ' _I love your chin,_ ' he started to grin at that, ' _Just like I love the rest of you, especially your bowtie._ '

His grin morphed into a smirk as he tweaked his bowtie at the mention of it, ' _I rather love your eyes,_ ' he remarked.

' _You always seem to have a fascination with them, don't you?_ '

He nodded even though she couldn't see, ' _Your eyes, your smile, your nose, your hands, your ears, your hair..._ '

' _Are you really going to list every feature?_ ' she asked him.

' _I would,_ ' he admitted, ' _Nella...the things I love about you could fill the TARDIS library...no THE Library...and still need more space._ '

She was silent for a short while and he could feel it, he could feel a rush of warmth spread through him, and he knew she was blushing, ' _I think my list for you would be quite a bit longer._ '

' _Well, we'll have to see about that when this is over,_ ' he challenged.

Oh he loved that, he loved it so much. It was truly one of his favorite memories when they'd do that, somehow they'd just slip into conversations about each other, sometimes brought on by a reference to a past adventure or one of the companions making a joke about how they used to be...they'd end up defending the other and...they'd talk, they'd talk about the things they loved in each other, things that surprised each of them to learn at times. But as equally as he loved hearing Angel speak of what exactly she loved about _him_...he loved being able to talk about _her_ to her even more. He loved seeing her eyes sparkle with happiness, her cheeks flush, he loved the kisses she gave him when he said something truly touching to her...which he made it his goal to do each time...those kisses often led to...quite a bit more touching and intimate moments between them.

But he really _did_ love it. He loved each _her_ , each and every her separately, and he found he loved her more and more each incarnation, he loved her more and more each day! It really was as he'd told Joan Redfern, he really did grow more and more in love with her as time went on. And he loved expressing it, he loved being able to take her in his arms and show her how much he really did love her.

And it didn't always have to be big gestures...like the grand birthday party he'd thrown for her for her 1000th birthday, inviting all their friends and family to an intergalactic banquet hall he'd managed to get them access too...an ambasador owed him a favor...and to see her so happy, with all their family and a large cake and dancing and balloons and fireworks (supernovas really) and just...extravagance everywhere, but it was SUCH a big deal. Angel had been _so close_ to her 1000th when he'd thought she was really dying at the Lake, everything he'd feared he'd never get to do with her came rushing to him in those mere seconds. To have her with him, alive, for her 1000th birthday...he'd gone all out.

And he loved that she appreciated everything he did for her, but even more so...he loved how it was really just the little things, the simple things that she treasured. She was so...easy to make happy, a simple smile, a touch of the hand, a whispered word, a little kiss...could make her beam and look at him with such love and adoration that...he melted. He completely melted when she did and he loved how she made him feel like he was the most magnificent man in the Universe. And those little moments where they cuddled and talked about each other...he got to hear her say it and he got to tell her how he felt for her as well.

Now he REALLY wanted to find them again, just so he could get to that part sooner than later...

"I'm scanning you," Oswin's voice broke through his thoughts, "You're on another of the escape pods from the Alaska, right? Same ship I was on."

"How can you hack into everything?" he asked her, "Should be impossible, you're in a crashed ship!"

"Long story. Is there a word for total screaming genius that sounds modest and a tiny bit sexy?"

He grinned, "Doctor. You call me the Doctor."

"I see what you did there," Oswin laughed, "Check the floor. I'm picking up a breach at floor level, there could be a way out. See you later!"

They looked over, seeing a hatch in the floor, and moved to clear the debris away from it, "Ah ha, hatch! Looks like it's been used already, and they tried to block it off behind them."

Amy glanced back at the door, hearing a banging of the zombies behind it, "Can't imagine why."

"The lower part of the pod is buried, so this must go straight down into the Asylum."

"Where Rory is?"

He nodded, "Where Angel and Ayla are too," he glanced at her, smiling a little, "They're together."

Amy nodded, breathing a sigh of relief, as much as she knew Angel would look out for Rory, keep him safe, she knew her hus…Rory, would look out for her and Ayla as well, especially Ayla. He...she swallowed hard, feeling a sense of crushing guilt filling her...he loved children.

"Speaking of Rory..." the Doctor began, flashing the sonic across the hatch, working on opening it, being so close to getting to Angel and Ayla...having the zombies behind them and Daleks below them and the overwhelming urge to want to kiss his Mate and her not being there...he needed a distraction, just a little one, just enough where he could work on automatic but keep his mind from wandering to places it shouldn't go, "Anything you want to tell me?"

"Are we going to do this now?!"

"What happened?"

"Didn't Angel tell you?" she muttered.

"She can't see everything," the Doctor reminded her with a shrug, "And Rory can't tell her something he doesn't know either."

Amy swallowed at that, feeling the guilt get stronger, Rory...he really had no clue why she had done what she did, why she'd insisted on a divorce and kicked him out, and now...if they didn't get to him in time, he'd never know, "Oh, stuff, you know," she looked away, "We just...split up. What can you do?"

"What _can_ I do?" he asked her earnestly, "Truly Amy, is there anything, at all, that Angel or I can…"

"Nothing," she shook her head, "It's not one of those things you can fix like you fix your bowtie. Don't give me those big, wet eyes, Raggedy Man. It's life. Just life. That thing that goes on when you're not there."

She looked away, there was _one_ thing, just one, that they could do, that _Angel_ could do really. But…as the girl had once told her in a hotel of nightmares…she couldn't see everything. And, this was something she _needed_ to know, be 100 percent certain of, first.

The Doctor sighed and opened the hatch, when he heard Angel in his mind, ' _Have faith, my love,_ ' he couldn't help but smile at the warmth and reassurance she was sending him. He added that to the list of things to tell her later, he loved how...hopeful and confident she was that things would get better and be ok.

He nodded to himself, trusting her intuition, before looking down the hole to see a rope ladder hanging through it.

"Ok, so someone else got out this way then?" Amy reasoned.

"Let's go and find them," he nodded, knowing this was a way into the Asylum, a step closer to finding Ayla and Angel again. As he put his foot onto a rung, there was another bang on the door. He looked over, seeing a screen displaying the zombies, waving something at them. He frowned and got up, walking over to see what it was, "Oh, hello, hello, hello? What are they up to?"

"What's that?" Amy frowned, seeing the object in the zombie's hand.

"One of these," he held up his wrist, frowning, "Where did they get it?"

Amy looked at her own wrist, breathing out in shock, "Doctor! They got it from _me_!"

"Oh, Amy!" he took her bare wrist, looking at it.

"Doctor? What's going to happen to me? Seriously, tell me, what?"

The bangs sounded again, the zombie's waving it, taunting them.

~8~

Angel closed her eyes, her thoughts hidden from the Doctor. This...had to happen, she'd seen it coming, she'd seen Amy's wrist device being taken, but…she hadn't told the Doctor about it. As always, she could claim she didn't see everything, but this time, this time she _had_. This was a dangerous game she was playing, a fine line she was walking, the last time she had seen the future and actively tried to change it, she had been kidnapped and her child taken and lost. But not this time, no, this time she was determined to succeed. This time, she was going to ensure that it worked out, it _had_ to.

She looked over at Rory as he led them on, a small penlight out, neither of them trusting her to use the Vortex for light, the Daleks, even on low power would sense it and attack immediately, they couldn't risk it. They'd gotten lucky that they'd landed far enough away where the Dalek sensors hadn't picked them up before with the Vortex swirling around them.

They stepped into a room that was filled with Daleks, all appearing to be without power. Rory gestured for Ayla and her to keep back as he went to investigate a Dalek before him. He moved the eyestalk out of the way, peering at it...only for it to swivel back to him

He slowly stepped back...

"Rory watch out!" Angel whisper-shouted, reaching out to try and tug him to the side...but she was too late.

He hit a metal bar that rolled onto the floor, wincing at the echoing noise. Wincing _again_ as the eyestalk lit up, "Shh," he whispered, "Shh…" but then the eyestalk turned on him, and he stepped back, Angel and Ayla stiffening behind him, "Shh, shh…"

All around them the other Daleks slowly came to life, the light of their eyestalks turning on, "Ee-ee-ee-eex..."

"What?" he frowned, "Sorry, what?"

"Eggzz, eggzz, eggzz, eggzz, eggzz…"

He looked back at Angel, "Are they saying eggs?" he looked at a small bump from the Dalek's casing on the floor, "Those things?"

"Rory…" Angel breathed, holding out a hand to him, trying to motion him back to them. She didn't like this...that pit that had formed in her stomach was growing now, twisting. She was starting to breathe heavily at the sight of so many Daleks, ones she knew were crazed, waking up, with her there and her brother and her daughter...this was not good, this was not good at all.

"Egggzzzzzzzz."

"Get back…" she called as Rory started to move back to their side, feeling her hearts pounding in her chest, her mind racing, going just the slightest bit fuzzy...as though trying to turn this into a nightmare instead of reality, "Take Ayla," she gently pushed her daughter to Rory, taking a single step before them, feeling something rising within her at the threat before them.

"Eggggzzz...term...in...ate."

"When I say run," she glanced back at them, starting to pant, starting to shake as she turned back to face their worst enemies, seeing them powering up even more, focusing on them, focusing on her daughter, "Run."

"Eggzz...term...in...ate!" the Daleks started to shouted, "Ex...term...in...ate!"

"RUN!" she cried and Rory scooped Ayla into his arms and ran back the way they'd come from as the Daleks began to fire, using their reserves of energy to attack, Angel bringing up a shield before her to shield them.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

"NO!"

Rory looked back, hearing something...different in Angel's voice as she shouted, and his mouth fell open, his eyes widening as he watched in half in awe, half in horror as Angel began to glow with the power of the Vortex, but it was different...the force of it wasn't swirling around her like it usually did...it was raging around her. It was flying about, creating ripples in the air, brightening, increasing in its golden glow, Angel's eyes turning gold as she braced herself. He tried to call out to her when she took a step _towards_ the Daleks...but his words died on his lips at what happened next.

Angel threw her hands out before her with force, the Vortex _ripping_ out from her, sending a beam blasting through the Daleks, striking them, causing them to _explode_ before him.

"Oh my God…" Rory breathed, completely stunned, as the dust cleared and all he could see were the Daleks completely and utterly _obliterated_. He rushed back, seeing the golden wall that had been protecting him and Ayla flickering, snapped out of his shock by Angel stumbling, his concern for his sister overriding how startled he was at what had just happened, "Angel!"

He gently set Ayla down and ran to Angel's side as the wall came down completely, the golden glow disappearing as she collapsed back, falling into his arms, him managing to catch her before she hit the ground, "Easy," he set her down gently, quickly checking her as he panted. She was...pale, very pale, and shaky, she had a fine layer of sweat on her brown and she was cold to the touch...something he didn't expect given the heat he'd felt emanating from the Vortex.

"Mummy!" Ayla called, running over to her, kneeling beside her mother, her eyes worried as she grabbed her mother's hand, scared, not of her but of what had happened.

"Angel," Rory tried to shake her awake, "Wake up."

"Please wake up mummy," Ayla pleaded.

"I'm...fine sweetheart," Angel breathed, her face scrunching as she slowly woke, blinking a bit as she came around to see Ayla watching her intently. She squeezed her daughter's hand, reaching out with her other hand to run it down Ayla's hair, before struggling to sit up...only to freeze when she caught sight of the Daleks, "What happened?"

Rory blinked, stiffening at that, "Don't...don't you remember?"

Angel shook her head slowly, though it soon grew more frantic as she realized, with horror, no...she didn't, "No…" she looked up at Rory, alarmed, all she remembered was giving Ayla to him, telling him to run and...'Exterminate!' and...she swallowed hard, "Rory…what happened?" she grabbed his hand, feeling tears in her eyes at the worried and startled look in his own, "Was..." she looked at the Daleks in absolute horror, "Was that...ME?"

Rory could only give her a small nod, not knowing at all what he could say.

Angel let out a shuddering breath, feeling bile rise in her throat, "What did I _do_?" she couldn't help but stare at the Daleks, feeling like she couldn't breath as she stared at their utterly destroyed casings, the mutants...some of them, pieces of them really...barely visible within they were so devastated. It was...destruction, pure and utter destruction...

She felt ill, she felt tears gathering in her eyes as she realized...SHE had done this. SHE had attacked the Daleks. SHE had destroyed them. She had NEVER used her powers to destroy something like that before. Stop them, yes, but _destroy_ …she had never really destroyed something so...violently before, so completely...so...without mercy. Because that wasn't what the power of the Vortex was meant to be used for, it was meant to bring life, creation.

Oh God...

What had she done?

What had happened to her?!

She couldn't remember any of it!

"Come on," Rory mumbled, helping her up, "We need to go, find a safe place, and wait for the Doctor."

She nodded numbly, shaking in Rory's arms he helped her up, held her close, supporting her as she seemed weakened by what had happened, she couldn't walk without shaking or stumbling, probably would have fallen down if not for Rory's arm around her. And, as terrible as it was to think, she didn't want Rory's arm around her...she wanted the Doctor, she _needed_ her Mate right now. She was…scared. She was truly and utterly terrified, for the first time, truly frightened of her powers, what she'd done…she couldn't remember it. _Why_ couldn't she remember it? It was a blur. It was a nightmare, but it _happened_.

It just...happened.

She didn't have any control over it…and it _scared_ her.

Ayla frowned seeing her mother so out of sorts, so...worried, and took her hand, "Come along mummy," she tugged her hand, squeezing it. She wanted her mother to feel better, she could see it, plain as day, her mother was frightened of what had happened, and for her mother to be scared, to SHOW she was scared...that was something very big and very bad, at least to her mother.

SHE wasn't scared, because it was her mummy, her mummy was the best woman ever, no matter what she would always, always, always love her. And she knew that her mother and father would always protect her too. It was why she wasn't scared of many things, because whatever she was scared of, her parents would chase away or guard her from. Like the mean old Daleks! She should be scared of them, her parents HAD told her about them...but...they looked funny. They had _plungers_ for _arms_! It was hard to be scared of them when her parents had beaten them and bested them SO many times in the past. And she knew, her parents together, were the best team ever and that nothing would ever beat THEM. Why should she be scared of the weird pepper pots when her parents were there to protect her? It had been many years since they'd found her again and, even when she wandered off at times, they always managed to keep her safe. They hadn't ever let her be hurt or find herself in danger in all that time. They loved her and they protected her, from everything, even the nightmares, even the dark...that was one thing she didn't like, the dark...it was scary, but her parents had even gotten her a nightlight for that, and they always left the hall light on incase she wanted to spend the night with them so she wouldn't be scared. They just...they were always there for her, and they always would be, it was hard to think that anything would hurt her, even Daleks, when her mother and father were around to keep her safe. She had faith in them.

"There's a door at the end," Oswin's voice came over the speakers of the room, solemn, as though able to tell that Angel was severely shaken up by what had just happened.

They looked over, seeing the door start to rise and cautiously made their way over to it, crawling underneath it. Rory helped sit Angel up against a wall, Ayla immediately curling beside her mother as he sat on her other side, putting an arm around her shoulders, feeling her shaking still and wanting to be as much of a comfort as he could till the Doctor got there. Angel was in no condition to teleport out of there at the moment.

"So anyway," Oswin continued, wanting to distract them, "I'm Oswin. What do I call you?"

"Er..." Rory frowned, shaking his head, his mind too full of...stuff, to really answer, "I can't even remember. Er..."

"Rory," Angel gave a small smile, nudging him.

"Lovely name, Rory," Oswin commented, "First boy I ever fancied was called Rory."

"Ok…" he trailed.

"Actually, she was called Nina, I was going through a phase. Just flirting to keep you cheerful. And what's your name cutie pie?"

Ayla giggle, knowing she meant her, "I'm Ayla, this is my mummy!" she gave Angel a squeeze around the middle, making the woman smile and wrap an arm around her, holding her close...needing her daughter to be close right now.

"Hello mum!"

Angel actually managed a small laugh at that, Oswin was very cheerful, "Angel," she called, "I'm Angel."

~8~

The Doctor and Amy were heading down the rope ladder at a staggering pace. The Doctor had paused halfway down before freezing, his eyes widening in fear, sensing something had happened to Angel and Ayla, they were fine but...Angel was _terrified_ now, he _had_ to get to her, quickly, and he could sense they were close, they were so near, he just had to go a little more. He didn't know what had happened, her mind was a jumbled mess, her thoughts too frantic to really get a sense of anything...but one thought that he could see, clear as day, she wanted him there. She was scared and she wanted him to be there...

He had never been able to really deny her anything before, he wasn't going to start now.

And for Angel to be THAT scared...he could feel the Mating instinct hitting him, driving him and pushing him to move faster, to get down there, to find her, to protect her and see what was wrong and help her and comfort her and...

"So, tell me," Amy began, trying to distract him, seeing a mess of emotions play across his face, getting darker and more serious the nearer they got to the ground, the LAST thing she needed was another 'Demons Run Doctor,' a man on a rampage, because in that sort of situation...she was fairly sure he'd end up running into a Dalek in their haste and get them both shot, "What's going to happen to me? And don't lie, 'cos I know when you're lying to me and I will definitely fall on you."

"The air all around is full of micro-machines, robots the size of molecules, nanogenes," he explained quickly, now actually NOT wanting to be distracted, wanting to focus, NEEDING to focus, needing to work things out faster and get to Angel, "Now that you're unprotected, you're being...rewritten."

"So, what happens? I get one of those things sticking out my head?"

He hopped off the ladder and looked around, trying to gauge which direction to go for Angel, he could sense her in one direction, but without a map, without knowing what Daleks were ahead of them...he was unsure of what to do. He didn't want to enter a room and find it full of Daleks, he didn't want to turn a corner and find himself at a dead end that would waste his time to retrace his steps. He just...he wanted a clear and direct path to get back to her, "Physical changes come later," he took Amy's hand and led her down the corridor before them.

"What comes first? How does it start?"

"With your mind. Your feelings, your memories and I'm sorry, but it's started already."

"How do you know?"

He paused, "Because we've had this conversation four times."

"Ok," she swallowed hard, "Scared now."

"Hang on to scared. Scared isn't Dalek," he hugged her tightly but briefly, knowing that, as bad as it was to think, he'd really rather be comforting his Mate instead.

But it was ok, Amy would rather her husband be hugging her too.

~8~

"Hey there, Beaky Boy!" Oswin called as the trio made their way down a corridor, Angel having calmed enough and gathered enough strength to continue on from their brief rest, though she kept a firm hold of Ayla's hand.

"If it's a straight choice, I prefer Nina," Rory called, rolling his eyes as Ayla giggled, knowing that Jack and the Doctor seemed to LOVE calling him Ayla's 'Uncle Beaky' as well.

" _Loving_ this, the Nose and the Chin. You two could fence and Angel-cake could referee. There's a door behind you…" they looked over as a door opened and they headed through it, "In there, quickly. Ok, you're safe for now. Pop your shirt off, Beaky Boy, quick as you like."

"Why?!" Rory exclaimed as Ayla laughed.

"Does there have to be a reason?"

Angel smiled and shook her head, looking around, spotting a circular panel in the floor, a teleport. She walked over, kneeling beside it to look at it. She hesitated a moment...before reaching out to place a hand on it, about to concentrate on it, about to use the Vortex to give it a boost she knew it would need...but she couldn't. She pulled her hand away as though she'd been burned and looked away, swallowing hard.

She just...she wanted to wait for the Doctor.

She didn't...she didn't trust herself with using the Vortex at the moment, not after what had just happened.

~8~

The Doctor and Amy stopped at a door that opened at the end of the corridor, staring through at the empty room within, not trusting it would be good to go in and find out if there were Daleks inside, because while they couldn't see them, they could _hear_ them. Which meant it was just another room that was blocking him from getting to his Mate.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

The Doctor stepped back and the door slid shut, "Keep a lookout," he told her, " _Don't_ open this door! Oswin?! Oswin, can you hear me?!"

Amy winced and rubbed her forehead as he turned away and headed back down the hall.

"Hello, the Chin!" Oswin called, "I have visual on you!"

"Why don't I have visual on you?" he looked around, "Why can't I ever see you?"

"Limited power, bad hair, take your pick. There's a door to your left, open it," he turned and opened a panel in the wall, "Going to send you a map to that screen. I've put those girls and your little friend somewhere safe, I can get you to them."

"Angel!" he gasped, his eyes wide, "Ayla! You've found them?"

"Is she yours?" Oswin wondered.

He breathed a sigh of relief, nodding, "Yes, she's my daughter."

"She's adorable," she giggled.

"She gets it from her mother."

"She's quite the catch," Oswin hummed in agreement.

He smiled at that, amused, "Rory's still with them?"

"I call him Nina. It's a personal thing, hush now."

He leaned forward, watching as the plans came up on the screen.

Meanwhile, down the hall, Amy looked through the doorway, frowning as she spotted a man in a suit standing there, waving her in, "Who are you?" she muttered, opening the door and stepping in. She looked around, seeing two other couples, a little girl with red hair in a white tutu spinning around.

' _Doctor,_ ' Angel called in his mind, ' _Amy!_ '

' _What about her?_ ' he asked, squinting at the screen, more focused on the map that would lead him to her than anything.

"How many Daleks directly ahead of me, right now?" he asked, out loud, to Oswin.

"10, 20, hard to say," Oswin sighed, "Some of them are catatonic, but they _do_ have firepower."

"How do I get past them?"

' _No, Doctor,_ ' Angel tried again, ' _Amy! Help her!_ '

He spun around to see Amy wandering into the room, "Amy!" he shouted, rushing over

"Shhh," she hissed, seeming a bit dazed, unsteady, "It's ok. It's just people in here. It's just people."

"Amy," the Doctor shook his head, glancing at the 'people' that were slowly starting to surround them, NOT people at all, FAR from it, "It's the nano-cloud, it's altering your perception. Look again, look again, those aren't people."

Amy turned around, this time able to see the Daleks that were now standing in the place of the 'people' she'd seen and gasped.

"Come with me, take my hand," he pulled her back, "Run, run!"

They turned and ran down the hall to the ladder, but it was shaking, the zombies climbing down.

"Look, they're coming down!" Amy cried, seeing the bodies above.

"Ah, yes, they are!" the Doctor agreed, turning around only to see a Dalek coming out of the room.

"Intruder!" it shouted.

The Doctor pushed Amy into a side niche where the panel was, "Run!" he called as the Dalek approached.

"Intruder! Intruder!" it tried to fire at them, but nothing happened.

The Doctor frowned at that, "It's damaged…" he breathed, stepping out of the niche.

"Ok, but what do we do?" Amy asked, looking around, they were rather trapped.

"Identify me!" he called, moving to stand before the Dalek, "Access your files, who am I? Come on, who's your daddy?"

"You...are...the Predator," it stated.

"Access your standing orders concerning the Predator."

"The Predator must be destroyed."

"And how are you going to do that?!" he scoffed, "Dalek without a gun, you're a tricycle with a roof! How are you going to destroy me?!"

"Self-destruct initiated!"

Well...he supposed that was one way to do it.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Angel :( She's worked SO hard and come SO far...and now...this :( I won't say what's happening to her or why though, we'll have to wait and see what might be wrong with her }:D I hope you're worried though }:)
> 
> I hope you liked the Doctor's reaction to realizing Angel and Ayla weren't there :) I could see him just going out of his mind with worry and really attempting to jump down the hole after them lol. And then being all over the place in a mess of emotions and distractions and attempts to get back to them :) ...and if you thought his reaction to THAT was good...just wait till he sees Angel again ;)


	5. Asylum of the Daleks: Revelations

The Doctor quickly pulled out his sonic as the Dalek's words registered with him, realizing exactly what it was planning to do and, with little way out, there was only one escape he could see. He ran to the Dalek, flashing it with the sonic.

"What's it doing?!" Amy gasped.

"It's going to blow itself up and us with it," he remarked quickly, focusing more on the Dalek than her, knowing that while the Dalek was in 'self-destruct mode' it wouldn't be able to fire, even if it could, or use any of its other weapons like is sucker arm, "Only weapon it's got left," he popped open the top of its casing and flashed the sonic inside it.

"Self-destruct cannot be countermanded!" the Dalek stated.

"I'm not looking for a countermand, dear," he dropped the top back down and smirked at it, "I'm looking for reverse!"

The Dalek then started to roll backwards uncontrollably, despite its efforts to make itself roll the other way, "For...wards! For...wards! For...wards! For...wards!" it struggled and fought against the programming, only to arrive in the room with the other Daleks, colliding with one just as the timer ended and it exploded...

~8~

Rory, Angel, and Ayla looked over at the shockwave that swept through the room they were hiding in from the blast. It felt like it was only the next room over or something, they shouldn't have been able to feel it so powerfully if it wasn't that near.

"Oswin," Rory called, getting up, concerned, worried that it might have been the Daleks trying to break through, trying to get to them from another direction, and the last thing he wanted was Angel to have to confront another set of Daleks, "What was that? That was close."

Angel stood, a small relieved smiling coming to her face, knowing exactly what it was. She wasn't...happy with what it meant for the Daleks, but she was immensely happy because she knew what had caused it, WHO had caused it, "One guess," she commented, taking Ayla's hand and leading them out of the teleport room, into the room the blast had come from, it really HAD been the next room over. It was dusty, the Daleks smoking, wires exposed everywhere, debris and rubble around them from the bomb that had gone off.

"What happened?!" Rory breathed, seeing the state of it all, seeing what was left of the Daleks, not quite as destroyed as the ones Angel had faced down were, those...he shook his head, those were completely obliterated, worse than this, some were still partially there, "Who killed all the Daleks?"

Through the dust, the Doctor entered, carrying an unconscious Amy in his arms, the explosion having knocked her out, "Who do you think?"

"Amy!" Rory shouted, rushing forward to take his wif…Amy, from the Doctor, turning to carry her into the teleport room, wanting to get her somewhere safe, not knowing if more Daleks might be coming if they heard the explosion or felt it.

As soon as Amy was _out_ of his arms, the Doctor turned to Angel and Ayla, pulling them _into_ his arms, "You're alright," he breathed, holding them both tight.

Angel nodded, "Ayla's Uncle Rory took _very_ good care of us."

He quickly kissed Ayla on the top of her head, "Could you go help Uncle Rory sweetheart?" he asked her, the girl nodding and rushing off to tell her uncle what had happened to her aunt.

The Doctor straightened and quickly hugged Angel tightly to him, feeling her shaking, sensing the fear still lingering in her, knowing _she needed him_. His Mate needed him. And he was finally able to get back to her, he was not about to let her out of his arms till he was sure he'd been able to calm her. He felt the corners of his mouth starting to quirk when he felt her pull him closer, her arms around his neck, burying her face in the side of it. He turned his head, resting the side of it to hers, moving closer to nuzzle his nose against her temple, just...breathing in her scent, taking a short moment to revel in having her back in his arms once more, his hearts starting to slow down from the pounding race they'd been speeding at since he'd woken to realize she and Ayla weren't there.

He let out the breath he felt like he'd been holding forever, winding his arms tighter around her waist, holding her closer, feeling that she needed that, she needed him to hold her and to make everything better just by being there with her. As terrible as it was to say...he was...glad...she felt that way.

She was so strong now, so much more confident, so much surer of herself. And he LOVED it, he really did, he was SO happy to see her thriving and being happy and feeling secure in herself. He loved how she was sure she could deal with situations coming up, with River, how she didn't back down, how she stood strong, she was so beautiful when she was like that, not that she wasn't always beautiful, but there was something about seeing her take charge that just...made him swallow hard and feel like he was being electrified. He wanted to kiss her and hold her every time he saw her like that, whenever she took the lead or she came up with a plan or she took charge. There was something so...attractive about that. How she was confident and how she felt like she would be ok if she had to go her own way during an adventure, split up if they had to, not that they really ever had to.

He loved how strong she was now, he did...but it was nice to know that she still needed him. It warmed his hearts to know that there was a comfort only HE could provide her. He'd felt it, he'd felt her emotions when Rory had tried to comfort her and ease her worry earlier, it hadn't really worked. It...made him feel special, to know it was ONLY HIM that could do that for her, that he could make her feel better when no one else could. It was the same for him as well, she was just...she was the only one who could ever really calm him down or reassure him or comfort him. He was strong yes, so many people had told him that over the centuries, he was clever and brave and so many other things, but...he truly felt like he was only that because of Angel, she gave him a strength he hadn't known existed just by being with him. He truly loved knowing that he gave her a strength and comfort as well.

He took great comfort in knowing that they both needed each other, no matter what, no matter how strong they got or sure of themselves or anything...they would always need each other.

He gently kissed her temple, closing his eyes as he swayed her gently, knowing her eyes were closed as well, neither of them wanting to remember they were surrounded by destroyed Daleks during a moment such as this, "What happened dear?" he breathed.

She snuggled her face into his shoulder, clutching him even tighter, feeling him hold her closer as she tried to lessen her shaking, "I don't know," she replied, "I..." she swallowed hard, unable to even talk about it. Because she really didn't know, so, instead, she pulled away slightly, resting her forehead to his, and opened her mind for him to see what had happened, what she could remember happened.

The Doctor blinked his eyes open after he saw the scattered sequence of images play out, felt what she'd felt, it really was a blur to her wasn't it? She remembered feeling...odd...at the sight of the Daleks, wanting Ayla and Rory away from them, then there was firing and 'Exterminates' and...it went black. There had been a blazing heat and just...nothing. Nothing until Rory and Ayla were waking her up.

He gently pulled back, reaching out a hand to curl a finger under her chin, lifting her face to look at him, his hearts breaking to see tears in her eyes, _fear_ in her eyes. He moved his hand to touch her cheek, his thumb stroking it, trying to calm her more, feeling her shaking starting to lessen even if just slightly. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, "We'll figure it out," he promised her, "Together."

She let her eyes drift closed for a moment, feeling the kiss pressed to her head and his whispered words, and nodded, trusting him. He was...SO clever, brilliant really, a genius. She knew that, while it had taken her forever to try and work out what might have happened with his amnesia and how to get his memories back...she STILL hadn't been right in her thoughts on why it happened. She really wasn't all that clever in quite a few areas, but the Doctor...if he worked on it, she knew he'd always figure out the answer. She trusted him. With him helping, they'd figure it out, they'd find out what had happened to her and why.

She took a breath, "But not right now," she agreed, hearing the hidden words, right now they were surrounded by Daleks with Amy on the brink of turning into one of their puppets and their daughter trapped with them, now was NOT the time to try and work that out, "We need to help Amy."

He smiled gently at her, stroking her face one more time, "No," he whispered, "Amy will be fine," he nodded, believing that, "Nella," he whispered to her, making her look at him for use of her name, "I will always put _you_ first," he told her, needing her to see how true that was, "You and Kitta are my entire world, you will always come before anyone else. Even Amy," he admitted, "I meant that...WE need to get out of here, all of us. I don't like us being down here any more than I like what's happening to Amy."

She gave him a small smile for that, he did want Amy to be ok, to stop what was happening to her, but his first thought wasn't that, it wasn't Amy's welfare, it was hers and Ayla's. Even if it meant getting THEM out of there would mean getting Amy and Rory out of there too.

She took his hand, lifting it to kiss his scarred knuckles, him letting out a shuddering breath at how she stared into his eyes as she did it, "Come on," she whispered, leading him back to the teleport room to see Amy lying on the teleport.

"Will sleeping help her?" Rory asked them as soon as he saw them enter the room again, Ayla having told him all that she had gleamed off her mother and father about what was happening, "Slow down the process?"

"You'd better hope so," Oswin commented, her voice echoing around them from the speakers, "Because pretty soon, she's going to try and kill you."

"She won't," Angel shook her head, looking at Amy as the girl started to stir.

"Amy," Rory turned to her, seeing that as well.

"Ow," Amy mumbled, pressing a hand to her head even if she had yet to open her eyes.

"Amy, you're still with us," the Doctor told her, crouching down on Amy's other side, by Ayla, stroking her hair gently as Ayla reached out and took her auntie's hand, Angel moving to sit beside her daughter on the edge of the pad.

"Amy, it's me," Rory added from her other side, "Do you remember me?" Amy, without looking, reached out and slapped him, "She remembers me."

"Same old Amy," Angel smiled softly, the Doctor standing and looking down at the ginger.

"Do you know how you make someone into a Dalek?" Oswin called quietly, "Subtract love, add anger. Doesn't she seem a bit too angry to you?"

"Well!" Amy huffed, moving to sit up, now glaring at the eyelense camera, "Somebody's never been to Scotland!"

"What about you though, Oswin?" the Doctor asked, seeing Angel frowning, _still_ hearing a Dalek whenever Oswin spoke, she was leaving her mind open to him, he could hear it in her mind, how she heard the girl speaking, it was...disconcerting and quite jarring to hear the girl with the perky voice speaking like a Dalek, "How come you're ok? Why hasn't the nano-cloud converted you?"

"I mentioned the genius thing, yeah?" Oswin remarked, "I'm shielded in here."

"Clever of you. Now this place, the Daleks said it was fully automated. But look at it, it's a wreck."

"Well, I've had nearly a year to mess with them and not a lot else to do."

"A junior entertainment manager, hiding out in a wrecked ship...hacking the security systems of the most advanced warrior race the Universe has ever seen. But you know what really gets me about you, Oswin? The soufflés!" he was nodding now, Angel's inquiry about the milk and eggs starting to make sense, "Where do you get the milk and eggs for the soufflés? Seriously, has no one else wondered that since Angel brought it up?"

"No," Rory answered, "Frankly, no. Twice."

"So, Doctor," Oswin continued, "I've been looking you up. You and Angel-cake are all over the Database. Why do the Daleks call you both the Abomination and the Predator?"

The Doctor's jaw tensed at that word, abomination not predator, and he felt Angel reach out and take his hand as he stood beside her. He hated that word, so much more after encountering the Time Lords and the Master, hearing Rassilon calling her that as well...the Daleks always had, ever since they found out about what she'd done to them. But to hear their own people, the leader of their people, call her such a word, knowing that they considered the Master to be one as well...it bothered him. It...was even worse because...he'd SEEN it...the expression on the man's face.

Rassilon...he'd known who Angel was. When they'd encountered them, he'd greeted Angel as 'the Lady Angel' so he _knew_ Angel's title. But how? Why? She had made it abundantly clear that she was just a simple TARDIS farmer on Gallifrey, truly led such a normal and quiet life that the only times she'd regenerated before the War, where most of her deaths had occurred, was stopping two Time Lords from trying to steal one of the unharvested TARDISes and when she'd been repairing another she hadn't realized was leaking poisoned gasses within. The only time she came even close to being on the High Council's radar was when she refused to adapt the TARDISes to be War TARDISes. It was nearly treason, but her father had stepped in and negotiated before it got that far. There was absolutely NO reason for the High Council to know of her.

They knew of him and the Master yes, but they'd been infamous on Gallifrey long before the War. But Angel? What reason did the Highest Council of Gallifrey have to know of a farmer? But he'd seen it...the looks on Rassilon's faces whenever he glanced at the girl...it was like...recognition. It was like...how he'd looked at the Master, like she was another failed experiment or something. And it had killed him because...he didn't know. The High Council had had a hand in the Master's insanity, a long lived plot to escape the time-lock, but Angel? He'd felt truly ill to think that, maybe...they'd had a hand in her psychic abilities as well. She'd said she'd stared into the Untempered Schism longer than was normal. That might have tipped off the High Council, that she was another potential Visionary, but she'd never been tested, never displayed any visions from what he knew of her life.

But the way Rassilon looked at her...he dreaded to think that the High Council might have manipulated her life as well. He...he knew that it was suspicious for two siblings to be stationed in the same platoon, as she and her own sister had, that it was NEVER done...unless...unless perhaps the High Council had gotten involved? He didn't want to think about that, he didn't want to think about Angel being twisted like the Master had, suffering like he had. He never EVER wanted to hear her called 'the Abomination' again, no...she was the Angel, his angel.

' _My Doctor,_ ' he heard her whisper in his mind, feeling reassurance drift to him from her.

He closed his eyes, smiling as he shook his head at that, she'd just been terrified moments ago, clearly nearly traumatized by something...and there she was, comforting HIM.

"She's not an abomination and I'm not a predator, just an angel and a man with a plan," he countered out loud.

"You've got a plan?" Oswin asked.

"Daddy's got a _thing_ ," Ayla corrected, sounding as though reciting a well learned lesson, making Angel truly smile at it.

"We're all ears," Rory rolled his eyes.

"There's a nose joke going, if anyone wants to pick that one off!" Amy added.

"I never should have showed you that picture of him," Angel actually gave a small laugh, thinking of the picture of his last last self that she'd shown the two after they'd left Utah, as promised. Rory had had a field day with the Doctor after that, never having let him live down anymore nose jokes as a result.

"In no particular order," the Doctor cut in, ignoring them, "We need to neutralize all the Daleks in this Asylum, rescue Oswin from the wreckage, escape from this planet, and fix Rory and Amy's marriage..."

"Ok," Amy deadpanned, "I'm counting three lost causes, anyone else?"

Rory just slapped his knee in frustration and got up, knowing that Amy counted their marriage among them.

"Oswin, there's a Dalek ship in orbit," the Doctor called, looking over as Ayla moved into her mother's lap, sitting down in her arms.

"Yeah, got it on the sensors," Oswin replied.

"The Asylum has a force field. The Daleks upstairs are waiting for me to turn it off. Soon as I do, they'll burn this world and us with it," he clapped, "So, Oswin, my question is this. How fast can you drop the force field?"

"Pretty fast. But why would I?"

"Because this is a teleport, am I right, Oswin?" he pointed at the pad the others were sitting on.

"Yeah. Internal use only."

He snapped his fingers, "I can boost the power, though," he knelt by the teleport and got to work sonicing it, not about to ask Angel to use the Vortex when she was still a bit...wary of it now, "Once the force-field is down, and we can use this to beam us right off this planet."

"But you said, when the force-field is down, the Daleks will blow us up," Rory reminded him.

"We have to be quick."

"Fine, we'll be quick, but where do we beam to?" Amy asked.

"The only place within range. The Dalek ship."

"Where they exterminate us on the spot?" Amy frowned, shaking her head, how was that even _close_ to a good plan? That wasn't even a thing!

"This is the kind of escape plan where you survive four seconds longer," Rory told him.

"What's wrong with four seconds?" the Doctor looked up, "You can do lots in four seconds. Oswin! How fast can you drop the force-field?"

"I can do it from here," Oswin called, "As soon as you come and get me."

The Doctor stood up, "No, just drop the force-field and come to us."

"There's enough power in that teleport for one go. Why would you wait for me?"

"Why wouldn't we?" he countered, but Oswin was silent, "Oswin...we're only here because Ayla, my daughter," he pointed back at the girl as she waved at the camera, "Wanted to rescue you," he told her, looking up at the Dalek eyelense, "We could have left, but we let ourselves be fired at this planet, so that we could help her rescue you."

"Sending you a map so you can come get me," was all Oswin said in response.

The Doctor sighed, realizing that...Oswin had never met them before, how was she to know if they were telling the truth or not? He rubbed his head a moment, before seeing a map blink on in a screen in the wall and walked over to it, examining it.

Rory frowned, seeing him intently looking at it and realized...he was really going to go after Oswin, which he did expect, but it was still a little shocking, "This place is crawling with Daleks," Rory reminded him, concerned.

"Yeah," Oswin scoffed, "Kind of why I'm anxious to leave. Come up and see me some time."

Rory moved to the Doctor's side, looking at the map, "So? Are we going to go get her?"

"I don't think that we have a choice," he sighed, "Ok, soon as the force-field is down, the Daleks will attack. If it gets too explodey-wodey in here, you go without us, ok?" he turned and handed Rory the teleport control as Angel stood up, placing Ayla to sit on the teleport, making it quite clear who the 'us' that would be going was and who the 'you' that would go were.

"And leave you to die?" Rory shook his head, he couldn't do that! How could he be expected to just...leave them!? Pushing that button would make Ayla an orphan! He knew that Angel could teleport rather far...but from a planet to a spaceship? He wasn't sure she'd be able to get that far away!

"Oh, don't worry about us," he waved Rory off, "You're the one beaming up to a Dalek ship to get exterminated."

"Fair point, love this plan," Rory sighed, already knowing that the Doctor was joking, he'd likely set the teleport to take them up to the ship...but right into the TARDIS instead, and...he supposed he had to think about Ayla as well. If things got too bad, it would be HER life on the line sa well, "What about Amy?"

"Get her to remember, Rory," Angel told him, dropping a kiss onto Ayla's head, "Just...keep her thinking about love and happiness, and it should keep the conversion back long enough."

"What do I do?" Amy shook her head, not sure how thinking of 'love and happiness' could work.

The Doctor moved to kneel before her, taking her hand, "You heard what she said. They're subtracting love. Don't let them," he turned and kissed Ayla's head as well, "You be good for your Aunt and Uncle yeah?" he tapped her small bowtie necklace.

Ayla nodded, reaching out to tug on his bowtie, straightening it in kind, "Be careful daddy," she whispered, knowing her daddy had truly very bad luck and that he would need more of it than her mother would.

"He will sweetheart," Angel reassured her, "If anything happens, I'll teleport us both right back here in no time."

That was a small limit on her powers, they'd discovered. She could teleport anywhere, as long as she knew where she was going, as long as she had been there before or if it was close enough...like the other side of a door. Sometimes she could teleport to an exact person, no matter where they were if they were close enough...but only if she'd met them before, like in the hotel with Rita and Joe and Howie. She wouldn't be able to teleport them to where Oswin was, she didn't know where exactly it was or what it looked like, but she _did_ know where the teleport was. She...wasn't entirely sure she'd be able to teleport into a spaceship though...that might be a bit far...she hadn't really had to teleport often the last few decades, never having really be separated from the Doctor or Ayla much.

The Doctor nodded, taking her hand and walking out with her. He smiled at her as they stepped out the door and into a corridor, holding up his wrist where he was missing his device, a device he'd slipped onto Amy just after the explosion.

"You were right," he kissed her temple, realizing now exactly HOW the little wrist device would save the Pond marriage, because Rory would do anything he could to save his Amelia, "As always," he pulled away and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "My psychic."

"My thief," she countered, breathing out, only he could make her feel so calm while needing to leave their daughter somewhere safe, so safe even surrounded by mad Daleks, and so in control despite having just lost it...with just his presence.

They both looked up though, hearing Daleks in the distance shouting, "Emergency, emergency! We are the Daleks! We are the Daleks! We are the Daleks..."

~8~

Amy sat on the teleport pad, Ayla in her lap, absently picking at her nails, her arms around Ayla, as Rory paced, "Ok," Rory stopped, turning to face them, "Look at me," Amy looked up, "I'm going to be logical. Cold and logical, ok?" he walked over to her, kneeling before her, before them both, but looking at Amy, "For both of our sakes, for both of us, I'm going to take this off my wrist and put it on yours," he started to unfasten the wristband.

"Why?" Amy scoffed, "It'll just start converting _you_ , that's not better."

"Yeah. But it buys time. Because it'll take longer with me."

"Sorry, _what_?!" Amy glared, moving Ayla off her lap, not wanting the girl to get caught in the crossfire of the fight she could feel coming.

"It subtracts love," Rory said simply, "That's what she said."

"What's _that_ got to do with it?" Amy demanded, feeling more anger than love at the moment, "What does that even _mean_?!"

"It's just arithmetic. It'll take longer with me, because we both know, we've both always known..." he took a breath, looking her in the eyes, "Amy, basic fact of our relationship is that I love you more than you love me. Which, today, is good news, because it might just save both of our lives."

"How can you _say_ that?" Amy nearly screamed at him, Ayla blinking and frowning as she watched her aunt and uncle starting to fight and yell.

He straightened, " _2,000 years_ , waiting for you, outside a box," he reminded her, holding up his hands, "Saying it because it's _true_ , and since you _know_ it's true, give me your arm..." he moved to take her arm but she pulled away, "Amy!"

Amy just slapped him, "Don't you _dare_ say that to me. Don't you _ever_ dare!"

"Amy, _you_ kicked _me_ out!"

"You want kids!" Amy cried, actually _crying_ , tears in her eyes, "You have _always_ wanted kids, ever since you WERE a kid! And I can't…I can't do it. I can't risk having one," she sniffled and turned away.

He shook his head, completely lost, "What does _that_ even mean?" he countered, "You can't _risk_ having one?"

"Look at what happened!" she shouted, turning back to him and he could see the genuine fear in her eyes, " _Angel_ was pregnant! They _took_ her! They took her _baby_ , the Doctor's baby! And if they could get her, if they could take Ayla..." she shook her head, her voice quieting, "What's to stop them from taking _ours_?" she sobbed.

She knew it was a rubbish reason, she knew that the Silence thought the Doctor and Angel and Ayla as well were dead, that they were all safe...but if they ever found out, if they ever got a hint that the trio were alive...and it wasn't even that! The Silence, the Doctor had made it quite clear, was only ONE of his numerous enemies. What if the others got a similar idea?! The Daleks clearly now knew that the Doctor was alive, that Angel was, it would only be a matter of time for word to spread. If the Doctor had never gone to meet Darla, they never would have had the proof he was alive instead of whispers to go on and they wouldn't have been captured either. It was proof though, the Daleks could easily take them out of time and space and if they ever considered what the Silence did...there would be _nothing_ to keep her baby safe. The Doctor was rarely on Earth except to pop in and Angel couldn't see everything.

If she knew, if she just knew, completely and totally that her baby, that any baby she had would always be safe...it would be different. It was a fear she knew, possibly irrational given the other companions who had children and were safe. But...ever since the hotel, since the pyramid...having confronted her one fear and moved past it, she'd developed another one, or perhaps it had always been her second biggest fear that, now with the first taken care of, it was at the forefront more. She didn't know, all she knew as...she was scared, _terrifi_ _ed_ really.

Rory's eyes widened as he saw her break down before him, realizing just _how much_ what had happened to the Time Lords had affected her. She had been the companion longer, she felt like SHE would be more of a target, that HER child would be taken instead of his...

"Look at the daughter we _do_ have," Amy continued, "She's a _psychopath_! She wants to _kill_ one of our best friends and I can't…" she shook her head, struggling to breathe now she was so upset, "I can't let them do that to our child. Not again. I _can't_ …" she sniffled, trying to take a breath, "I didn't kick you out. _I gave you up_."

"Amy..." Rory shook his head, tears in his eyes, at how deeply hurt she'd been by everything, by how scared she was and he hadn't even realized, "I didn't..."

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me about waiting outside a box, because that is nothing, Rory," she stood up, " _Nothing_... compared to giving you up!"

"Just give me your arm," he said quieter, he needed to keep her alive, not only because now that he knew what was wrong they could talk about it, but...he loved her, _so much_ , he couldn't bear the thought of her dying, of turning into a puppet like Darla had, "Let me put this on you..."

Amy yanked her arm back, "No get off me!"

"Just give me your arm!"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Aunt Amy?" Ayla called softly, cutting off the warring humans, reminding them both that she was there and what they were exposing her to, their fighting and anger. But Ayla just reached out and tugged on Amy's skirt.

Amy took a breath, wiping at her eyes before moving to kneel before the girl, "What is it sweetheart?"

Ayla blinked and took Amy's hand, the one Rory kept trying to take, pushing back the sleeve, to show that there already _was_ a wristband on it.

"It's the Doctor's," Rory realized, kneeling down beside them, "When you were asleep, he must've..."

"Time Lord," Amy sighed, "What's the betting he doesn't even need it?"

"Then why didn't he just _tell_ us?"

"Daddy's very smart," Ayla shrugged, turning to look at a screen that showed a hallway Oswin had rigged to show them the Time Lords' progress.

And there was the Doctor, tweaking his bowtie before grinning at the camera before he continued with Angel, an utterly proud smirk on his face.

Amy closed her eyes, unable to help but smile, those Time Lords, "What's betting Angel saw this coming," she added.

Rory shook his head, realizing _this_ was their attempt at saving their marriage, getting them to talk, to admit what was driving them apart, so that they could both work on it in the future, so that THEY could know what was wrong as well and try to help. Ayla would, undoubtedly, tell her parents what Amy had admitted in an effort to get them to help her aunt and uncle too...but...it would be all the better for it, because...the Time Lords, they knew their enemies better than anyone, they'd be able to rig up some sort of protection for them, for any child they might have in the future, make it so that something like this, being taken from nowhere never happened, that no enemy could enter their home, so that their children would be safe.

He smiled down at Ayla, "Your mum's not too bad either."

Ayla just beamed.

~8~

"Oswin?" the Doctor called as he and Angel headed down the corridor, the sounds of the Daleks getting louder, "I think we're close."

"You are," she replied over the speakers, following them, "Less than 20 feet away. Which is the good news..."

"Ok. And the bad, which I suddenly feel is coming..." he smirked at Angel, "Don't even have to be a precog for that one."

She rolled her eyes at him, giving him a small smile.

"You're about to pass through Intensive Care," Oswin informed them as they approached a door that slid open.

They glanced at each other before stepping through, into a room where there were a few Daleks in individual cells, some even chained in place.

"And what's so special about this lot then?" the Doctor asked.

"Dunno," Oswin sighed, "Survivors of particular wars. Spir…"

"Spiridon," Angel began, nodding at each Dalek in turn, "Kembel. Aridius. Vulcan. Exxilon."

"Yeah, exactly," Oswin said after a moment, "Boy the files weren't kidding when they called you psychic eh? Anyway, any of them ringing any bells?"

"All of them," the Doctor nodded grimly.

"Yeah? How?"

The Doctor stepped forward, stopping before a Dalek, "These are the Daleks who survived me."

The Daleks slowly started to awaken, hearing them, "Doc...tor..." they began, "Doc...tor...Doc...tor...Doctor..."

"That's weird," Oswin remarked, "Those ones don't usually wake up for anything."

"Yeah, well, special visitor," he felt Angel tug him back to an opposite door, the door they probably had to go through to get to Oswin, "Visitor _s_ ," he realized, knowing that the Daleks would likely have a running log of _all_ Angel's achievements against them as well, possibly...possibly even what had just happened within the Asylum itself, "Ok, door, but it won't open," he flashed his sonic on it, "You can't be far away though..."

"Hang on, not quite sure…there's a release code, let me, let me just...anything happening out there?"

"No!"

"Hang on, I'm trying a thing."

The Doctor tried the door again, but nothing happened, "Let me," Angel whispered, putting a hand on his to stop him. He nodded, backing up just a step to let her to the door, knowing that she was rather good at getting things unlocked. They both were wary of her trying to teleport them into the room, if Oswin was right and it was shielded enough where not even the nano-genes could get to her, they weren't sure what sort of reaction it would have to the Vortex. It really could get through anything except a time-lock but they didn't want to risk Angel trying and it being too powerful than the amount of power she was using, or for her to use too much and end up too weak on the other side...they'd still have to be able to teleport back to the teleport room.

"Doc...tor..." one of the Daleks called, and he turned to see them advancing on them, its sucker arm twitching in Angel's direction, "And…the…An…gel! Doc...tor...An...gel..."

"Oswin!" the Doctor shouted, seeing Angel had her eyes closed the Vortex flowing from her hand as she tried to use it to get the door to open, but he could see it in her expression, the sound of the Daleks was getting to her and...soon enough, he was afraid it would be too much and...whatever happened before might happen again. Well, it would make them safe from the Daleks and he'd be able to see first hand what she was like to help her...but he didn't want to put her through that again so soon, "Get this door open! Oswin open this door!"

"I can't!" Oswin gasped.

"Oswin!" he cried, terrified of what the Daleks would do to Angel more than to him, of what their approach would do to Angel if she lost control again...he didn't think she'd be able to handle destroying them again, "PLEASE, GET THIS DOOR OPEN!"

"Have faith, my love," Angel whispered, sensing his fear was of her reaction and how she'd feel about it and not of what the Daleks could do to them. He looked over to see a spark of gold flare from her hands and the door shot up…at the same moment the Daleks stilled and simply turned away from them, heading back to their cells.

"Oh, that is _cool_ ," Oswin breathed, "Tell me I'm cool, Chin Boy, Angel-cake."

"What did you _do_?" the Doctor stared at the Daleks, his arm moving around Angel to steady her, she'd been using more of the Vortex than she typically did in such a short time, and he'd felt it, her struggling to keep it from overpowering her again, she was starting to shake a little again, "Tell me what you did!"

"The Daleks, they have a hive mind. Well they don't, but they have a telepathic web."

"The Path Web, yes."

"I hacked into it. Did a master delete on all the information connected with the Doctor and the Angel, even got Ayla in there too!"

"You made them...forget us?"

"Good, eh?"

"I've tried hacking the Path Web. Even _I_ couldn't do it."

"Come and meet the girl who can."

"Doctor," Angel breathed, her head coming to nuzzle into his shoulder, but in...sorrow, "I was right…"

He tensed, feeling her sadness and looked over his shoulder at the room beyond, his eyes wide in shock at what lay within...

~8~

In her quarters, Oswin dashed around, straightening things up, gathering her supplies, the Doctor and Angel in the screen of the control panel, staring through at her, picking them up on the security feeds she'd hacked into.

"Hey!" she cheered, seeing them not moving, "You're right outside, come on in."

"Oswin..." the Doctor began, "We have a problem..."

"No, we don't! Don't even say that. Joined the Alaska to see the Universe, ended up stuck in a shipwreck first time out," she ran back over to the panel and plopped into her chair, "Rescue me, Chin Boy, Angel-cake, and show me the stars!"

"Oswin...what do you see around you?" Angel asked gently.

"What do you mean?" she shook her head, "I'm in my rooms."

"And your rooms...do they seem real to you?"

"It IS real."

Angel shook her head sadly, "I'm so sorry Oswin...but I don't think it is..."

"It's a dream," the Doctor agreed, "You dreamed it for yourself, because the truth was too terrible."

Oswin blinked, starting to feel scared at what they were saying. She looked back at the rooms, they were...the same...they were always the same, nothing had changed. She glanced at the doors, the wood had fallen off, always in the same pattern, always the same boards no matter how many nails she put in them. It was the same, it was always the same, it was...too similar.

"Where am I?" she breathed.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel glanced at each other before looking back at the lone Dalek, tied in heavy chains, stationed before them in the white, honeycombed room.

"Where...am...I?" the Dalek, Oswin, cried, "Where...am...I?!"

"Because you are a Dalek," the Doctor told her.

"I am _not_ a Dalek! I am NOT a Dalek! I'm human!"

"You _were_ human when you crashed here," the Doctor explained, moving to rest a hand on the casing, feeling so terribly for the girl, "It was _you_ who climbed out of the pod, that was _your_ ladder…"

Angel winced, a vision quite unlike anything she'd seen before playing through her mind...

... _a girl with brown hair, in a white spacesuit, climbed down a rope ladder,_ _into a corridor, coming face-to-face with Daleks..._

"I'm...human..." the Dalek insisted.

'… _where am I? Where am I? Where am I?!_...'

"Not anymore," the Doctor continued, "Because you're right, you're a genius. And the Daleks _need_ genius. They didn't just make you a puppet, they did a full conversion."

... _Oswin was chained to a chair, hooked up to wires, electricity flashing around her as the conversion process began..._

"Oswin," the Doctor sighed, "I am so sorry. But you _are_ a Dalek. The milk, Oswin. The milk and the eggs for the soufflés, where? Where did it all come from?"

'... _I'm...human...I am NOT a Dalek...I am human, I am not Dalek. I am HUMAN!_...'

"Eggs…" the Dalek began, "Eggs."

... _Oswin winced as a round of electricity went through her..._

"It wasn't real," the Doctor sighed, "It was

 _never_ real."

'... _I am a Dalek! I am a Dalek!_...'

Angel gasped, the vision ending as she looked at the Dalek, tears in her eyes, "Doctor…" she called, reaching out a hand to pull him back gently. He looked over, frowning when he saw the tears in her eyes, and stepped closer to her, cupping her cheek, seeing in her mind what she had just seen and his eyes widened.

She had dreamed the future once or twice before…

But she had _never_ really seen the _past_.

Until now.

"Oswin, I'm so sorry," Angel blinked, a tear falling from her eyes as she just...looked at the Dalek, knowing there wasn't a mutant within...but a girl, a poor, scared, lost girl. She felt...she didn't know, seeing that, seeing what was happening to her, what _had_ happened to her...it was like she'd _been_ there. It was like she could feel everything Oswin had, the panic, the terror, the...pain of the conversion. She was so scared and so lost and and...she'd built herself a dream world to escape it.

She reached out, wanting to try and comfort the girl, not the Dalek...

But it seemed it wasn't the girl any longer as the Dalek spoke, "Eggs...term...in...ate."

The Doctor quickly pulled her away as the Dalek raising its laser arm, "Oswin?"

"Eggs...term...in...ate. Exterminate. Exterminate!" the Dalek started to advance, breaking from its chains, heading right for them, on a rampage...and fired a round of blasts at them...

The Doctor's eyes widened when a golden wall of the Vortex sprang to life in front of them, he looked over to see Angel holding her hand out, stopping Oswin, but...there was something...off about it this time. Angel had often brought up a wall, but...right now...it was like she wasn't even aware of it. She was just standing there, she wasn't moving, she wasn't blinking, and her face...it was hard.

It was like all she saw was a threat and not...Oswin being scared any longer.

And he realized, _this_ was what had happened before, and before…Angel had destroyed the Daleks, but…this was Oswin…and he KNEW she'd see it that way if whatever was happening was stopped.

"No, no, no," he moved before Angel, "Angel don't!" he held up his hands to try and calm _her_ while shouting back at Oswin, knowing he needed to make the Dalek currently ramming itself against the wall to stop for Angel to see the threat had passed, "Oswin, Oswin listen...Oswin! You _don't_ have to do this!"

He had to get through to her before the Vortex controlled Angel completely like it had before.

"EXTERMINATE!" the Dalek just continued to cry, "EXTERMINATE!"

"Oswin! _Oswin_!" he swallowed hard, looking back at Angel, knowing instinctively that _she_ would be able to SAVE the girl, if he could just get through to her. Well this was quite a role reversal wasn't it? Usually it was HER trying to get through to him, pull him back from the darkness and the Oncoming Storm that festered within him. This...this was different, because...this wasn't exactly darkness, this wasn't an Oncoming Storm, this was...something he didn't know. This was something that had never happened before.

"Angel," he breathed, reaching out to cup her face, stroking it, needing to calm her, needing to get through to her, "Angel, let go…" he whispered, "You need to stop," he leaned in and rested his forehead against hers, knowing the comfort of his presence would get through to her, hers always did to him. He could see it, he could see her close her eyes, _hearing_ him, "Oswin needs you…" he swallowed hard, "Not the Dalek, OSWIN. She's _still_ in there…"

He pulled back slightly, watching her face intently, feeling his hearts start to slow, a smile forming on his face as he felt the force of the Vortex start to fade in intensity and looked up, seeing Angel coming back to him as her eyes blinked open. The gold was still present in her eyes, but he could _see_ the blue of her in her eyes as well. She stumbled back, coming back to herself, and he caught her, as he always did, helping to guide her to the Dalek still trying to break through the wall that she'd created, the wall that was still standing.

"Oswin…" Angel breathed, reaching out a hand, the wall fading as soon as her hand touched it, letting her rest it on the head of the Dalek, making it freeze, "You can fight it…" she whispered, shaking in the Doctor's arms, "Let me help…"

She closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears in them from falling at her own terror of how she'd lost control again, how she'd nearly...she shook her head, not wanting to think about what she'd nearly done to Oswin, wanting to try and _help_ her, _needing_ to help her. She focused despite it all, despite her fear of what might happen, and a soft golden hue began to form around the Dalek, seeming to seep right into it…and its cries of 'Exterminate!' ceased, only for a human sounding sob to echo.

For once, a Dalek _didn't_ sound like a Dalek, but Oswin.

"Why do they hate you so much?" Oswin began, both of them able to hear the girl within, They hate you _so much_. Why?"

"I fought them," the Doctor told her, resting his hands on Angel's shoulders as she sank to her knees, the golden glow fading entirely at hearing _Oswin_ talking, the girl back in control, "Many, _many_ times. Angel's stopped them each time they thought they were strong enough to win."

"We have grown stronger in fear of you."

"I know," the Doctor swallowed, feeling Angel shaking in his hands, feeling her panting, wanting to help her but not knowing how, "I tried to stop."

"Then run."

They both looked at the Dalek, shocked, "What did you say?" the Doctor blinked.

"I've taken down the force-field. The Daleks above have begun their attack. Run!"

The door behind them opened and the Doctor looked back at it, "Oswin? Are you..."

"I am Oswin Oswald. I fought the Daleks. And I AM...human. Remember me!"

"Thank you!" the Doctor helped Angel to her feet, leading her back through the doorway as she staggered, both of them knowing she wouldn't be able to teleport them both back to the teleport room at the moment.

"Run! Run you clever boy, you golden girl, and remember!"

~8~

In her quarters Oswin sat on her chair, tucking her legs in, smiling as she watched them do just that, and run.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel ran through the corridors, the very faint glow of the Vortex around them, protecting them from the explosions that were starting to hit the Asylum from the attack above.

~8~

Rory and Amy looked up, standing up on the teleport with Ayla sitting cross-legged in the middle of it.

"How long can we wait?" Rory asked, looking down at the control in his hand, not wanting to press it. They'd been talking, while they waited, talked about children, about protection, both had come to a sort of...unspoken agreement about the best way to protect themselves and the family they hoped to create, a family like the ones the other companions had managed to form...

But only after they'd stopped travelling with the Doctor and Angel.

"The rest of our lives," Amy smiled, taking his hand, feeling...better now that they'd talked, there had been...so many reasons she hadn't told him about her fears. Because, in her heart, she knew what it would mean, what it might mean for them and the Time Lords, their safety. She didn't want to face it, she didn't want to make Rory face it, for what it would mean for the two of them, what they'd have to give up and sacrifice to start a family.

Rory grinned at that, "Agreed!" and pulled her into a kiss as Ayla giggled, hiding it behind her hands as she watched her aunt and uncle make up...

Just as her parents ran into the room, "Right, go, let's go!" the Doctor shouted as they hopped onto the teleport pad, Angel picking her up into her arms, "We're good, let's go! Oh, for God's sake!" he grabbed the controls, seeing the couple kissing and hit it.

~8~

From above the planet, the Dalek Parliament fired one final time at the planet which exploded beneath them.

"The Asylum is destroyed!" the white Dalek announced.

"Incoming teleport from Asylum planet," another Dalek reported, "We are under attack!"

"Prepare to defend! Defend! Defend!"

"Explain, Dalek Supreme!" the Prime Minister called.

"You know, you guys should _really_ have seen this coming," the Doctor's voice called from inside the TARDIS, "I mean, I know you aren't _nearly_ as perceptive or intuitive as my Mate, but really? Thing about me and teleports, I've got a _really_ good aim. Pin-point accurate, in fact. Or to put it another way..." he stepped out of the TARDIS, not about to let Angel or Ayla be a target, grinning madly, his arms thrown out, "Suckers!"

"Identify yourself!" a Dalek cried, "Identify! Identify!"

"Well, it's me! You know me! The Doctor!" but then he frowned, seeing their lack of reaction, "The Oncoming Storm? The Predator? Mate of the Angel? The Life Bringer?" he refused to say 'abomination.'

"Titles are not meaningful in this context," Darla stared at him blankly, "Doctor who?"

"Doctor who?" the Prime Minister called.

"Doctor who?" and the white Dalek.

"Oh, Oswin," the Doctor smiled, impressed, "Oh, you did it to them _all_! Oh, you beauty!"

"DOCTOR WHO?" the Daleks shouted, "DOCTOR WHO?"

He leaned against the doorway, "Fellas, you're never going to stop asking," he snapped his finger at them and ducked back into the TARDIS, the box disappearing moments later as the Daleks continued to call out the same question.

~8~

Amy and Rory waved goodbye to the TARDIS as it disappeared, the two of them standing before their home. Rory looked at Amy who gave him a rather inviting look before she smirked and headed inside.

He grinned widely, "Yes!" half-punching the air in victory, realizing they were going to be ok...

"I can see you!" Amy called.

"Ok!" he nodded and followed her in.

~8~

The Doctor spun around the console with Ayla in his arms, the girl giggling madly at her father's excitement, at his relief and joy at what Oswin had done for them. He'd been terrified that, because of the Daleks realizing he and Angel were alive, that the word would spread and that they'd be a target of the Silence once more. But that brilliant girl had made the entire lot of them forget him! Forget them both! Which, to be quite honest, had given him a rather brilliant idea.

"Doctor Who!" he cheered, tickling Ayla's stomach, "Doctor Who! Doc! Tor! Who!"

"Daddy!" Ayla squealed, squirming in his arms.

Angel, standing at the controls, a bit more subdued as she piloted them into the Vortex, had to laugh at that as he set their daughter down, "Go and get ready for bed Ayla," she called to her, "We'll be in in a moment to say goodnight."

Ayla nodded and dashed off up the stairs, heading into the TARDIS, excited for what her next bedtime story would be.

The Doctor waited till Ayla had disappeared before looking at Angel, knowing why she'd sent their daughter away for a moment. He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms, just...hugging her for a moment, "What happened back there dear?" he asked her gently, pulling away to cup her face, "With Oswin. You were fine when the other Daleks were getting closer," well, she was fine enough, the door had opened before things really got bad, he knew it was likely because Oswin's Dalek was in a better state than the others, had more firepower, could really have attacked them, "Show me everything."

She nodded, closing her eyes and opening her mind again, letting him feel everything she'd felt, see everything she'd seen, and remember what she remembered, which really wasn't much. She let him see both situations, hoping he might spot something in them both that would help them.

"I don't know what it was Theta," she whispered when the memory had played out, she shook her head, tears in her eyes, "That...that's _never_ happened before. The Vortex has taken me over at times, yes, but...I've never... _destroyed_ something like that with so little control. I've never..." she swallowed hard, " _Wanted_ to destroy something."

And that scared her, because she HAD. When Oswin especially had been advancing, had fired at them...she had just...she wanted to stop her, yes, but...she'd felt it rising in her, she didn't JUST want to stop the girl, she wanted to...to make sure she _never_ attacked again. In the past, she'd turned the Daleks to stone or time-locked them but...the force of it, the power of that feeling...it was stronger than even then. And she knew that the feeling of wanting to 'stop them' now didn't mean the same thing as before.

He nodded, reaching out to stroke her face, "It'll be alright dear."

But he knew she was scared, he could feel it even now, she was utterly terrified of what this could mean, of why it was happening. They'd had many adventures in the past few decades with Ayla...but none quite as dangerous as facing down Daleks. With his promise to stick to the shadows, they really had been rather calm adventures, small ones that escalated only slightly. But Daleks...they were their worst fears come to life.

He'd seen it in her expression just now as well, seen what she was thinking. She was thinking about all the other times the Vortex had controlled her, had controlled her to the point where she had no control at all, like with the Daleks on the game station, or the Beast in the Pit. It wasn't till the Crucible that she'd gained some sort of control over it, able to realize what she was doing and control it slightly, even on Mars she'd been able to feel it happening, she'd been conscious of it, aware of what was happening. And he knew she'd made the connection between how she'd regenerated last time, absorbing a bit of Donna's humanity, enough, she'd claimed, to keep her from becoming overpowered by the Vortex.

And he knew what she feared now. That, because she'd regenerated again, maybe she'd _lost_ that, that she'd lost Donna's humanity, and that there would come a day when the Vortex would take control of her completely.

He shook his head, that was an absolutely rubbish thought though, "The TARDIS said she _chose_ you to have that power Nella," he reminded her, "That you had a 'human soul,' right from the start, Donna's humanity only helped you accept the powers."

"But what if it happens again, and I _hurt_ someone," she swallowed hard, tears in her eyes, "What if I hurt Amy or Rory, or...or you. What if I hurt Kitta?"

He shook his head firmly, "That would _never_ happen and you know it."

"I can't se..."

"You don't have to _see_ that to _know_ it's true," he cut in, "Whatever it is that's happening to you, Nella, we'll figure it out. I promise you," he stepped back, taking her hands, holding them up between them, swearing it to her, "We'll find out why this happened," she nodded, letting him hug her again, making her feel better. He smiled, feeling that, "Have faith," he whispered in her ear.

She smiled at that, letting out just a little laugh at it as well, it was what she'd found this new her tended to say. And yes, it _would_ be alright, because she trusted him, she had faith in him, and she knew, he had just as much faith in her, she just had to have faith in herself, in her powers, in her control, in who she was on the inside.

But...even now...in his arms, with his words of assurance, she just...couldn't help but worry, no one before her had EVER taken in the Vortex like she had. No one had ever lasted so long with that power inside them.

It...scared her to know that...not even _the Doctor_ really knew what was happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can say that the Time Lords will have A LOT of theories about what happened to Angel in this episode. I think it'll be interesting to see because...the Doctor really doesn't know. Like Angel didn't know what happened to him with his amnesia, he really has no idea what happened to her. Someone taking in the Vortex like she has has never happened in this story-Universe and lasted so long while giving the person holding it as much control as she had. I do know the reason though, and that neither Time Lord will realize it, someone else might just know what's going on, but I can't say who or what it is }:) I do know there's a reason why the Doctor and Angel won't work it out, which we'll find out when it's brought to light what's going on ;)
> 
> I hope you liked the little reunion :) I really wanted to show how, despite being more confident, Angel will always need the Doctor and vice versa :) Awww :) But poor Oswin :( I debated having Angel save her, but she was already a Dalek and there wasn't much she could do, but we'll definitely see her thoughts on it all in later episodes ;)
> 
> I also hope that Amy's reasons for kicking Rory out made sense, I think, sometimes coming so close to being the person who gets hurt can scare you as much as being the person who was hurt. For Amy, she's aware that it could have and should have been her that the Silence took, whose child was taken, and to see it partially come true in River, to realize that...I think she'd be terrified that it would really happen by some other enemy :( And...I really wanted to sort of give my own twist/opening on why the Ponds were sort of starting to want to stay on Earth more and more like we saw in ATCM and other episodes :)
> 
> I really can't wait for the rest of this story but I should warn...next chapter will be one of the originals }:)
> 
> As for the promised theme! Angel's new theme for her 12th self is...Moments by Future World Music :)


	6. Angela Jones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we have our first original chapter. Original chapters make me nervous lol, so I hope you like them. It might be confusing at first, but if you bear with it, it should make sense by the end ;) Enjoy!

Jack laughed at a joke Owen told, sitting beside Ianto on a sofa in Torchwood, when there was a banging on the Hub door. He grinned, "Must be the pizza," he remarked, getting up to get it, much to the groaning of his team who had wanted to have fish and chips for their dinner. They'd made it a tradition of sorts, to have time with each other one night a week, as friends and not Torchwood, as…family. They each got to pick one week which food to order.

He looked down at his wallet as he stood before the Hub gate, waiting for it to open, flipping through his money, he could vaguely hear the rain pouring outside when the door finally rolled to the side...and he dropped his money to the ground.

"Angie?" he gaped, seeing her standing there.

It was the last incarnation he'd seen, the one who helped saved the world from the Families and Miracle, her black hair straight and damp with rain, her blue dress sticking to her, making the bump of her stomach all the more prominent as she stood with crossed arms, soaked, in the rain.

"Jack," she looked at him, tears in her eyes before they fell completely as she sobbed.

He stepped out into the rain, taking her in his arms as her legs gave out and she sank to the ground.

"Jack?" he heard Gwen call as the others came with her, none of them ever let another go alone anymore.

"Everything alright?" Ianto asked.

"Where's the pizz..." Owen trailed off when they caught sight of the scene beyond the door, Angel curled up to Jack, weeping, clearly pregnant and heartbroken.

"Oh my God!" Tosh shouted, rushing over to Angel's side. She'd always had a soft spot for the girl since she'd saved her and Owen.

"I'll get towels," Gwen ran off.

"I'll put the kettle on," Ianto nodded, knowing a warm cup of tea would help.

"Angel what happened?" Gray tried to ask her, kneeling before her.

"Later Gray, just get her in!" Owen snapped, moving to help Jack get Angel to her feet, Tosh quickly putting her own jacket over the girl till Gwen could get there with the towels.

"Tosh," Jack looked at her, "Call the others _now_!"

"Right," she nodded, rushing off.

~8~

It only took an hour for Donna, Martha, Mickey, and Sarah Jane to race to Torchwood, which was something considering the distance between Cardiff and them. It was a testament to how deeply they cared for Angel that they rushed to her side. Literally. Donna was sitting beside her on a sofa, her arm around her as Sarah Jane sat on her other side, gripping her cold hand on both of hers, while Martha sat on the floor before her, holding her other hand, Mickey standing at the side of the sofa with his arms crossed angry at whatever had upset her so much. She was still damp, but with a warm blanket around her, the Torchwood team gathered as well, standing around nervously, concerned. None of them had _ever_ seen Angel look so...dead before. Not even when she'd been dying!

"Angie..." Jack began, "What happened?"

"Is it...was it the Doctor?" Martha asked gently.

"Did something happen to him?" Donna frowned. She'd gotten a little of Angel's intuitiveness, she would have felt it, she was sure.

"It's not that," Sarah Jane shook her head, squeezing Angel's hand, "Angel..." she called, the only one of the group to know what had happened between the Doctor and Angel, "What did he do?"

"What do you mean?" Mickey looked at her, alarmed that she was implying it was something the Doctor had done. The man would sooner rip out his own hearts than ever upset Angel this way.

Sarah Jane sighed, moving to stroke Angel's hair a moment, not wanting to cause her any more pain, but knowing they needed to know, "He's forgotten her."

"What!?" Gray gaped.

"He doesn't remember we're Mates," Angel spoke, her first words since she greeted Jack.

"Jesus," Jack let out a breath, running his hand through his hair, "Angie..."

"I was going to tell him," she continued, tears pooling in her eyes, "Right to his face, really _tell_ him...I stepped out of the TARDIS..." she blinked and the tears fell, "He was kissing River Song."

"WHAT!?" Donna demanded, the only one knowing who River was.

"No..." Martha breathed, stunned.

Sarah Jane squeezed her hand.

"I couldn't stay," Angel's voice broke, "I...I _couldn't_..."

They crowded around her, hugging her tightly as she wept, none of them knowing what to do.

~8~

Angel had always feared that she wasn't strong enough, Jack knew, and she'd proved her fears well founded only a few months later…when Gabriella Jones, on Earth at least, none of them knew what Angel had named the girl in Gallifreyan, had been born, 7 pounds exactly, 7th of June, at 7 pm, which they had hoped would mean a good omen for them, 7 being a lucky number.

And it was, in a way, a good omen in that the girl was the first Time Baby born since the War...

But a bad in that, with her birth, came an end to Angel's old life.

It had killed her in more ways than the small group of companions could see to have her daughter in her arms, but the Doctor not there, not knowing. They could see the pain in her eyes when she looked at her daughter, whom she couldn't even name herself she was just…quiet. Eventually, after much debate, it had been the companions who had finally come up with a name, surprisingly...Mickey Smith actually. He's suggested Gabriella, the female form of Gabriel, an angel. Angel had smiled just a hint at that, the last smile they saw of her, because only she knew that Gabriella ended in 'Ella' like her own true name did. Her 'birth certificate' said Gabriella Jones, but Jack, as he did with Angel, called her Gabby Harkness. Sarah Jane had gifted her with a small star-shaped locket, inscribed with GJ which Jack complained about jokingly.

They had hoped, so terribly hoped, that Gabby would give her peace, bring her joy like they knew children did for SO many women, give her strength. But…it had only broken her all the more. None of them understood the significance of a child to a Mate, especially of a child conceived in the last process of the Mating. They were special, they were _everything_ to the parents, they were…love. Just love. And it hurt _so much more_ to know her daughter was conceived in love and yet that love was half gone now.

It had been too much for her.

They'd found her passed out in the attic of Sarah Jane's, a crude helmet on her head that Martha had gasped at...recognizing it. Angel had been building her own Chameleon Arch using tech from UNIT, Torchwood, and Mr. Smith. Unfortunately, the Gallifreyan component, the fob watch, was missing. Martha realized, with horror, that there was nowhere to store the Time Lord essence, it just...disappeared. They all feared to think it had died. And then they thought of Gabriella, had she turned her baby human as well?

No.

They'd found a note with the baby girl, explaining what she'd done and why, how sorry she was to not be strong enough to stick it out. It hurt her too much to remember, so she'd changed so she could forget. But she wouldn't take her daughter's heritage from her. She'd left a small video diary, much like the Doctor had for Martha, about the basics of being Time Lord. It was like…every question that her daughter might one day have about her biology, her physiology, even her culture were answered in it. The last of Angel's true psychic abilities peeking through.

Because when Angel woke up...it wasn't the Angel anymore.

Now she was Angela Jones, the widowed Mrs. Smith, who had gone back to her maiden name of Jones, minimum-wage worker, single mother, and…completely human.

…and about to be late for work.

"Jack!" Angela called as she rushed around Sarah Jane's, slipping on her shoes at the door, "I'm going now!"

"Ok!" he called from upstairs, he and the team had relocated Torchwood back to London, wanting to be closer to Angel. They'd left Gray in charge of the old Torchwood though with Gwen and Rhys, just to keep an eye on the Rift, which had gone surprisingly calm since Angel had decided to stay on Earth, probably just a coincidence though.

"Please make sure Gabby has a snack and gets her homework done! DON'T let her watch TV till she does."

"Got it."

She smiled, laughing at her brother's replies, just a second after she had called them. He liked to joke that she was psychic, but really she thought it was the opposite, especially when he did that. He knew her so well despite being only her half-brother, they had different fathers, which explained why she was Jones and he was Harkness. But they still looked alike, she and Jack and their other brother Gray who popped in from time to time, all three of them with dark hair, black hair, and light eyes, she even had his ears!

She stumbled a bit, trying to get her last shoe on, she was so terrible with balance, always had been, a clutz that was her, just another thing on her long list of faults and shortcomings. She sighed, heading for the door, digging through her purse to lock it on her way out even as she opened it…only to stop short, seeing a floppy haired man standing on the other side, dressed in a tweed jacket, with a bowtie and braces, his hand raised to knock.

"Oh!" she jumped back a bit, "I'm sorry!"

The man just stared at her.

"Are you alright?" she asked after a moment.

But he stared more, his eyes drifting over every area of her face.

"Hello?"

"Angel..." he breathed, before lunging at her and kissing her, hard.

Her eyes widened as she managed to move back, slapping him, "JACK!" she screamed, backing away from him.

Jack, noticing the difference between a call and a scream, came bounding down the stairs, pulling Angela behind him, "What is it?" he looked around...only for his eyes to land on a man in a bowtie standing there, rubbing the side of his face.

"He tried to kiss me!" Angela gasped, startled and a little bit afraid, as she pointed at the man, "Out of nowhere!"

Jack's eyes narrowed as he stared the man down, he _knew_ it was the Doctor, Sarah Jane had told them about the new him, what he looked like, what he dressed like, "Angie," he said, trying _very_ hard not to let her see how angry he was becoming, "Why don't you head to work, I'll deal with him."

"But who _is_ he?" she frowned, eyeing the man who looked utterly _devastated_ at her words.

"Jim Smythe," Jack cut in, seeing the Doctor about to introduce himself either as the Doctor, which would mean nothing to her, or John Smith, which would devastate HER and he was NOT about to let THAT happen.

He glanced at Angela, "Angie…work?"

Angela gasped, "Oh God," she looked at her watch and ran off, "Always late..." she muttered, running out of the house, giving the Doctor a WIDE berth so he couldn't try to kiss her again.

The Doctor moved to follow her, to grab her arm, but Jack grabbed him first, yanking him back and landing a hefty punch right across the man's face, sending him falling into the corner of the archway between the foyer and sitting room.

"Ow!" the Doctor snapped, rubbing his chin, "What was THAT for?"

Jack just glared at him, "What _the hell_ are you doing here Doctor? Didn't you cause enough damage already?!"

"Jack I came to find my Mate!" the Doctor's eyes narrowed at the man, recalling the kiss on the cheek Angel had bestowed upon him before she'd run off, "MY Mate Jack," he added with a dangerous tone in his voice.

"MY sister Doctor," Jack countered, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise at how the Doctor was acting, the danger he could practically feel radiating off the man, but he _wouldn't_ back down, not after everything the man had done to Angel, "And what would YOU care? Had a sudden change of hearts?"

"That isn't any of your business!"

"The hell it isn't!" Jack roared, lashing out and punching him again.

The Doctor actually twisted this time, ending up braced against the frame of the arch, panting, more than a little shocked that Jack had hit him _again_. He turned, resting his back on the frame, "Feel better now?"

"Not by a long shot," Jack glared, his hands clenching into fists but he didn't try to punch the man again.

"Care to explain why you suddenly want to murder me?"

"Care to explain what the hell you're doing here?"

"I came for Angel, Jack," he said quietly, his hearts aching terribly in his chest, "I _had_ to find her and I thought Sarah Jane might help me...but...she's HERE?"

"She's been here for _8 years_ Doctor," Jack panted, feeling the anger rise in him again, "Do NOT tell me you're JUST noticing she's missing NOW."

"No!" the Doctor shouted, "She said she wanted to go to Earth, see all of you, get away from the adventures for a while. I dropped her off by the Hub, I didn't know she'd come to Sarah Jane's. She wasn't there when I..."

"You went to Torchwood?" Jack stared at him.

"Yes..."

"They have a 'shoot on sight' order against you Doctor."

"What?!" he gaped.

"It's been in place the last 8 years."

The Doctor frowned, "8 years...but you said Angel's been here..."

"8 years," Jack nodded, "Yeah."

He swallowed hard, "Did...did Angel..."

Jack scoffed, "Did you get to know the new her at ALL?" the Doctor winced and he could tell…Jack _knew_ , "As though she would _ever_ ask someone to kill, especially to kill YOU. _I_ was the one who gave the order, with Sarah Jane, Martha, Donna, and Mickey's blessing."

The Doctor looked startled, "They agreed?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't expect as warm a welcome as I gave you from them ," he rubbed his fist, cracking his knuckles.

"What happened Jack?" the Doctor breathed, sensing something so much more, so much worse had happened.

"No," Jack shook his head, " _You_ don't get to ask the questions Doctor. Not till you answer some of mine."

"What do you want to know?" the Doctor sighed, desperate to get the man to talk to him, right now…Jack was all that was standing in between him and finding his Mate. He could feel every instinct inside of him telling him to shove past Jack, to knock the man back, to tear _through_ him if need be, to get to Angel…but Jack was her brother, clearly someone still very important to her.

THAT was what was bothering him, what had happened to Angel?! How could she not know who he was? He'd worked out what happened to him, had raced to Earth to find her again…but…his hearts were breaking and all he wanted was his Mate.

Jack just turned and headed into the sitting room, plopping down on an armchair, weary, "Sit," he pointed at the sofa across from him. The Doctor sat down, his hands clasped tightly together as he hunched over. Jack eyed him, long and hard for a while, "You have no idea what it was like Doctor, to hear a knock on the door and open it and see Angel, standing there, in the rain, heartbroken, sobbing. And when she collapsed in _my_ arms, crying her heart out…you know what I had to think Doctor? Do you know what I thought? I thought something had to happen to _you_. I thought you had to of died or something for her to be that sad, for her to be left alone in the rain on my doorstep, but you know what she told me? It wasn't anything like I thought had happened, it wasn't something had happened _to_ you, it was _you_ had done something _to her_ ," he gave the Doctor a hard look, "She told us everything. How you had forgotten her, how you started relations with some River woman, how you pretty much ignored her the entire time. She told us _everything_ and you are _so_ lucky right now that I made a promise to Angel not to hurt you if I ever saw you again."

He was shaking, he was felt so angry talking about the situation even though it had happened nearly 10 years ago. It was still a sore spot because _every day_ he saw _Angela_ and not Angel, it was just another reminder of what happened, of what had driven her to this.

"Jack what did she do?" the Doctor looked at him.

Jack just shook his head, "She couldn't do it anymore Doctor. She told us how you had forgotten her, how her companion had died and you rebooted the Universe, how you kissed River…she just…there's only so much a person can take and YOU," he nearly sneered, "You pushed her past it. So she came to us, to the people who actually gave a rat's ass about her," he shot a glare at the Doctor, taking pleasure in seeing him wince, "And we took her in. All of us tried to be there for her, me, the team, Sarah Jane, Martha and Mickey, Donna…we tried out best. Angel tried too," he added, having to clear his throat at the emotion starting to choke it, "She tried to seem happy, but we knew it wasn't real. Every day we saw her trying to force a smile for us, force happiness, and it was just too much. In the end…she couldn't bear it Doctor, to have us here with her but not you."

He looked at the Doctor once more, a hard look growing on his face, "So you tell me, Doctor, you tell me right now what the hell happened?!"

The Doctor sighed and rubbed his forehead, "There's a race of aliens Jack, called the Silence. If you look at them you can remember them but as soon as you turn your back you forget they were even there," he glanced at the man, giving him a meaningful look, "And if you're looking at them as they give you a command…you have to obey it. When you turn around it's like you can't remember who told you to do something but you know you have to do it. They trick your mind, they make you do things without you even realizing it, and…"

"And let me guess," Jack scoffed, "The Silence had something to do with you forgetting Angel."

"Yes, Jack, they actually did," the Doctor cut in, giving Jack a narrowed look which the man returned, "I found the records of when I was regenerating. I didn't want to go, I didn't want to leave Angel, so I fought it with everything I had. My eyes were open, Jack, and they were staring at the ceiling."

Jack stared at him, "There was a Silence on the ceiling?"

"Silent," the Doctor corrected, "That's what one of them are called, singular…" he winced, shaking his head, "Never mind, that's not the point, the point is…there was one inside the TARDIS as I was regenerating," he glanced at Jack to see him still just staring, disbelief evident in his eyes, "I can remember it now," he whispered, "They told me to forget Angel, forget my Mate, forget my love for her…and I did," he blinked, taking a breath, trying to keep the tears from forming in there as he was forced to admit how weak he'd been, "I'm so sorry Jack but I did. I couldn't help it. But I've tried…I've tried facing the Silence, experimented on myself, tried to make myself not listen to them when they give an order," he shook his head, "It's impossible Jack, not even _I_ can do it. I…I don't think even Angel would be able to do it."

Jack stared at him for a long while, before sighing and rubbing his eyes, "I can't believe this."

"I know it sounds ridiculous Jack but it's _real_ ," the Doctor insisted, "You could ask my current companions. You could ask…" he cut himself off, not about to risk saying River Song to the man, not that he would _ever_ want to anyway. He didn't want to ever have any contact with that woman ever again especially after he found out her hand and it all.

Jack let out a hollow, nearly scoffing laugh, as he looked at the Doctor, "River Song?" he guessed who the man had been about to speak of.

The Doctor took a breath, "Yes, her," he had to agree, "Trust me Jack, you _don't_ want to talk to her."

"And why not?" Jack started to glare again, that woman had been the source of more than half of Angel's insecurities, Donna had been amply clear about how the woman had treated Angel in the Library…and if she could treat a dying woman like that, well, he already didn't like her and to find out the Doctor was getting all pally and cozy with her…it made him disgusted.

"Because if you do…I would have to be there. I would have to take you to her and if I have to do that…I _will kill her_ Jack."

This time Jack stared at him with a bit alarm instead of derision, alarmed at the promise in the Doctor's voice, "What did she do?" he had to ask. He had rarely ever seen the Doctor angry enough to threaten THAT, so whatever River had done…it had to be…big.

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to speak, "Angel told you about her, didn't she?" he looked at Jack, "About the obsession she seems to have with me?"

"And about the intrigue and amusement you had with her," Jack countered, NOT about to let the man off that easily. No matter what, no matter whose fault it was that the Doctor had forgotten, it didn't matter, because the man and his actions had still HURT Angel, "About how you _kept_ getting closer to her, despite Angel warning you against it. How you ignored your Mate to put trust in a psychopath. How…"

"Yes," the Doctor cut in, "I know, and I'm paying the price for that."

Jack's jaw tensed, he would _never_ be done paying the price for that he knew. Not with Angel being what she was now…not with her own time being limited, "What did she do Doctor?" Jack demanded.

The Doctor looked him straight in the eyes, "She was the one who came up with plan to put the Silent in the TARDIS as I was regenerating in the first place. She was the one who told them to give that order, because she knew, she _knew_ it would push Angel away from me."

And it had.

Angel had left the TARDIS after that adventure with the Silence. She had been quiet that whole time, hadn't even gone with Amy when she'd had to use the toilet she was just…quiet and lost in thought, Rory trying to talk to her but she was just...not there. And then after she'd just…wanted to go see Jack, just…wanted to get away from it all for a short while.

He'd always intended to go back for her…but then Amy had been taken and they'd found out that she'd been impregnated, with hers and Rory's DNA of course. Apparently she hadn't been pregnant as she thought she was during that trip. And he hadn't thought much of it, he'd run a scan that had said Amy wasn't pregnant right after. So he hadn't thought on it much…but then, he'd found a pregnancy scan in the med-bay when he'd gotten bored and was cleaning it one day. He'd run another scan and found out Amy WAS pregnant! He'd gone into a frantic state, trying to find out how she was but wasn't looking it, it had been MONTHS since the Silence and Amy was still flat.

It had all led to Demons Run

"They needed Angel to be distant from me," he murmured, without Angel there there had been no warning of what happened to Amy, none at all, "They needed a wedge to be driven between us and River was all too happy to be that wedge," he let out a breath, rubbing his head, "It was River all along. She was the mastermind behind it. She was the one who began this plot," he looked at Jack, "I don't even think she realized that, in doing so, she created herself and she gave herself the history that she had. All she could see was that it was the path that would lead her closer to me. I think she was hoping, despite knowing I would eventually remember Angel, that if she tried hard enough, if she _really_ tried she would be able to manipulate me even more than her past selves had, and that I would never remember Angel, especially without her there. But it was _impossible_ ," he shook his head, "How could I forget her for the rest of my lives? I love her too much Jack."

Jack just gave him a hard look, feeling his jaw clenching at what he was saying, "So let me get this straight. River Song, the psychopath obsessively in love with you, put a Silent in the TARDIS as you were regenerating so that you would forget Angel and so that River could get close to you and push you further away from Angel?" he shook his head, "And by pushing Angel away, she made it so she could be created to give the order to make you forget and…I'm sorry Doctor, I don't understand."

The Doctor sighed, "Neither do I Jack, I just gave up. I'm just going with 'hate River Song,' that's all I've got."

"Yeah I'm with you on that one at least," Jack remarked, "Everyone is, even Donna."

"Donna?" the Doctor looked up.

"She was the one who actually told us about River the first time, Angel only elaborated everything that happened after," he started to mutter to himself, looking at the Doctor, "You really have NO idea the mess she made in doing what she did."

The Doctor swallowed hard, "I know Jack, I do. I've lost Angel haven't I?"

Jack could only shake his head, "We ALL did," he closed his eyes a moment, having to say it out loud only made it harder on them all to realize the full affect of it, "She made herself human Doctor."

The Doctor stared at him, his eyes wide, his mouth falling open, shaking his head, not believing it, it…it couldn't be but…it explained why he hadn't sensed her when she'd opened the door, "But…but how? How could she do it? There's no TARDIS here, how did she even have the technology? I…you would NEVER let her do that…"

"Of course we wouldn't," Jack snapped, "We tried, to be there for her, to get her back to her old self. We're not psychic Doctor, we had NO idea this was what she was planning."

"Did Martha tell you about the fob watch?" he asked, frantic, "Did you find her fob watch? You could've just opened it Jack! Why haven't you opened it?!"

"Because there IS no watch," Jack said solemnly.

The Doctor stared, "What you mean 'there's no watch'?! There HAS to be a fob watch, that's how it works! You...you...you put your Time Lord self into a fob watch and make up a human life, then you open it and you become alien again. What do you mean there's no watch!"

Jack watched as he started to get frantic but he remained quiet, watching the Time Lord panting and starting to get shouty, "It means just what I said, there is NO watch Doctor," he sighed, "We all underestimated how she felt. None of us know exactly what she knows about TARDISes. She could probably build her own TARDIS not even using a chunk of coral if she really tried."

"Jack…" the Doctor cut in, looking at him pleadingly to explain.

"She built her own Chameleon Arch Doctor," he explained, "Using technology from Mr. Smith, and UNIT, and Torchwood. We didn't even realize she was doing it till she'd used it to make herself human."

"But…you said there was no watch," the Doctor's mind raced, trying to work it out, the terrible truth of what happened.

Jack nodded, seeing the man realize the true magnitude of what it all meant, "Her essence is just…gone Doctor. There was no receptacle to put it in. We aren't even sure if she wanted to put it somewhere. We found her on the floor with this helmet on her head and there was no watch. And when she woke up…she was just Angela Smith, a widow, who went back to her maiden name of Jones," he looked at the man, "I'm sorry Doctor."

The Doctor just looked down, he really had lost her, hadn't he?

"What made you remember?" Jack asked, needing to know. The man had shown up so suddenly it was like…something had to have just happened for him to be so frantic and desperate to suddenly want to find Angel.

The Doctor was silent, which made Jack stiffen, knowing it could NOT be good.

"Doctor."

The Doctor closed his eyes, his throat tightening as though he were trying to keep bile down, "I really didn't know what happened Jack," he began, "I didn't even realize I'd forgotten Angel, I still knew her, I just…I didn't remember who she was to me."

"Doctor...what did you do?" Jack asked, a hard note in his voice seeing the man trying to distract him.

"I didn't realize…until after I had married River."

Jack was on his feet in an instant, "Don't say that to me Doctor. Don't you DARE tell me that you married another woman while Angel was still _your Mate_!"

"I didn't remember she was my Mate!"

"That is NO excuse!"

"I know," the Doctor cut in, "I _know_ it's not, but it wasn't a real marriage, it was in an aborted timeline that never existed. It's null, it's void, it…"

"Still happened," Jack glared at him.

"She's NOT my wife Jack, _Angel_ is my Mate, she will ALWAYS be my Mate," he looked at Jack desperately, unable to convey how ill and disgusted he felt with the knowledge that he'd remembered only after he'd 'married' River, after he'd gone to return Dorium's head to its resting place and the man asked him how his Mate would feel when she found out, how he'd been confused, and then Dorium laughed and told him about Angel, about her being his Mate, about River's trickery, the Headless Monks were old clients of his, had been on terms with the Silence and River for ages. He didn't want to say how the head's words had driven him to his knees in pain as the memories returned and he realized with horror what he'd done, "Jack what can I do? She _can't_ be gone."

Jack could only shake his head, "We don't know. We've been trying to work it out for 8 years. But she's human. She's completely human. She has one heart. She grows older, she gets hurt, she gets sick…we don't know what will happen when she gets too old and she finally dies. Will the essence come back?" he looked at the Doctor, this time HE was the desperate one, "Has it ever happened before that a Time Lord completely erased their essence?"

The Doctor shook his head, "No."

Jack let out a breath and fell back into his seat, "Then Angel's going to die one day."

" _Don't_ say that," the Doctor shook his head, tears in his eyes, feeling the finality in Jack's voice.

Jack just looked away. Angel was always meant to be the one who would be there for him, who would always be with him. It was supposed to be him and Gray and Angel, forever, the Harknesses, protecting the Universe. And now...now it was just him and Gray, forced to suffer knowing their sister, the one who was meant to be with them, would be gone in only a few decades.

Jack shook his head, "And the absolute worst part about all this…she did it to escape _you_. She did it to escape the pain you put on her, to not have to remember you, only it made her forget all of us too."

It had KILLED the others to realize, when Angel woke up that she only vaguely remembered them. To her, Sarah Jane was her aunt, Jack her half-brother. The others, for how important they'd been to Angel in the past…they'd been left as Donna the babysitter and Martha her doctor. Mickey had been devastated when, all he was was an old friend of Angel's.

It made a bit of sense, Jack had been her brother first, he'd been around her longer than any of them, he had been the one she'd saved first with the Vortex, the one she'd spent a year straight with on the Valiant, the one who kept popping up in her life, and Sarah Jane had been a companion to the last few Doctors, through the Doctor she'd gotten to know Sarah Jane better and, without a mother figure in her life, she'd substituted her mother for Sarah Jane.

"She didn't escape it though," Jack whispered, "She's _still_ in pain. She still has to live every day thinking that her husband abandoned her, that he died. Do you get that Doctor? She would've rather killed you in her memories than to have to keep you alive, _that's_ how badly you hurt her and even then she _still_ hurts for you after everything you did to her."

"I'm so sorry Jack," he whispered.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

The Doctor nodded and stood, "You're right, I need to find Angel."

Jack scoffed, "You can't Doctor. Angel. Doesn't. Exist. Anymore," he punctuated each word, "Because of _you_."

The Doctor swallowed hard, "Then I can at least apologize to Angela for what her husband did."

Jack let out a breath, knowing there would be no reasoning with the man, "Then…before you go, there's something you should know."

"What?" the Doctor frowned, looking back at Jack, wanting to go find his Mate.

But before Jack could answer, a shout echoed from the hallway as the front door opened, "Uncle Jack!"

Jack winced and looked at his watch, cursing under his breath at that, he'd forgotten what time it was!

The Doctor, though, just turned around to see a little girl, just about 8 or 9 years old, wearing a star locket, enter the room, brown hair the shade of his last incarnation, in a braid along her shoulder, wearing a uniform for the local school, a TARDIS blue backpack on her shoulders and brilliant grey eyes. She stopped dead, spotting him, and stared at him as he felt a connection spring to life. But that was _impossible_ …

"Gabby!" Jack jumped up and walked over to her, "Why don't you go upstairs and work on your homework."

"I did it already," Gabriella looked up at him.

"Then how about your readings for tomorrow?"

"Did that last week."

"Projects?"

"Don't have any."

"Play with K9?"

Gabriella just ignored him and turned back to the Doctor looking at him. Jack sighed, "Gabby…this is…"

The Doctor had opened his mouth to introduce himself as Jim Smythe, as Jack had introduced him to Angela, but the little girl beat him to it, shocking him in the process, "The Doctor," she said, staring at him.

Jack let out a breath, hoping she wouldn't have gotten that, "Yeah."

"My father," she continued as the Doctor's eyes widened.

Jack's mouth dropped open, "How…"

"A Time Lord can always sense another Time Lord," she said as though reciting something. She looked up at her uncle, "But you can't tell mummy, she doesn't know that she's really a Time Lady."

Jack nodded dumbly, still stunned by the girl's knowledge even after knowing her 8 years.

"Sorry," the Doctor cut in, "What?"

Jack looked at him, the man white as a ghost as he stared at the little girl, "Doctor, meet your daughter, Gabriella."

"What?!" he looked at Jack in shock.

Gabriella blinked, tugging on Jack's coat to get him to look at her, "Is he going to say 'what' again?"

"What?" the Doctor shook his head, "I mean, _daughter_?" his mouth was gaping open as he looked at the little girl before him. A perfect composition of his last incarnation and Angel's current one as well. And her name, Gabriella, an angel combined with Nella…perfect.

"He's not quite as quick as you said he was," Gabriella accused her uncle.

"He's just in shock Gabs," Jack patted her on the back, "Why don't you go see if that upgrade you gave K9 is working."

She shrugged, "Ok," and turned, jogging off and up the stairs.

"Daughter?" the Doctor breathed, falling down into his seat again, stunned beyond belief. Of all the things he'd expected to find when he went after Angel again, her turning herself human and him with a daughter was not it.

"Now you see why it hurt her so much to not have you here," Jack looked at him. He shook his head, glancing at his watch, "Rush hour will be starting at the diner," he told the man, "Angie will be busy," he warned, "Keep in mind, when you get back, Gabby's birthday party will be starting."

"It's her birthday?" he looked at the man, shocked that his daughter was celebrating her birthday today and he didn't even know, his mind drifted back to all the parties of hers that he'd missed, all the other important moments in her life.

Jack nodded, "Martha, Mickey, Donna, everyone will be here so you may want to make yourself scarce," he watched as the Doctor tensed at being asked to not be there for his own daughter's birthday party, one of the few he would probably ever be able to come to given that Angel…er, Angela…was now aware of him and he couldn't risk being around too often and her realizing he didn't age…she didn't seem to recognize him as her Ma…husband.

He swallowed, "I understand Jack," and turned to walk out.

"Doctor," Jack called, making him pause in the doorway, "Despite everything that's happened, I _am_ sorry."

He nodded, "I am too."

But Jack shook his head, "No, I don't think you will _ever_ be sorry enough," before he turned to head up the stairs, "I have to check on Gabby and make sure she's not secretly trying to read every single book in the house again. She started trying to find secret codes in the phone book last time."

The Doctor watched him go sadly, that sounded like something his child would do and now…he couldn't help but wonder what else she did that was like him too. He sighed, swallowing hard as he cast one more glance at the stairs. The girl, Gabriella, she had looked at him, called him her father, and just…walked away.

He could only pray Angel wouldn't do that too.

~8~

The Doctor had gone to the diner that Angel…Angela…worked at, heading to the counter area and sitting down, ordering a coffee and just…sat there, watching her. He was sure the head waitress behind the counter had noticed his eyes following Angel/Angela everywhere, she had commented on it more than once, but he took no notice, he was just content to watch Angel/a, working with the other people. It turned out she still retained a bit of her intuition even as a human, which didn't surprise him given how Angela Smith had been in 1913. The diner had a contest of sorts going ever since Angel _a_ started working there. The patrons were asked to write down their orders on pieces of paper and fold it up, leaving it so no one could see what the order was. If Angela could correctly guess the order then they would have to pay the whole meal but if she was wrong they would get the meal for free. According to the manager who was positively raving about it, she had never been wrong yet, not that he expected her to. From what the whispers he heard said, she had a habit of answering the phone before it rang, of opening the door in the chill or the terrible weather a moment before someone would walk in trying to shut their umbrella at the same time. She just had a gift for _knowing_ when things were happening, something that the head cook loved to exploit but it was something that seemed to make Angela very happy, to know that she was at least special in that regard.

But he saw her, every time she did it, she had such a sad smile on…like she didn't know why she could do what she did and that…well he _did_ notice some people whispering, saying they didn't want to take part in the contest because it was rather alarming how she _knew_ what they wanted even when they tried to be different. They didn't like it and they found her odd and that upset him a great deal because he knew that was _exactly_ what her time in the Academy had been like. He was sure he must've looked odd himself, sitting there all day, just sipping the same cup of coffee, not even getting a refill even as it turned cold…he just…kept watching her. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

She wasn't the most coordinated person still, had to come back numerous times for plates and cups and things, wasn't ever able to pour anything out without spilling it or catch anything that fell when she walked by, and she had tripped twice and almost spilled soup on one patron…but it seems like a quite a few of the crowd were more fond of Angela than annoyed with her. He had discussed her briefly with the head waitress, apparently all they knew about Angela Jones was that times were tough, she had never graduated from school or university, she had a daughter but no husband, and she was just…trying to work to make ends meet while still paying back the friends taking care of her.

Everyone there seemed to love when Gabriella would come by, they found the little girl absolutely adorable. He expected that as she looked more like Angela than him, just really having his hair color and he thanked the stars she didn't inherit any of his qualities.

Angela smiled as she spotted him, sitting there as he had been all day, and walked over, "How are you?" she asked him, "Is there anything I can get for you?"

He smiled, "No, I'm just drinking my…coffee," he took a sip and realized it was ice cold and rather sort of tasteless and spit it back into the cup, which made her laugh.

"Sorry, would you like me to get you another one?"

"No, no, I'm fine," he waved it off, "I was just…I was…I was…um…"

She stared at him a moment, concerned, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he finally managed to get out.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, "I'm just...I wanted to apologize for earlier, I...I was so rude and..."

"It's alright," she cut in and he gave her an amused look, "I mean, it's not alright that you randomly kissed me, but...you seem..."

"Funny?" he attempted.

"Nice," she countered, he did seem like a nice bloke, he was apologizing for it, "I'm sorry I slapped you."

"I deserved it," he reminded her, he deserved more than just a slap.

She nodded, glancing at his cup, "I can get you another cup of coffee," before she leaned in, whispering, "On the house."

He laughed at that, reminded of Astrid, "I'm fine," he repeated, "I was probably just about to leave."

She gave him a look.

"Probably," he repeated, smiling, "I was, um, I was hoping I might accompany you back to Sarah Jane's? To make up for earlier."

She smiled at that, realizing he must be a friend of Sarah Jane's if Jack knew him and he knew Sarah, Jack would never have let him leave the house and come to her if he was a danger, "I get off in about five minutes, would you be ok waiting?"

He nodded, "I would wait forever."

She laughed at that, not knowing exactly how serious he was, and turned to head back into the kitchen to see to the last of her duties, him watching her walk away sadly.

He saw her though the hole in the wall through which could be seen the kitchen, as she headed to the head chef, handing him her tips for the day. She had amused quite a few little children, managed to calm them, quiet them, distract them, which the parents were thankful for as it meant a nice meal. She was so good with children, but then he heard whispers that it was because of Gabriella, but he knew it was just her, she was good with everyone.

"Shall we?" the Doctor asked as Angela joined him back at the door to the diner.

"Of course," she smiled, thanking him when he held the door open for her, ever the gentleman around her, and they stepped out.

They walked down the street for short while in silence before the Doctor had to say what he was thinking, wanting to know exactly what she remembered and what she thought of her human life, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, for your loss. Jack told me about your husband and…"

"He's not dead," Angela cut in.

He nearly stopped in shock at those words, "What?"

"Gabriella's father," she continued walking, forcing him to walk as well, "He's still alive."

He blinked, shaking his head, confused, "But then why…"

"Why did I lie to my daughter?" she let out a humorless laugh, "Because I'm a horrible person." she shrugged.

"I don't believe that…"

"I did it because then…I could pretend, just for a moment, I could pretend _that_ was the reason he wasn't still with me, with us. Because it would hurt less to imagine he CAN'T be with us rather than to know that he CHOOSES not to be."

He swallowed hard, hearing the tears in her voice, "W-what do you mean?"

She took a breath, "I loved my husband very much," she began, "I…still do," she admitted and his hearts skipped a beat, "At first no one could understand how you could love that man, he was so closed off, and intimidating and...rather insulting when he wanted to be, but…he was always kind to me, always...encouraging me and protecting me. And once you got to know him, he wouldn't shut up," she laughed, "He'd gob on and on and on. And then, one day, out of the blue…he proposed," she smiled softly, the Doctor smiling as well as he heard the human version of their relationship, his transition from 9th to 10th Doctor, "And I said yes, of course I did, and we were happy for a time," her smile started to fade, "But then he changed. He just got so distant all of a sudden, barely acknowledged me, barely looked at me," his hearts clenched painfully in his chest, "I tried everything I could think of to try and reconnect with him, even told him to his face once but he didn't listen, he didn't HEAR me," she sighed, "And…when I found out I was pregnant with Gabriella, I was _terrified_. I had no idea what to do, I mean, we couldn't continue on like that, not when we were about to have a child."

"What did you do?"

"He'd just finished helping people," she recalled, "He was a doctor, always rushing off at the worst times to help people. I loved him for that," she shook her head, getting back to point, "And I decided I _had_ to tell him, sit him down and tell him what I was feeling. So, I stepped outside and…" she swallowed hard, "He was standing there…kissing another woman."

He felt sick. So sick. He knew the _exact_ moment she was talking about, just after they'd dealt with the Silence, just before Angel had told him she wanted to leave. He hadn't even thought to ask her why, he'd just let her go, he _hated_ himself for that. He hadn't even thought, hadn't wondered, just…so _that_ was why she'd left, it was a good reason.

"I left," she continued almost as though reading his mind, "I couldn't bear to stay there any longer, knowing that he was with another woman, and what's truly sad about that is…I didn't even confront him," she let out a bitter laugh that sounded so foreign coming from the person he knew Angel to be, he'd really done a number on her, "Because, even then, despite all that, I just wanted _him_ to be happy. And I realized I wasn't the one who did that any longer. Can you believe that?" she looked at him, tears in her eyes, she shook her head, "He was the one who made ME happy, and I just…walked away. I didn't even tell him about Gabby."

"W-why?" his voice trembled, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"I was scared," she admitted, "Scared that he'd turn around and not want anything to do with us…or…that he'd want Gabriella and not me," she shook her head furiously, "I _can't_ be separated from my daughter, I just couldn't. Not when she was quite possibly the ONLY thing I had left of the man I fell in love with."

He bowed his head, so ashamed. He was beating himself up about it all, how he could have forgotten his Mate, not realized she was carrying his child…he felt sick.

"I made my way to Aunt Sarah," she kept on as they rounded the corner, "She and Jack helped me through the pregnancy, brought me to a lovely doctor, Martha Jones, found me a brilliant babysitter named Donna Noble for days when Sarah or I would have to work and the children would be in school, and before I knew it, Gabby was here, she looked _so much_ like him," her voice broke as tears finally fell from her eyes, he couldn't see it, but apparently she saw things in Gabriella that were from him, "And as she grew up she was just…more and more like him, it's almost unbearable at times."

"What's she like?" he whispered, _dying_ to know about his daughter, Jack wouldn't say a word more than he had to.

"She _so_ clever," she said, a soft, proud smile making its way onto her face, "Brilliant really, just… _fantastic_ ," she shook her head, "She's in all these advanced classes and half the time Luke's the only one who can keep up with her when she gets excited. She babbles a bit, mostly about science, just like her father. And her smile…it's just so big and contagious like him. She's always trying to help out around the house, or help the others with their homework, basically anything she can do to make things better for others she'll do. And she never complains, not even when I'm so worn from work that I just fall on the sofa, she'll just snuggle up to me and turn the telly on, or when I can't give her a new gadget she wants to experiment on because money is tight…"

He frowned, "You're struggling."

She sighed, rubbing her head, "It's difficult, being a single mother. More so when you've not any skills to make yourself useful."

"I'm sure that's not true," he was near tears now, hearing her talking like she did as she was dying and unable to sense anything.

"You don't know me very well," she countered, "I really am rather useless."

He wanted to shout at her, to shake her, to tell her he _did_ know her and that was the _farthest_ thing from the truth there could be. But she never gave him the chance.

"I barely passed school, I'm not very good at maths or science or anything like that. I've no marketable skills short of answering the door or phone before it rings, I'm rubbish at mechanics and too disorganized to be a secretary…" he swallowed hard, her doubt in herself had really carried over into her human form, she was _brilliant_ at fixing the TARDIS and at history and other things, but now her human self seemed to have buried that talent, "The only good I can do is manage a dinner line till lunch is over and then wait tables at a diner. Hardly enough to get by after I pay Sarah Jane room…"

"She…"

"She doesn't charge me," she cut in, answering him once more before he actually voiced his questions, still just a hint of her there then, "But I feel wrong staying with her and not contributing anything. I've been trying to save up as much as I can, to buy a little cottage for Gabby and me, but that's still months away and…it's just…hard."

They were silent as they continued on their trek, "I miss him," Angela spoke once more after a few minutes of silence, "Still, even after all that…I miss him, and I still love him," she shook her head, "And I've no idea why I told you all that. Not even Sarah Jane or Jack know half of it."

He couldn't help but smile at the fact that, even though she didn't remember him, she still trusted him, still felt connected to him. If only he'd been like that, this whole mess could have been avoided, "I've got one of those faces I suppose," he shrugged, "People never stop blurting out things while I'm around."

She eyed him a moment before noticing they'd reached Bannerman Road, "Look, Jim," he inwardly flinched at the name, "Please, don't tell Gabby about what I've said. I…I don't want her to know…I don't want her to realize…" she trailed off.

She really wasn't sure what she didn't want her daughter to know, whether it was that she lied to her or that her father was really alive and just didn't want to be with them or…she didn't know. She just…didn't want her daughter to be hurt and she knew that's what would come of it if she found out either truth. Her daughter was so perceptive, she really tried not to let on anything around her.

She sighed, settling for, "I don't like lying to her, I've always told her to tell the truth and…"

"I understand," he nodded before zipping his lips, "I won't say word," he promised, crossing his one heart, careful to not cross the other in front of her. Not only would it look odd, but he really didn't know what would spark her memories as Angel. He had been able to remember his time as the Doctor even when John Smith, all those little thoughts and feelings and emotions that fell through the cracks.

She smiled, tiredly at him, so worn, "Thank you."

"No problem," he tried to smile back but…he couldn't muster it. Here was the woman who had regenerated so strong, so confident, so full of life, beaten down, struggling and hiding and lying just to survive with a daughter she'd had to raise on her own, knowing, in some way, that he wasn't going to be there.

She turned and led the way to Sarah Jane's house, heading to the front door and unlocking it, stepping in, sighing when she heard so many people talking in the back, that would be Gabriella's birthday party, "I'm so sorry, it's Gabby's birthday and…"

"It's alright," he nodded, "Um…would you mind if I stayed? You know, I'm um…new to the neighborhood and..."

She smiled, "Of course. Everyone should be out back, it'll be the perfect way for you to meet some of the neighbors," she turned, about to head to the back, when she looked down at her waitress uniform, "I just need to get changed of this uniform," she looked at him, "Could you please let them know I'm coming?"

He nodded, "Of course," he smiled sadly, watching as she rushed upstairs to get ready, his smile fell as she disappeared.

He rubbed his head, glancing at the back door, open to let a gentle summer breeze in, he could already hear the voices, knew who was out there, even if Jack hadn't told him. He could recognize the voices of his companions easily. He heard Donna and Martha and Mickey, everyone Jack said would be there…even a few people he wasn't sure he knew, probably their husbands, maybe even their children. He wasn't sure if they were the children of his companions or possibly friends of Gabriella, he…really didn't know anything about his daughter's life and that broke his hearts.

But he gathered his courage, knowing he would have to face them eventually, and headed to the backdoor. He stepped out as Martha was speaking to Jack, a quizzical expression on her face, while Mickey, standing beside her, had his arms crossed, glaring at the man, Donna with her hands on her hips as he told them something that clearly made them unhappy.

And when Donna spoke, he knew what it was, "You're not telling me _the Doctor_ is here are you?!"

Jack sighed, "That's exactly what I'm saying Don."

"Well tell him to leave!" Donna shouted, stomping her foot, even more protective of her 'sister' than ever, especially given what happened to her.

"He don't deserve to be here after what he did to Angel," Mickey agreed.

"I can't tell him to leave," Jack argued.

"And why not?" Martha demanded.

The Doctor closed his eyes, hearing them all, all his past companions, all of his…family, wanting him to leave, not wanting to be there. He never ever thought it would reach this point, where even his companions would turn against him, but he could understand why. He may have been there Pilot but Angel was their family.

"Why not?" Martha repeated.

"Because Angela's the one who asked him to stay," Jack said, even though he hadn't been privy to that conversation. He knew Angela, she was so like Angel it was scary at times, and Angel would have done it, invited him to stay, and he knew Angela would too. She would've wanted to be a kind neighbor, she would've wanted to invite the new man there to meet everyone. She was just sweet like that, she always tried her best to look out for others, that was why so many people in the diner and in town loved her so much, even the ones who saw her odd for her abilities still thought she was kind and sweet.

"She really did, didn't she?" Mickey sighed.

Jack rubbed his head, "Yeah."

None of them looked remotely happy about it though.

"What we do now?" Donna asked.

Martha could only shrug, "I suppose we'll just have to put on a happy face for Gabby. She wouldn't really like us killing her father in front of her, would she?"

The Doctor winced at that, he should've expected death threats. He cleared his throat and the four of them turned around to see him standing there.

"Doctor," Martha greeted coldly, Donna didn't even say a word, Mickey just stood there with his fists clenching, looking for all the world as though he wanted nothing more than to punch the Time Lord in the face.

"I asked them not to hurt you," Jack told him.

He smiled a little, "Thank you Jack."

Jack shook his head, "Because Angela's upstairs Doctor," he rolled his eyes, as though he would care if the Time Lord was physically hurt or not. He really would have loved to tell the man to disappear entirely, to leave them alone, but he had to remind himself… "Angela wouldn't be happy at all if she came down there to see all of us fighting in the middle of Gabby's birthday party. It should be a happy day," he looked at the Doctor pointedly, "Don't you think the birth of her daughter should be the happiest day of Angel's life?"

The Doctor looked down, he knew what Jack was implying, that it was, in fact, the most heartbreaking day of her life. And he knew why. He hadn't been there, her Mate, the father of her baby, hadn't been there, he'd been off with Amy and Rory and River and…not there when she needed him. The way she talked about Gabriella, how much she was like him…to hold that little girl in er arms and see HIM with him not there…it would devastate Angel.

"I'm sorry Jack," he murmured.

" _Stop_ saying that," Jack nearly shouted, his anger returning, "Stop saying it like you mean it."

"I DO mean it," he insisted, "I never ever meant for this to happen," he looked at them all, "You have to believe me, the _last_ thing I would _ever_ want is to hurt Angel. I never meant for this to happen."

"Yeah well, spaceman," Donna cut in, "Have you ever noticed that a lot of things you intend never to happen, happen, and the other way around? You intend for a fun trip and we end up being in a slavery facility!"

"Or you intend to just take me on one trip and then it just keeps turning into more," Martha reminded him.

He looked at her a bit shocked, "You mean you…you don't…you didn't want to travel with me?" his hearts broke a little bit more that Donna and Martha had seemed so eager to travel with him in the past and now seemed to regret it.

"Knowing what I do now," Martha stared coldly, "I really wish you would've just rescued me in the hospital and left me alone. Because you know what? It hurts more knowing the man turned into."

"I knew regeneration would change you," Mickey spoke up as well, "I saw how it changed Angel but I never thought it would change into this," he shook his head, "I can't even look at you."

And with that, Mickey walked off, over to Sarah Jane who was trying to keep the kids entertained though throwing concerned glances over at them, having spotted him as well. She gave him a hard look and turned back to the children.

"What's wrong with Mickey?" a voice asked behind him and he looked back to see Angela had rejoined them.

The Doctor had to smile, seeing what she was wearing. A lovely TARDIS blue summer dress, which made sense. Gabriella had been conceived in the summer and born in the summer, truly a summer child, very warm and bright and sunny, just like the personality of the summer was. It seemed Angela had still retained quite a bit of her other personality and likes, he saw she had a brownie in her hand. He would have thought he was looking at her Time Lady persona if she'd been wearing cowboy boots instead of white sandals.

But it really only served as another reminder of how much she had changed.

"I um…" the Doctor stuttered, trying to think of an excuse for why Mickey was so cross with him, but Jack cut.

"He's just annoyed I got Gabs a better gift," Jack told her, walking over to Angela's side, draping his arm around her shoulders.

"Where is she anyway?" Angela looked around, not seeing the Doctor's jaw tense at how Jack was touching her.

"She's with Sarah Jane," Martha pointed, "And K9."

The Doctor looked them, startled that they were talking about K9, an alien thing, around the girl, but she seemed perfectly fine, apparently she still new aliens existed even if she didn't know she was one. It made sense, 8 years with them, she would have noticed SOMETHING was going on.

"Is she still trying to adapt K9?" Angela asked Jack as he laughed.

"When isn't she?" Jack smirked.

"She's got a future in UNIT or Torchwood if she keeps it up," Donna laughed.

"UNIT, definitely," Martha joked.

"Torchwood," Jack countered.

"University first," Angela reminded them.

The Doctor looked a little confused by all of this, and Angela seemed to realize it.

"Oh, um…K9 is…um…"

"It's ok, Angie," Jack cut on, "Jim here used to work for UNIT."

Angela nodded, "Oh, right," she smiled at the Doctor and…his hearts just broke, seeing her smiling for the sake of being polite and not because she was smiling at HIM, "K9 is our robotic dog," she explained, "Sarah Jane got to travel in time a bit with a friend of hers. He gave her K9. Gabriella's been trying to adapt him for ages."

"She's succeeding too," Jack added, looking over at his niece, SO proud, "She's getting pretty close."

"She wouldn't let any of us help her," Angela continued, "She wants to do it herself," her smile grew fond, but also very sad, "She's so brilliant, so clever."

The Doctor frowned, seeing the sadness in her smile, and he knew she was realizing or thinking that Gabriella was so smart because _he_ was. She didn't even realize that Gabriella was clever because she was a Time Lord, well, Time Lady. She just thought her husband was smart and so their daughter had to be smart as well. She couldn't even see how brilliant _she_ was, how much of her had rubbed off on their daughter. That little girl, just from meeting her, he could tell she had a kindness to her, that she was just so sweet and helpful and wanted to be just like her mother. And she was she was beautiful inside and out.

Angela turned to Jack, "Were you able to get the cake?"

He nodded, "Connor dropped it off," he nodded, "Top banana with banana icing."

She laughed, "Banana's Gabby's favorite," she told the Doctor.

He watched as she looked at the cake, the sadness even more pronounced, and he knew she was thinking about him, about his last self, about how banana had been his favorite. He could see it now, she loved her daughter dearly, she did, he could see it in her eyes and in her expressions, in every move she made that she loved that little girl more than anything. But that every time she looked at her all she was reminded of…was her husband, the one that everyone thought had died, the one that she knew was still alive but had left her for another woman and it killed him to know that. Anyone looking at her could see how hard it was for her to think she was human and to raise a daughter who reminded her so much of the man who would hurt her so badly. But yet she still loved that little girl unconditionally, and that was just so Angel.

He knew, no matter what species she ever turned herself into, that would never ever change.

He looked over at Gabriella as the girl, clutching her star locket, spotted her mother and ran over, "Mummy I did it!" she cried, hugging her mother tightly.

"What did you do beautiful?" she knelt down to take her daughter's hands.

"I fixed it!"

"What did you fix?" she asked, she knew K9 wasn't quite the fastest dog and Gabriella had been trying to come up with a way to make the little bot faster, so he could keep up when people were running.

"I made him faster mummy!" she cheered, "Watch!" she turned around, "K9, come here quickly!" she called.

And, before their very eyes, K9 took off from across the yard, little flames shooting out behind his wheels as he sped towards Gabriella.

"What is it, Mistress Gabriella?" he asked in his little metallic voice.

"That's wonderful Gabs!" Jack laughed, reaching out to scoop the little girl up into his arms.

"We are so proud of you!" Donna told her.

"That is genius," Martha cheered.

The Doctor looked on sadly at the small family moment, his daughter beaming in Jack's arms. They were so supportive, they were so great with her, so…close. It was a family he'd never had and always wanted, on Gallifrey, he and his wife had been civil and he loved his children but Gabriella…she was his and Angel's child, a child he'd had with his _Mate_ , and now…he couldn't even be a part of her life. He didn't think the others would ever let him and he wouldn't blame them for not letting him be.

He…he also knew he couldn't risk coming to see them ever again.

He really couldn't, because wherever he went, danger always followed and he would _not ever_ put his family in danger like that. He looked on sadly, feeling tears in his eyes as he realized he could never see his family again after this. Pop in once or twice _maybe_ but…Angela would start to realize that she grew older and he did not, that something was wrong. He might be able to play it off as though he were just like Jack and immortal, if they had even told her about Jack, but he couldn't risk it. Because he was dangerous.

That was why the Silence had come after him, that was why they had done this, because they wanted him out of the picture for the danger he brought to every place he touched down. He refused to bring that to his Mate as well, especially when she was human, when she didn't have her visions or the Vortex to protect her. He would not let any harm come to her and if that meant having to stay away…he would force himself to do it and he would have to trust Jack and all of them and their advanced technology to keep her and Gabriella safe.

He nodded to himself and turned to go…when Angela saw him leaving, "Jim," she called, heading over to him as the others glanced back, before turning to head off with Gabriella, "Do you not want to stay? We have cake, we'd be happy to share."

He just looked at her, trying to keep the tears from filling his eyes, "I'm sorry Angela, I…I forgot I…I have an appointment. I forgot till Jack mentioned UNIT. I'm sorry."

Angela nodded, believing him, "Would you like to take a piece of cake with you?"

He shook his head, "No, no, that's alright, you…enjoy it with your daughter."

She smiled, "Have a good day."

He nodded, "Thanks," and headed back into the house as Angela turned to rejoin her daughter.

He'd just made it into the house when he heard someone calling him. He turned around to see Jack rushing over, "Abandoning them again?" he asked with a glare.

The Doctor winced, "No, Jack I just…realized something."

"And what was that?" Jack crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at the man.

"I'm dangerous," the Doctor said, a defeated note in his voice, "I know I have enemies, I have people out to get me, like the Silence. I still haven't been able to stop them completely, but it's not only them. There's the Cybermen, the Daleks," he shook his head, "They'll follow me Jack, wherever I go they will always appear at some point or another and I can't…I _can't_ let them find Gabriella and Angel. I can't. That would destroy me Jack. I _can't_ put them in danger."

Jack stared, watching with a hard look as the Doctor started to break down in front of him. It had to be very hard for him, to realize that, in order to keep his family safe, he could never see them again. And, as terrible as it was for him to say it, he had to go.

Jack nodded, "They don't need the danger," he agreed, "Angela she can't defend herself Doctor. We can try as hard as we can to protect her, we'd give our lives for her and Gabby, but the more danger that arises, the less chance we have of protecting them and keeping them safe," he nodded again, "The more you stay away, the safer they'll be."

"I know," the Doctor admitted brokenly. He opened his mouth to say more…when laughter hit him. He looked over at a window, recognizing Angel's laugh, and walked over, looking outside to where…she was talking to a man, smiling and laughing, the man was…blonde and blue eyed and charming probably, "Who's he?" he asked, feeling the Mating instinct rising in him, wanting him to rush out there and tear Angel away from the man…

But that wasn't Angel, that as Angela.

"Connor," Jack said, coming up behind him to see, "He's a realtor, he's been helping Angela try to get a cottage for her and Gabs. He's a good man," he looked at the Doctor, seeing the man's hearts breaking on his face, and…for a single instant, he felt sorry for the man, "But he's not her husband," he added.

The Doctor looked back at him.

Jack crossed his arms and continued to look past him, at Connor, "He asked her out, once, Angie turned him down," he shook his head, "But he's a decent man, didn't let that stop him from helping her with the cottage. He'll keep trying, she'll keep turning him down," he looked at the Doctor, "Even now, after everything, she still can't be happy, because some part of her, a part she can't remember, still loves you."

They all saw it. They'd given Connor the 'protective brother' speech…with adaptations for the 'sisters' and the man was a genuinely nice guy. They were almost…rooting for him, almost. Angela needed someone who wouldn't break her heart, but she always said no, and they knew she always would.

Because Connor wasn't the Doctor.

The Doctor took a breath, sounding like he was sniffling, as he looked back at Angela, "Protect them, please," he begged the immortal, "For me Jack."

Jack looked at him, "I will _always_ protect them, with my life, Doctor," but he shook his head, "But it will have _nothing_ to do with you."

The Doctor nodded, "Thank you Jack," before he turned to go.

Jack bit his lip a moment, before rolling his eyes at himself, and resigning himself to do this, "Doc," he called once more, holding out a small metal bracelet to him, "Angel wanted you to have this."

The Doctor looked down at it, taking the band to examine it, his eyes widening as he saw it was a Dampening Bracelet, "Where did you _get_ this?!" he demanded, it was _sacrilege_ to even possess one on Gallifrey!

"It was Angel's," Jack told him, solemn, "She took it with her when she left the TARDIS. When she turned herself human, she left a video for Gabby, for what she'd need to know to be a Time Lady. But she also had a request for us. She wasn't sure what the Mating would do with her being human, if you would live on after she died as one. She wanted me to make sure that the next time you were here, that you got that," he nodded at the bracelet, "And that you wore it Doctor. You _need_ to wear it, because Angel would not want you to die because of her."

The Doctor stared at the bracelet sadly, "I…I _can't_ Jack…"

"Why not?" Jack scoffed, "It's not like you can feel and hear her now anyway right?" the Doctor winced, "Look…it was Angel's dying wish, literally, that you wear it," and then he added the thing he _knew_ would get through to the man, "For Gabby."

The Doctor looked down at the bracelet and at the window, seeing his Mate and daughter by the cake, the small party starting to sing her happy birthday, and swallowed, slipping it on before he silently turned and left the house, having to get out of there, unable to bear it any longer.

~8~

Decades had passed since the Doctor had set foot on Earth or, more so, on Bannerman Road, or in Cardiff. He only stopped there, at the Rift, to refuel and only to refuel and only for a few seconds at most. It been decades since he'd seen Angela or Gabriella. He peeked in at them, from time to time, using the TARDIS data banks, to track the lives of his girls, to protect them. He hadn't set foot on Earth in nearly 50 years…except one time.

As he stood in a cemetery, looking at a young, brunette woman who appeared to be only 21, kneeling before a gravestone that broke his hearts.

_In Loving Memory_  
_Angela Jones_  
_Aged 84_

_Beloved Mother_  
_Cherished Sister_

He twisted his hand around the Dampening Bracelet he wore, still wearing it for one reason and one reason alone…the girl at the grave. She still looked 21, and he knew she always would, despite being nearly 60 herself, because that was his daughter, that was Gabriella all grown up, sitting there, staring at her mother's gravestone, her back to him.

"I'm so sorry," he breathed, he'd been silent so long, standing there stoically, not sure what he could ever say to her to make up for the pain she must be feeling at seeing her mother's tombstone, to know it had only happened because the woman was human.

"Don't be," Gabriella said after a moment, her voice flat, her words hollow, "Mum was happy, in the end, I think," she swallowed hard, thinking of her mother's life, how she and Jack and Gray had had to wear shimmers around her after a certain point so she wouldn't realize they were immortal or alien, "I hope she was, otherwise it would've been a waste, turning herself human, going through all of that, dying, leaving me alone, all because of you."

He winced at that.

"Gabriella…" he began, seeing her tense at using her name, but he didn't know what to say, besides, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

They fell silent a long while, before he spoke again, "Do you want to come with me?"

"No," she said, instantly, and his hearts dropped. Gabriella didn't even look back at him as she lifted her head and shook it slowly, "You know, mum lived her entire 'life' never having truly known you, and she was happy for it. I want to go the same way," and then she finally looked at him over her shoulder, "Never having really known you."

He swallowed hard, seeing the absolutely bitter and hateful look on his daughter's face…no, it wasn't hateful, it was resentful. She didn't hate him for Angel, he knew that. He knew she didn't hate him, because it had been Angel's decision, something that had been drilled into her over the years after he'd talked to Jack and explained what happened. It was her mother's decision to do what she did, her father had no choice in forgetting her mother, her mother just couldn't cope with the pain any longer, it was a mantra that had been said more times than she could count.

She shook her head again, turning back to the grave and reaching out to trace her mother's name, "You know, mum started out so _strong_. Uncle Jack told me all about her, how confident she was, how brilliant, how strong, how powerful, how she'd saved all the children of Earth once…and then you broke her. You broke something in her when you regenerated and it killed her. She turned herself human to escape you, and I don't want to suffer the same fate."

He could feel tears in his eyes at how her words broke, hearing her trying not to cry.

"I don't want to have to turn myself human or anything else just to escape the memory of you," Gabriella determined, "So I'm gonna stay here, on Earth, with my family, with my uncles, with Jack and Gray," she blinked a few times, trying to keep her tears in, "You try to be this great person but Harriet Jones was _right_ about you. You can't always be here when you go flying across the Universe and turn your back on the people who love you and need you the most," she took a breath, wiping the back of her hand under her eyes, "And I will never ever do that. I _will_ be here for my family, for my uncles, for my aunts, for their children, I will _not_ abandon them. I will be there guardian angel, like mum used to be."

His hearts broke at that, but…he could understand his daughter's choice. She had spent her life with the proof of how deeply he could hurt someone he claimed to love more than anything. And she was his daughter, the second woman he loved the most…if he could harm her mother so, there was no way to promise he'd not hurt her just as badly. He tried to content himself with the knowledge that she was making a good choice, the Earth would be forever defended if she were to stay, especially if she were to help Jack and Gray with her knowledge, to help Torchwood and UNIT and Sarah Jane and watch over their children as they grew, as he knew Angel had wished she could do.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, sounding like a broken record, but that was all he could think to say, "I'm sorry she's gone. And…"

"She's not gone," Gabriella cut in quietly, so quietly he almost didn't hear her. She closed her eyes and shook her head, "God, everyone does that. _Everyone._ Everyone always underestimated her. Her enemies, Uncle Jack, even you," she looked back at him, "But not me."

He watched, confused as she reached up and grasped the star locket around her neck, the same one she'd had as a child, as a baby.

"Mum, was brilliant," she told him, "More brilliant than anyone could've ever guessed."

The Doctor was silent, staring at her. He knew that very well. Angel was the most wonderful and amazing woman he had ever met. He knew she was brilliant even if she had been able to see it herself.

Gabriella stood up and turned to face him, gripping the locket tighter, "Everyone thought the essence was gone," she continued, "But mum would _never ever_ leave me like you did. She was always with me," she swallowed, looking down at the locket her mother had adapted to act like a receiver, a beacon to the essence, "In here."

The Doctor stared, wide eyed at the locket, he hadn't even sensed it, but…now that he was truly focused on it…he could _feel_ it…he could feel the essence of a Time Lord in it. A perception filter! A high leveled one!

"Mum didn't want anyone to know that her essence still existed," Gabriella said sadly, knowing that her mother wouldn't have wanted the essence back even if they could open it, they couldn't. Her mother had made sure of it, trapped the essence in the locket. It could still be used for loads of things, like battery power to some species, but...it couldn't be opened, her mother could never be a Time Lady again, "She didn't want anyone to steal it from me. She wanted to be with me as long as I needed her," she looked at the Doctor a long while, seeing his gaze fixated on the locket, before she sighed and took the locket off, holding it up to him, dangling it before him, "Take it."

He shook his head, blinking as he looked at her, "I can't…that…that was for you, that was what Angel gave you."

"And mum was psychic," she reminded him, "She knew this would come when she turned herself human. She knew she would die eventually and she didn't want to leave either of us alone," she took a breath, "But _I_ have my family and you have no one, except the TARDIS. But I'm sure Aunt Idris is angry with you."

He didn't bother to ask how she knew about the TARDIS or how she had used a woman, Idris's, body to talk once. Angel hadn't been there for that adventure, but it was true…the TARDIS was SO furious with him, when he'd met her on House she had slapped him and yelled at him and bit him and cried and just ignored him for the most part. The box was so angry then, she still was now, she kept ranting about what he'd done to her sister but he hadn't understood who she was talking about though he did now.

"I'll let you take it," Gabriella continued, looking at him, seeing his expression, he looked like she was offering him the whole Universe, which she was, "On one condition…" he looked at her, "You leave Earth, you leave Earth alone, and you NEVER come back."

He looked between her and the locket, already knowing what he'd pick, what he would always pick in the end, and tentatively reached out, taking it, feeling it blaze warm in his hands, nearly sagging at the familiarity of it, feeling it spread through him, it…felt like Angel.

Gabriella nodded, "It turns cold when you're in danger or when someone is trying to lie to you, when they have bad intentions. It turns warm to lead you somewhere safe or wherever you need to go. It's…"

"Just like Angel," the Doctor said, running a finger along the edges of the star, tears blurring his vision as he looked at it.

Gabriella nodded, "Then this is goodbye Doctor."

He looked at her, feeling his hearts shatter completely at how she'd called him 'Doctor' and not 'Dad,' feeling his world crumble as she merely turned and walked away, truly proving she wanted nothing to do with him.

He watched her until she disappeared, till he couldn't see her any longer, not wanting his last memory of his daughter to be her walking away from him, turning her back on him, but…he wanted to memorize everything he could about her before he lost her like he had his Mate. He looked down at the gravestone and moved to kneel before it, placing a hand to it, promising himself he'd remain, he'd live as long as necessary, to make sure he protected their daughter because, clearly she was the most important thing in Angel's world by the end of her life. And he couldn't, _wouldn't_ , abandon her either. He wouldn't set foot on Earth again, no, but he'd watch over her always, for Angel.

And that thought alone had him bowing his head, starting to sob as it hit him, "I'm so sorry," he breathed, clutching the locket firmly in his hand as the true horror of it all hit him…

 _Angel was gone_.

~8~

The Doctor's eyes opened and he felt stiff, like his entire body had seized up, it was tingling, frozen, like he couldn't move. He let out a breath, slowly managing to lift his hand to his face, touching his cheek to feel tears on them, he'd been crying…in his sleep it appeared.

He closed his eyes once more and placed his whole hand over them, letting out a shaky breath, that dream…hadn't been quite as violent as the one before they'd faced the Daleks again, but…just as horrifying, to think of what Angel's life might have been like if she'd left after River had kissed him, if she hadn't been a Ganger, such small details and...life changing. He shook his head, trying to breathe deep, trying to not think about it, but it kept coming back to him. He tried to calm down, but he could only feel himself grow more and more upset…

Until he felt a warmth beside him.

He looked over to see that he was in bed, Angel curled up next to him, having rolled over in her sleep and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his chest, this new her was quite the cuddler. He let out a little shaky laugh at that, closing his eyes once more and taking a breath, feeling her squeeze him in her sleep. He sniffled deeply, blinking to clear the tears away, it was a dream, it was just a dream, just a nightmare really.

Angel was there, she wasn't her last self, she was still with him, she was with him in bed, curled up to him, she still remembered him and she still loved him. He could sense their daughter in the room across the hall, sleeping away as well. His girls were there, with him, they were alive and they knew who he was and the family was alright and…

Everything had been but a terrible dream.

He tilted his head forward, his hand coming to wind around Angel's shoulders, stroking her hair a moment before he pressed a kiss to the top of it, and gently laid his arm around her, squeezing her closer, her naturally snuggling into him. His other hand come up to take one of her own resting on his chest, and held it, squeezing it firmly as he laid there, staring at the ceiling.

It was just a nightmare.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, I mentioned once I had a 'Gabriella' planned as a potential name for Ayla ;) And...Amnesia! Lol, I sort of feel like I HAD to make this the first original chapter, I was worried you might figure out what the 'Angel's Amnesia' thing that I hinted at last story would really be if I had a different original chapter first because there will be a theme going with them. So here it is! Angel DID choose to forget, she forgot literally everything about her life, from her past to her 'family' to the Doctor and more, and she forgot forever in that she died as a human and never remembering, but not long at all because it was only one chapter and...just a nightmare }:) Which also explains why some things might be a little off or not make complete sense ;)
> 
> This series will really focus on the Doctor and his reaction to what happened the last two series. He spent so much time focusing on Angel and putting her first, making sure she was ok, that he ignored a lot of what was bothering HIM. And now it's going to come back to bite him :( It's like the Dream Lord in a way, we see this happy Doctor all the time, saving worlds, but he pushes all the darkness and anger and sorrow inside him, and it only comes out in his subconscious :(
> 
> All I can say is...well, this is only one nightmare of more than a dozen and this is, probably, the only one you really knew was coming }:) Just imagine what other horrors his subconscious will create }:D Muwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!


	7. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: The Gang

The Doctor hurried towards the TARDIS, stationed in the middle of a temple in Egypt, 1334 BC, pulling Angel along by the hand, carrying Ayla in his one arm as the girls giggled at the predicament he'd gotten himself into involving one Queen Nefertiti. He had to smile though, this Angel was _far_ more confident in herself, save those odd times when the Vortex got out of hand. He meant though, she was more confident in her relationship with him, more secure, more...sure of it. It had taken nearly 300 years but he'd finally seemed to have convinced her completely that he loved her and only her and that it wouldn't be changing ever. He knew, at first, she'd had all sorts of doubts about them, about his reasons for wanting to Mate to her and that his lapse in memory had only made it worse, but if there was one thing he was, it was determined. He'd spent 200 years building up her trust in him again, proving his love over and over. And now...where HE was disgusted and uncomfortable with other women being around them, Angel found it rather amusing.

He...was very touched to see her laughing and shaking her head when another woman made eyes at him, not that he ever really noticed their eyes, not unless they were Angel's sparkling away at him. He felt his hearts swell when she'd watch, amused, because that look on her face, it was fond and trusting, like...she knew that no matter what any woman tried, he would only ever feel anything when it was HER that did the same. And he rather thought she liked seeing him squirm just a little bit. But it really meant SO much to him to know that she was more trusting of their relationship now, that she felt less threatened by other women, especially River Song. When they tried anything, instead of looking down or away, as though expecting to see him flirt back, she just gave a small laugh, because she knew it wouldn't happen. She believed him now when he said he loved her and she truly knew he meant it. Which was why she wasn't currently threatened by Nefertiti, who had been trying to throw herself at him all day.

It was really starting to bother him, so he thought, now that the danger was over, thanks to some rather amazing help from him and his girls, it was time to take their leave.

"Bye then!" he called over his shoulder as they reached the TARDIS, "Lovely meeting you. Sorry about the mess."

Suddenly the Doctor was yanked back by the coat, Nefertiti trying to pin him to the TARDIS as Angel took Ayla from him a moment before it happened so the girl wouldn't get caught, "You think I'll let you leave without _me_ ," Nefertiti started to rub her hands along his chest, murmuring seductively, "After what we've _just_ been through?" and then through his hair.

The Doctor squirmed, _very_ uncomfortable with the situation. That was one thing...probably the only thing...he _wasn't_ completely thrilled about with Angel's regeneration, she found women trying to seduce him and charm him hysterical. She had _that_ much faith in him and his fidelity now that she just thought it was funny, despite how uncomfortable it made him…and it did, _ridiculously_ so.

Whenever any woman but Angel gave him attention like that, his mind immediately went to the dark place of thinking on what Angel had gone through when he'd openly flirted with River Song in front of her. Granted he couldn't remember the connection they had, but how much it hurt her…she _still_ wouldn't let him feel all of it, but he knew it had to have been bad. He could remember how _he'd_ felt when she'd mentioned the Corsair, the flash of pain, sorrow, anger that coursed through him though he didn't know why at the time. If that was even a fraction of what Angel had felt…he'd hurt her terribly.

And...his mind kept going back to one of his more recent nightmares, a dream about Angel...if she'd left because of that bloody kiss. He couldn't reconcile it in his mind, he couldn't separate the two versions of the same event, like he knew Amy had felt when time had fallen apart at the lake. It was like he remembered two events, one where Angel stayed, where she was a Ganger and they had Ayla, which really should be all the proof he needed that THAT version was reality, and another...where Angel left, where she became human, and there was Gabriella instead. He knew one was a dream but...it felt SO real that...he couldn't make himself think it without effort. All his mind kept seeing was an Angel that had been so hurt by what he'd done that she'd gone to the extremes and he'd lost her forever, worse than mere memory loss, but death, true death.

Whenever he thought back to the kiss, for one brief moment...he felt like that second 'reality' had happened, that Angel HAD left and that River had led to his Mate's death in another way, a more permanent way. For one moment...he felt like THAT was the real world and had to physically check his wrist to see if the Dampening Bracelet was still there. It was getting worse because...slowly but surely...in his mind, River was being replaced with just...women, in general, any sort of woman that wasn't Angel.

He'd noticed that, because of that, any woman that tried anything with him made him associate their attempts with his stint with River Song and he started to feel _physically ill_. It was almost like his mind was trying to compensate for hurting Angel so badly by making _him_ actually _hurt_ when other women tried to touch him in that manner, in any sort of manner that wasn't innocent or platonic. The way he physically reacted to other women now must have been psychosomatic or something along those lines.

Their touch _burned_ in a terrible way, like he'd been touched by fire, been scalded, pained...it was quite unlike Angel's touch, it burned him in a rather...delightful way. If other women even stood too close, he felt like he couldn't breathe, whereas he felt like he could _only_ breathe when Angel was right beside him, preferably with his arm around her or holding her hand or touching her at the very least. If women looked at him with even a _hint_ of lust he felt like he was ill, he could feel bile rise within him and the urge to find some sort of bin somewhere, as opposed to Angel and how a look from her could make him feel perfectly fine and right as rain even if he had been hurt or weakened. It really _was_ starting to physically hurt for women to do that…unless the women were platonic. He found he could hug Amy, he could hug some other women, he could stand to be around them and talk with them, as long as they had _no_ intentions of trying to take him from Angel. Those women were fine, those women were friends and...not a threat to his Mate or him.

Nefertiti was NOT one of those women.

"You've got the Egyptian people to rule, Queen Nefertiti," he tried moving away from her, wanting her to _stop touching_ him, her hands in his hair felt like his scalp was being tugged at painfully, not at all as pleasurable as when Angel ran her hands though his hair, he LOVED it when she did that, and right now...the tingles hurt, "They'll need reassuring after that weapon-bearing, giant, alien locust attack we just stopped…"

"Rather brilliantly," Angel called, seeing him starting to frown and fidget, desperately trying to get away from Nefertiti and taking pity on him to try and distract the woman, remind her that SHE was still there. Honestly, being introduced as 'this is my Mate, the Angel, and our daughter Ayla,' should have really clued the woman in that the Doctor was NOT up for grabs.

Suddenly an old-time car horn sounded, making Nefertiti jump away and the Doctor breathe a sigh of relief, "Sorry!" and pulled out the psychic paper, "Got it set to temporal newsfeed...oh, that's interesting!" he quickly moved to Angel's side, winding his arm around her, if standing a bit behind her to ward off Nefertiti at the same time, showing her the paper.

Well, that and...he rather wanting to put his arm around her since they got there, Angel looked very tempting in her outfit. She was wearing an Egyptian themed sort of dress, almost like the foundation of a toga, like a sleeveless dress, but in two pieces. It was a top that went to just below her bust, with hieroglyphics along the neckline, and a long skirt that had the similar markings down the front of it in a long line, a thick golden belt wrapped around her waist, with a light golden cape-thing on her shoulders, with golden sandals. Her hair was down but twisted back with a metal band around it that had an eye in it, which he'd found ironic given her 'second sight.' Ayla was fashioned in a similar style, having inherited her mother's love of dressing for the times, but was wearing a full dress, one that went to her knees though, with sandals laced up to her knees and golden bracelets on her one arm, with a belt that looked just slightly like a snake wrapped around her waist. She didn't have a headband on, but her hair was freely hanging and clipped back on the sides with small metal clips that looked like suns. Ayla was adorable, her mother gorgeous...truly like an Egyptian Goddess...which might have also accounted for Nefertiti's dry and rather cold reception of Angel.

He'd managed to get her to use a bit of the Vortex to attract the locusts to a certain spot and, when they turned around all the Egyptian people were bowing to her, murmuring praises and prayers to her as though she were one of their gods. She'd flushed and stuttered and tried to tell them to get up, that she was just trying to help and...then he'd just kissed her and shout that yes, she WAS a goddess, a divine spirit sent to protect them. He was rather sure that they would be praying to her for centuries to come. Angel had just shook her head fondly at him for that and he'd shrugged, responding that he was the Lonely God, it was time she was upgraded from 'angel' to 'Goddess,' as she already was in his mind, which had earned him a very nice kiss from her.

"I can't see it, my love," she reminded him.

"What about you sweetheart?" he looked at Ayla, who squinted at the paper but frowned and shook her head, "That's alright," he dropped a kiss to her head, "My girls," he whispered, smiling at them with a soft look in his eye, "My geniuses."

"Your psychics," Angel countered, poking him lightly in the chest as reminder, despite being confident, she was still well aware that she really wasn't all that clever. One could be confident in themselves if not confident in their intelligence.

He laughed, taking her hand as it poked him and holding it, before pointing at himself, "Your thief."

"What is interesting?" Nefertiti called, having tried to get a glimpse of the paper from over his arm, getting a bit too close to him for his liking.

"Nothing!" he said quickly, jerking back, "Not at…" and then he glanced back at the paper, seeing more to the message, "Oh! Never been there, exciting!" he quickly took Angel's hand and pulled her into the TARDIS to head out…

Though Nefertiti managed to slip in just before the doors shut.

~8~

A large ship that seemed to be a mess of lines with blocks on the end moved towards Earth.

~8~

In the Military Headquarters of Earth, in the year 2367, a lovely Indian woman, Indira, was explaining the situation to the Doctor and Angel, who stood before a large screen, watching the ship, Ayla before them, Angel's arms encircled around her. Both girls were back in their usual outfits, now that it was a bit more chilly than Egypt, which had made the Doctor pout and Angel laugh.

"Craft size approximately ten million square kilometers," Indira sighed, showing them the footage of the ship heading towards the planet.

"A ship the size of Canada, coming at Earth very fast," the Doctor muttered, "Any signs of life?"

"We sent up a drone craft, it took these readings."

The Doctor knelt down to Ayla's height, putting his arm around her and pointing at the information, "Crikey Charlie," he tickled her stomach, making her giggle and squirm, "Look at that! Ooh, I know someone who'd love a look. And the Ponds!" he stood up.

"Oh course," Angel laughed at his enthusiasm, "We have to have the Ponds!"

They hadn't seen them in...years really. And this would be an interesting trip, she was sure. Despite the Doctor's promise to stick to the shadows, and he had, remarkably well given his track record, he was always so eager to take Ayla on adventures, which their daughter loved dearly. The girl was so curious and so excited to see all the wonders the Universe had in store for her. And she knew that the Doctor was very...grateful for that. Neither of them could really ever see him being 'domestic' as he had said he _could_ do and would do if they ever decided to settle down. Ever decided being the operative words, but they both knew they wouldn't.

The 200 years with the Doctor, trying to find Ayla had done more than just renew and strengthen her trust in him and her confidence in herself, it had...made her excited to see the Universe as well. At first, starting to travel with him, she was more...going along for the ride, then going with him to see what her Mate saw, then...it sort of tapered off and she was distracted by trying to get him to remember, it was more of a fond 'what happened happened' sort of thing before he'd forgotten, both of them just taking whatever adventures came. After he'd remembered, trying to find Ayla, they saw SO many sights and planets and species...but she hadn't been able to enjoy them, especially because she had been trying to learn about the Silence in the process. All those planets and times she'd missed cherishing had come back to her, with Ayla. She actually... _wanted_...to go out there and see the Universe now, something she hadn't ever considered on Gallifrey despite being in charge of raising the ships that would let her do it. She wanted to see what the Universe could off with the Doctor and Ayla, as a family.

"Haven't seen them in ages," the Doctor agreed, standing and putting his arm around her waist, kissing her temple, before glancing at Nefertiti and Indira, "I'm riffing, people usually stop me when I'm riffing, or carry on without me."

"Or just enjoy the lecture," Angel added.

He beamed at her, "Yes," he looked at her softly, "You know, you're the only one who's ever loved listening to ME talk," he murmured, "Most people tell me to shut up."

"I always have, and always will, love the sound of your voice my love," she told him, a playful smile coming to her face, "Even more than you do."

He chuckled, leaning in to kiss her gently, "I will always love your eyes, and your smile, and your nose and your..." he was cut off when Angel put a finger to his lips to quiet him.

"The feeling's mutual," she whispered to him.

He grinned and grabbed her hand, kissing her finger before kissing her palm, about to kiss her again when...

"Can you communicate with this craft?" Nefertiti cut in, interrupting their moment.

The Doctor sighed, dropping his head to rest against Angel's, smiling when he heard Ayla giggling at the action, and looked over at Indira who was eyeing Nefertiti oddly, "She's with us, begrudgingly," he told the woman, whispering, "Stowaway."

"It IS a good question though," Angel commented, "Indira?"

"No," Indira shook her head, "No response on any channel in any recognized language. If it comes within 10,000 kilometers of Earth, we send up missiles."

"Oh, Indira," the Doctor's face fell, reaching out to put a hand on Ayla's shoulder, not liking that, he didn't want her to learn to respond to a treat with violence, "I liked you before you said missiles. How long till the ship gets that close?"

"Six hours, nineteen minutes," Angel answered as Indira moved to answer.

"Right," he nodded, trusting her, she was spectacular with time, "Better get a shift on then! Leave it with us. Come on then, Neffy! We're going to need help."

Ayla excitedly grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulled him to the TARDIS, "Uncle Rory!"

Angel had to laugh at that, she certainly loved her uncle Rory.

~8~

On the African Plains, in 1902, a lone hunter sat at a small campfire in the middle of the night, eating his dinner.

"More stew?" the Doctor called as he popped up in the dark, startling the man.

"Where have you _been_ , man?!" the hunter swallowed his food, looking at the Doctor as he sat down on a log to the side of him, "Seven months! You were popping out for some liquorice for Ayla! I had two very disappointed dancers on my hands! Not that I couldn't manage. Speaking of Ayla, where is my favorite little girl?"

"Right here Riddell," Angel called as she and Ayla walked up hand-in-hand.

Ayla giggled and ran over to the man, "Uncle John!" she cheered, scrambling onto his lap as the man laughed and hugged her.

The Doctor took a moment to smile at that, Ayla's family just kept growing, didn't it? Almost every friend they came across she just won the hearts of. She'd taken the idea and notion of family even further than Angel did. While Angel tended to reserve those spots in her hearts for their companions and their families, Ayla had just...well, anyone who was a friend, anyone they tended to meet more than once really, became an Aunt or an Uncle or a Cousin. It was...very in the spirit of her age, being a child, she saw friends and family everywhere. It was like how a child could go to school and come away, within the hour, having a best friend and a group of other friends. Ayla just...made family instead of friends more often than not. And they HAD run into Riddell a few times.

They'd gone to the African Plains a while ago for a campout, made smores and things, and...in his luck...attracted a lion. Luckily for them, though unluckily for the lion, Riddell had been hunting it at the time. Having seen the family there, seen Ayla, he hadn't been able to bring himself to fire at the lion in a 'kill shot' but instead fired into the air to spook it and managed to scare it away. He'd given up quite a big game for them and Ayla had latched onto the man for 'not hurting Aslan,' she really was quite fond of lions. They'd asked her why ones and she'd said because THEY were lions. She'd said that her daddy was a big old lion, he was very intimidating when he wanted to be, but could be a big softy with his 'pride' and was very protective, the king of the stars! And her mother was a very caring lioness, very regal and graceful and very determined to protect her daughter. And she liked cats and they were big cats and asked if she could get a kitty. Which had the Doctor grimacing slightly, still not a big cat person, but Angel had just said no, gently explaining that she didn't really feel comfortable having animals around.

Which the Doctor found odd given how good she'd been with so many others, like the Krafayis and the Star Whale. She'd just said that was exactly the reason. She did love animals, but she thought they ought to be free and keeping one locked up in a house or a TARDIS or training them to do things for treats was terrible. She'd likened it to him really settling down with a house and windows and doors and carpets, which he'd understood, and so had Ayla thankfully.

"I've got something for you, my dear," Riddell turned, pulling out a 'safari hat' and dropping it on her head, a bit too big for her.

"It's too big!" Ayla laughed, trying to look at her parents from under it before pushing it back a bit.

"Riddell, listen," the Doctor said as Angel moved to sit before him on the ground, her back resting against his legs, as he absently put his hands on her shoulders, "We've found...well, something."

"No, no, no, no, no, no. I shan't fall for that again," he paused, looking down at Ayla, grinning excitedly up at him, fidgeting really, and smiled, knowing that if the girl was THAT excited, it had to be something good, "What is it?"

"Not even I know," Angel told him, surprising him, the man all too aware she was psychic when she'd ended up saving his life once, "Would you like to come with us and find out?"

He smirked.

~8~

Rory and Amy stood beside a ladder, holding it steady as Rory's father, Brian, stood on it, changing the bulb of the ceiling light, "I think it's the fitting," Brian remarked.

"Dad, it's not the fitting, it just needs a new bulb," Rory sighed.

"You're wobbling the ladder."

"I'm not!" he held up his hands.

"I don't want another loft incident."

Amy smirked up at him, "How's my side, Brian?"

"Perfect as ever, Amy," he smiled down at her.

"Thank you, Brian!" she shot Rory a victory smirk.

"I don't know what he said to you to make you marry him, but he's a lucky man."

Amy and Rory looked around as a wind began to blow around them, the sound of the TARDIS getting louder.

Rory shook his head, whispering to Amy, "Not here! Not now!"

"Did you leave the back door open?" Brian asked.

"What is he _doing_?!" Rory looked at her, frantic, knowing it had to be the Doctor's doing, Angel wouldn't have done this.

"I'm going to kill him!" Amy muttered as the TARDIS materialized around them, three of them appearing within it.

"Hello!" the Doctor shouted from where he was working the controls, Angel sitting in the jump seat with Ayla in her lap, her arms around the girl as they both watched on, amused, at how he'd not noticed Brian, "You weren't busy, were you? Well, even if you were, it wasn't as interesting as this probably is. Didn't want you to miss it. Now, just a quick hop," he pulled a lever and the TARDIS headed off through time and space, heading for the ship, "Everybody grab a torch!"

He grabbed one as Amy, Rory, Nefertiti, and Riddell did the same, pausing when he reached Angel and Ayla getting up, "Not you though," he kissed Angel quickly, "You glow brightly enough, wouldn't want to blind the others."

Angel smiled softly at that and gave him another kiss in return, only for him to take a moment to deepen it as he often did whenever she tried to give him just a quick peck. She wasn't sure if she just hadn't noticed before or if this body was just more aware, but the Doctor was very sweet to her, all the time. But she assumed it must have had something to do with the ease he felt now, Kovarian and the Silence thought they were dead, no one was coming after them, River was locked away, and he was working on a way to keep things as quiet as they had been, erasing himself from time, inspired by what Oswin did to the Daleks. There was still that whole fall of the Eleventh thing, but it was quite a long way off, indefinitely if they chose it to be. For once, they had no true danger lingering around. No Bad Wolf following them, no Saxon watching them, no bees disappearing, no Gates popping up, no cracks through time to worry about, no Silence lurking in the corner. For once, everything was calm and safe.

Relatively safe.

The Doctor beamed as he pulled away, taking her hand and tugging the two of them on, past Brian, who just dropped his light bulb, and out into the dark corridor of the ship.

Ayla hesitated a moment, clutching at the cloth of her father's pant leg at the darkness beyond, she really REALLY didn't like the dark. It had always been too dark with the Silence, too...bad. She didn't like it because she always felt like...they were hiding there, in the shadows, out of sight, like they were in memory. Like they were just waiting, unseen, for the chance to grab her, even though she knew her parents had taken care of that and the Silence had NO idea they were alive.

She still didn't like the dark...

But luckily, something else pulled her attention as her father flashed a light around, "Charlotte!" Ayla called, dashing over, and pulling the Doctor with her, to a spider crawling on a web in the corner.

"Spiders," he nodded, realizing Ayla was talking about the last bedtime story he'd read her, "Don't normally get spiders in space."

The others stepped out and looked around.

"Uncle Rory!" Ayla cheered, turning around and running for her uncle, she hadn't seen him standing on the other side of the ladder but she saw him now and he was FAR more exciting than any old spider. And it was her uncle Rory! He had protected her even before she'd been born! If anyone could keep her safe in the dark besides her parents, it was him!

"Ayla," he laughed, scooping her up and hugging her, "How's my special girl?"

Amy had to smile at that, he was so good with children.

"Uncle?" Brian stepped out, stopping short more so at that than the spaceship he was standing in. As far as he knew, he only had _one_ child, Amy was an only child as well...

Before Rory could explain that it was an affectionate title, not entirely off as he _did_ see Angel as a sister, the Doctor shouted, "Don't move!" he strode over to Brian, glaring as he stepped between him and Rory-who-was-holding-his-daughter, suspicious of the man, as he always was whenever someone new was introduced to his daughter, "D'you really think I'm that stupid I wouldn't notice? How did you get aboard? Transmat? Who sent you?!"

"Calm down my love," Angel walked over, linking her arm with his, recognizing the man from the wedding, Rory had been THRILLED she was there to introduce her to his own family, "That's Rory's father."

The Doctor turned to Rory, "Well, frankly, that's outrageous."

"What?" Rory stared at him, setting Ayla down.

"You think you can bring your dad along without asking? I'm not a taxi service, you know!"

" _You_ materialized around _us_!"

"Oh," he blinked, looking at Angel, "Why didn't you warn me?" he knew she knew, he'd seen her with a small smirk on her face as she graciously let him pilot this time.

"Ayla wanted to see her granddad," she shrugged simply. She _did_ know he'd get the landing wrong and end up with Brian, but...Ayla hadn't really met the man yet and she knew from stories SHE had told the girl that the man existed. It wasn't right that she met her Granddad Wilf and others but not Brian.

"Well," the Doctor nodded, smiling, if Ayla wanted it, "That's fine then. Hello, Brian, how are you?" he turned and shook the man's hand, recognizing him now, "Welcome, welcome!"

"Nice to see you again Brian," Angel stepped forward to hug him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Brian just stared at her, he'd never met the girl before he was sure.

"I'm Angel," she added, seeing and sensing his confusion.

"No you're not," he frowned. He'd met that Angel girl at Rory's wedding, his best friend he'd called her, from school or something, she had black hair and grey eyes and she was...a bit younger than this woman.

"Sorry," she winced, realizing that he hadn't met her again since she'd regenerated, "New face."

"New what?"

Before she could answer, Ayla darted forward, "Granddad!" and launched herself at him, the man barely having a chance to catch her as she hugged him tightly, stunning him all the more.

"What?!" he shook his head. So, _so_ confused, Rory didn't have a child that he was aware of!

Amy nudged Rory, "Tell him something, quick," she hissed.

"Yes, thank you," he rolled his eyes, heading over to his father, who was staring at the little girl with wide eyes, then Rory and Amy, even more confused as to whether the girl was theirs and if so, why he'd never met her.

The Doctor, on the other hand, turned around and smiled at them all, "This is the gang. I've got a gang, yes!"

Angel laughed, "Haven't had that since the Krillitanes eh?" she smiled.

"Ooh," he grimaced, "Nasty chips," before he smiled, "We should get some regular chips after this. Fish 'n' chips, how's that sound?"

"Sounds lovely, but we need to sort this out first," she reminded him.

"Right then, come on everyone!" he took her hand and they headed off down the hall, trusting Rory and Brian to bring Ayla with them, knowing Rory would protect the girl with his life if need be.

"I'm not entirely sure what's going on," Brian turned to Rory, the girl still clinging to him as he absently patted her back, unsure what else to do.

"Ayla," Rory gently pried the girl out of her 'granddad's' arms, "Why don't you go help your mummy keep your dad out of trouble."

"Ok," Ayla dashed off to Angel, taking her hand and walking on.

Rory sighed, turning to his father, "You know when Amy and I first got married and we went travelling?"

"To Thailand," Brian nodded, seeming a little relieved...and even disappointed...that the cute little girl wasn't his son's.

"More the entirety of space and time. In that police box."

Brian looked behind him at the blue box, his eyes wide.

"And Ayla," Rory continued, pulling the man's attention back, "She's Angel's daughter. You remember Angel from my wedding yeah?" he nodded, "We're really close, she's almost like a sister to me so I became Ayla's unofficial uncle, makes you her granddad."

Brian nodded along with that, following.

"Well, um, she and the Doctor are aliens, they can change their faces."

"Aliens?" Brian blinked, starting to feel overwhelmed now.

"Yeah," Rory nodded, "But one of the good ones."

Brian had just opened his mouth to ask Rory to explain it again...when a loud thudding sounded, shaking the ship. Rory grabbed his arm and they hurried to catch up to the others.

"Alright, where are we, and what is that noise?" Amy gasped, turning to the Time Lords, "And hello! Ten months!"

"Orbiting Earth," the Doctor explained, "Well, I _say_ orbiting, more like pre-crashing on a spaceship, don't know, and hello, Pond," he hugged Amy, "Ten months? Time flies. Never really understood that phrase."

"The TARDIS," Angel said simply, making him look over at her with a confused glance, she laughed, "Time literally flying."

He chuckled at that, winding his arm around her shoulder to kiss her temple, she was so clever like that, "This is Neffy, this is Riddell," he gestured to the two others following Amy, "They're with us."

"With you?" Amy frowned, feeling a bit...hurt at the thought that... "They're with you, are they the new us? Is _that_ why we haven't seen you?"

"No, they're just people. They're not Ponds! I thought we might need a gang."

Before he could elaborate, a grinding noise began to sound as a lift before them reached their level, "It's coming down," he commented.

"What is it?"

"No idea," the Doctor said, quickly putting a finger to Angel's mouth as she opened it to tell them what she sensed within, he wanted it to be a surprise. Ayla squealed excitedly, rushing around her mother to grip her father's hand, fidgeting, wanting to see.

The doors opened and a bright light blared through, a roaring noise sounded and two large animals were visible.

"Not possible!" Brian gasped.

"Run!" the Doctor called to the others, who took off, except for the Time Lords.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, stopping when she saw that.

"I know!"

"Dinosaurs!" Ayla cheered, squeezing his hand, jumping up and down now, dinosaurs were SO cool!

"On a spaceship!" the Doctor agreed, squeezing her hand back as two ankylosaurus stepped out, roaring.

Angel laughed and pulled the Doctor and Ayla away, running with Amy back to the others, down the corridor, Riddell in the front with his gun out.

"In here!" Nefertiti called, leading them into a small niche to the side. The Doctor slid to a stop, putting a finger on his lips, Ayla quickly doing the same as the dinosaurs roared and stomped closer.

"I could take one of them," Riddell whispered, pulling out a knife, "Short blow, up into the throat."

"But they're dinosaurs!" Ayla frowned.

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded, "We've just found dinosaurs, in space. We need to preserve them."

"And who's going to preserve us?" Riddell hissed.

"Well I've done a fairly good job preserving him," Angel nodded at the Doctor, "And no one and nothing is going to harm my daughter," she added, making the Doctor smile, motherhood really DID become her.

He felt his hearts clench painfully though as his dream came back to him yet again, Angela was...so dedicated to her daughter, like he knew Angel was and...it hurt him now to see that. The dream had reminded him of something, Angel had given birth to Ayla, the last Angel, and...she hadn't gotten to see her daughter returned. Her last self had lost her daughter and this new person had gotten her back. It...shattered his hearts to know that the last Angel had died with only the vague hope that she might live on to find their daughter, with hope that Ayla would be found but...knowing SHE wouldn't be the one to find her, to have her daughter back in her arms once more.

He looked at them now though, at his girls, Angel standing there with her arms locked around Ayla, their typical stance, Ayla's hands clinging to Angel's arms as she tried to peek out at the dinosaurs, and he couldn't help but smile at that again. They were happy now. Angel...she'd always had a different outlook on regeneration than he did. He'd always fought against them really, not wanting to go, not wanting to give up, not wanting to admit he'd been beaten, any number of reasons. He didn't want new men to take his place and be with the people he loved, until he'd forgotten Angel and realized...that was the only way to keep her happy, to not fight against it. Angel had been sound in theory when she'd tried to work out what had happened with his amnesia, it WAS possible for his mind to change things as he regenerated, and he REFUSED to let that become a reality again, he refused to let himself ever forget her willingly.

He would be a different man, yes, but he could be content in the knowledge that Angel loved HIM, Angel loved all of him, every him. She loved them all separately and in different ways and...she wouldn't love the next him any more or any less than she did the present him or the past hims. Well, that wasn't quite true, he grew more and more in love with her with each passing moment and he knew she felt the same. But...she would be happy, and that was all that mattered to him. And she was happy now, because she didn't see it as her last self not getting their daughter back, dying with the memory that Ayla had been ripped from HER arms, she saw it as...Ayla was back, simple as that. Her last self had lost her, this self had found her, and this self and all future selves would keep her safe and know that their daughter was back with them, that they were a family again.

Amy made a hush noise that reminded him the others were still talking and whisper-hissing while his mind had drifted, though they all fell quiet now, remaining still and silent as the dinosaurs continued on, their tails swinging merrily, knocking some loose tiles off the walls as their thuds shook the floor.

"Ok, so, how?" Rory asked, "And whose ship?"

~8~

The Doctor stood on a screen, a security footage playing, intruders had been detected.

"There's so much to discover," he beamed, "Think how much wiser we'll be by the end of all this."

~8~

"Sorry," Brian shook his head, "Sorry. Are you saying _dinosaurs_ are flying a spaceship?"

Ayla giggled at the notion, "That's silly Granddad."

"Brian, please!" the Doctor agreed, "That would be ridiculous. They're probably just passengers. Did I mention missiles?"

"Missiles?!" Brian gaped.

"Which you probably shouldn't have mentioned love," Angel told the Doctor before turning to Brian, "We didn't want to worry you."

"Anyway, six hours is a lifetime..." the Doctor tried to add, "Not literally a lifetime, that's what we're trying to avoid. And we're all really clever! Let's see what we can find out. Come on."

He took Ayla's hand and headed down the hall, spotting a room filled with vegetation, covered in spider webs, with banks of computer equipment in the back. He grinned, dashing in and pulling the webs off the screen, "Eugh!" he wiped his hand off on Brian's clothes.

"Daddy!" Ayla giggled, "That's rude."

"Sorry sweetheart," he smiled at her, tapping her nose, making her crinkle it. She most certainly was her mother's daughter.

"I'm sorry about him Brian," Angel moved over to the man, helping to take the webs off him, smiling when she saw a small spider on her hand and turned, holding it up to a higher web for it to crawl onto, "The ruder and less considerate he gets, the more excited he is."

"I'm not THAT rude!" the Doctor insisted, racing over to her and winding his arms around her waist from behind, spinning her around just as she had moved to turn back around, making her laugh.

"Brian's jacket, just a moment ago," she reminded him.

He set her down and turned her in his arms to face him, his arms locking around her, "But that was _Brian_ ," he told her, leaning in to tap his nose to her, "I'm never rude to you or Ayla."

"You shouldn't be rude to _anyone_ ," she told him, reaching up a hand to touch his cheek, "We're no different than anyone else."

"You are SO different," he whispered, looking at her softly, "You're the most important things in my life."

"And Brian is important to Rory, who's important to me," she added, not about to let him distract her with his really very sweet and remarkably distracting words.

He just chuckled, "You're not going to come up with an excuse for every single person on Earth are you?"

"I just might if you keep being rude," she laughed.

He kissed her forehead, knowing she really _would_ come up with some sort of method to that if given enough time. She'd work out how some man working a minimum wage job in a fast food restaurant in America was Amy's cousin's best friend's roommate's dog walker's uncle's third cousin's student or something like that.

' _I really would,_ ' she warned him in his mind, ' _Play nice._ '

' _I'm always nice,_ ' he countered.

' _Says the man on the naughty list,_ ' she smirked.

' _Well,_ ' he had to admit she'd caught him there, ' _You're nice enough for the both of us,_ ' and, before she could counter once more, he leaned in and really kissed her, thoroughly distracting her this time.

"How many dinosaurs do you think are on here?" Amy asked with a small smile, when they pulled away, resting their foreheads to each other. She had her arms crossed as she watched them, but she wasn't annoyed or irritated. Having seen how sad Angel had been for so long...she was all too happy to give the Time Lords any sort of moment she could for them to cherish.

"3,571," Angel answered promptly, till they stared at her, "At a guess."

"Brilliant," the Doctor smiled, turning to flash the sonic on the computer, turning it on. He walked over to it, Rory, Brian, and Angel with him as Ayla wandered to nearby flowers and began to look at them, Amy keeping an eye on the girl "Oh, well done, whoever you are. Looking for engines..." the screen changed, "Thank you, computer. Look at that, different sections have different engines, but these look like the primary clusters. Where are we now, computer? We need to get down to these engines..." he touched the screen and the four of them were teleported out.

"What happened?" Nefertiti blinked at their sudden vanishing act.

"Oh, great!" Amy grumbled as Ayla giggled.

Ayla shook her head, "Daddy wandered off."

Amy rolled her eyes, "Tell me about it. He ALWAYS wanders off."

~8~

The small group looked around at the beach they were now standing up, the ocean stretched out before them under a dreary overcast sky.

"...and find out how..." the Doctor finished, trailing off as he saw where they were was not where they had been moments ago.

"What?" Rory gaped.

"We're outside," Brian mumbled, "We're on a beach."

"No, I don't think we are," Angel countered with a frown as she looked around, she couldn't help but feel like they were still in the ship.

The Doctor worked it out, "Teleport! Oh, I hate teleports. Must have activated on my voice."

"Ah, yes, well, thank you, Arthur C. Clarke!" Brian snapped, "Teleport, obviously, I mean, we're on a spaceship, with dinosaurs, why _wouldn't_ there be a teleport? In fact why don't we just teleport now?!" and with that, he stormed off.

Angel watched him go, concerned, and turned to Rory, "Rory is he ok?"

"He hates travelling," Rory explained, "Makes him anxious. He only used to go to work at the hospital before he retired. Now he just goes to the paper shop and golf."

"What did you bring him for?" the Doctor complained.

"I didn't! Why can't _you_ just phone ahead like any normal person?"

"Can somebody tell me where we are, now?" Brain asked, coming back over, trying to be calmer, trying to work out what exactly was going on.

The Doctor moved to stick his tongue out but Angel just put a hand over his mouth, "We're still on the ship," she told him, laughing when he grinned and kissed her palm as he pulled her and away.

A large bird flying above them suddenly screeched, making Brian look up, "Is that a kestrel?"

"I do hope so," the Doctor said, before turning to Angel, "The ship you said?" she nodded, "Why don't you teleport us back to Ayla and the others?"

She hesitated, wanting desperately to do that, really NOT liking leaving Ayla anywhere they weren't, even though she trusted Amy and Riddell to protect her, but...she glanced around, "I don't think I should," she admitted, leaning forward to speak quietly, wanting Rory to be aware of it as well, "I get the feeling we're being watched."

The Doctor nodded, growing a little more serious at that, it was best not to expose their secret weapons if someone was observing them. But he didn't like how it meant Ayla and Amy were off somewhere else and they were trapped on the beach somewhere in the ship. He had a feeling Ayla would be alright, Angel wouldn't have hesitated to get back to their daughter no matter who was watching if she felt, for even a moment, Ayla was in true danger. So that calmed him, if just for the moment, that their daughter would be ok till they could get to her.

But to get to her they had to work out where they were and where she was and what path to take, they needed a map of some kind. He trusted Angel to lead them right to Ayla, but to do that she'd have to focus on that a bit more, and he didn't want her to focus so much on that that she missed if the others or they themselves were in trouble. A map would be best, that way Angel would be undistracted.

Which, sadly, also meant he should do his best not to distract her either...oh the challenges life brought.

"The beach is humming," Rory called, having knelt down to touch the sand.

"Is it?" he felt the ground too, "Oh, yes!" before standing and brushing his hands off, "Right, well, don't just stand there, you two, dig!" he took Angel's hand and led her off, "We're going to look at rocks. Love a rock."

"Dig with what?" Rory called after him.

The Doctor just held up his hands in question but kept walking.

Brian, though, pulled a collapsible trowel from his pocket, "Ah! Well!" and got to work digging.

Rory blinked and stared at him, "Did you just have that on you?"

"Of course! What sort of a man doesn't carry a trowel? Put it on your Christmas list."

Rory sighed and squatted down, "Dad, I'm 31. I don't have a Christmas list anymore."

The Doctor spun around and threw his arms out, shouting, "I do!"

Rory gave him a thumbs-up as Angel shook her head and pulled the Doctor on. He knew that Ayla, bless that girl, didn't have a Christmas list, unlike almost every other child on the planet. He'd asked Angel once why that was, when he'd tried to think of what to get Ayla for next Christmas, Angel had just smiled and said that Ayla told them she didn't need one. She had everything she wanted, her parents, her family, the TARDIS, and that was all she needed to be happy.

He really loved that little girl, that she was so content to just be with her family for Christmas, that that was all she needed to have a happy one. And he promised himself, for as long as he was around, he'd make sure that Ayla had a very happy Christmas each time.

"There's a floor under this beach!" Brian shouted, hitting metal under the sand, pulling Rory's attention back.

~8~

The screen showed Rory rushing towards the Doctor and Angel, a man lying on a bed of a cannibalized room, watching them, "Doctor! Doctor!" Rory was shouting, "Angel!"

"Did you hear that?" the man wheezed, "Did you hear what he called him? Doctor! After all this time!" he glanced over at two dark shadows in the corner, "Bring them to me."

There was a sound of thumps as the two somethings left the room.

~8~

"Aunt Amy?" Ayla asked as she walked with Amy, Nefertiti, and Riddell down the hall, holding her aunt's hand as Amy insisted she do.

"Yes?" Amy glanced down at her.

"Where did mummy and daddy go?"

Amy sighed, "No idea, but we'll find them," she squeezed the girl's hand.

"There are clearly more than just two of those creatures," Riddell commented, looking around as he sipped something from a flask.

"Hey, put that away," Amy slapped his arm, "There are children present and I need you sober."

"It's medicinal. And I don't take orders from females."

"Then learn," Nefertiti glared at him, "Any man who speaks to me that way, I execute."

Riddell grinned, "You're very welcome to try."

"Sorry, what was your name again?" Amy turned to the queen.

"Lady of the Two Lands, wife of the Great King Amenhotep, Queen Nefertiti of Egypt."

"I'll be damned..." Riddell breathed, staring at her, wide eyed.

"Oh, my God!" Amy exclaimed, "Queen Nefertiti! I learned all about you at school. You're awesome! Big fan, high-five!" she held up her hand but Nefertiti stared at her, "Yeah, bit behind on that. You're _really_ famous."

"Shh! Listen."

They quieted, hearing a loud, rumbling snort.

Riddell lowered his torch to show a sleeping T-Rex on the ground just in front of them.

"Ok," Amy quickly moved Ayla behind her, "At a guess, T-Rex. Not yet full size. We're in the middle of a dinosaur nest."

"That's very bad," Ayla frowned, peeking out at the dinosaur from around Amy's legs, "Mummies don't like it when you sneak up on their babies."

"Exactly," Amy murmured, eyeing the dino.

"I propose a retreat," Riddell started heading back the way they'd come...till they heard more dinosaurs, "Or perhaps forwards."

"Agreed," Amy nodded, "Just don't wake the baby."

They made their way forward, Amy scooping Ayla into her arms, the girl's legs being too small to climb over the dinosaur. They carefully moved, Riddell stepping over the neck of the T-Rex, accidently stepping on a piece of paper on the other side, making it rustle.

The T-Rex snorted in its sleep...but remained asleep.

Riddell sighed and pulled his leg over, almost falling over before he regained his balance, grinning smugly at the women. Nefertiti just shook her head at him and turned to lead the way out.

"Who are you, anyway?" Amy looked at Riddell.

"That's Uncle John," Ayla told her, still in Amy's arms.

"John Riddell," he introduced, "Big game hunter on the African Plains. I'm sure you've heard of me too."

"No," Amy shook her head.

"You clearly have some alarming gaps in your education."

"Or men who hunt defenseless creatures just don't impact on history. Face it, she's way cooler than you," Amy poked Ayla in the stomach as the girl giggled behind her hand.

"And you, Amy?" Nefertiti looked over at her, "Are you also a queen?"

Amy grinned, "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Is mummy a queen?" Ayla looked up at her.

"Queen of the Universe," Amy nodded, "Which makes YOU," she nuzzled the side of the girl's head playfully, "A princess," which made Ayla beam to hear.

Amy had to laugh at that, they had a few pictures that Angel had take of Ayla and the Doctor having tea parties, Ayla dressed as a little princess. At first she had thought it odd that Ayla would dress like that, she didn't seem the sort to want to be a princess, to be 'better than anyone else' or anything. Angel had just revealed that Ayla liked dressing up like it because...princesses could be queens, and queens could help their people more than anyone. THAT made much more sense to her given what Ayla was like, of course the daughter of the Angel would think of using the title of 'princess' to help others and not as an actual title and right.

~8~

The Doctor stood before a computer in the middle of the rocks that Angel had led him too, having pulled up the engine readings, "You were right dear," he grinned at Angel, before turning to Rory and Brian, pointing at the readings, "See! Metal floor, screens in rocks. It was just a short-range teleport. We're still on the ship."

"No," Brian frowned, "We're outside, on a beach."

"No, it's part of the ship, dad," Rory sighed.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Well, it is quite ridiculous, also brilliant," the Doctor cut in, "Ayla should really be here to see this," he looked at Angel, "We can bring her later," he determined, before turning back to the humans, "That's why the system teleported us here, I wanted the engines," he turned and opened his arms, "This is the engine room! Hydro-generators."

Brian just stared at him a moment before turning to his son, "I have literally no idea what he's saying."

"Nor do I half the time," Angel admitted, "But I _did_ catch that bit," she looked at the Doctor, "It's a spaceship powered by water, by the waves."

The Doctor moved to put his arms over Brian and Rory's shoulders, "Fabulously impossible! Oh, think of the things we could learn from this ship if we manage to stop it being blown to pieces."

"Plus, not dying," Rory added.

"Bad news is, can't shut the wave systems down in time. Takes..." he looked up.

"Too long," Angel answered.

Rory looked at the screen again, thoughtful, "If these are the engines, there must be a control room."

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded, "That's what we need to find," he stepped past them and over to Angel, winding an arm around her waist, "Which is a good thing we have you dear."

She smiled, "Walking GPS eh?" she joked about how she always seemed to know which way to go when the occasion called for it, finding a room seemed to require less focus than finding a person, a person was always moving, a room stayed the same...for the most part.

He laughed, "Now, what do we do about the things that aren't kestrels?"

The men slowly turned to see the creatures screeching and flying closer, most certainly not birds.

Brian gaped, "Oh, my Lord. Are those pterodactyls?"

"Yes," Angel nodded.

"On any other occasion, I'd be thrilled," the Doctor admitted, actually growing serious, seeing that his _Mate_ was standing on the beach with him, "My Mate exposed on a beach, less than thrilled."

Angel blinked, "We should go, now!" she grabbed his hand and pulled him on, Rory and Brian running with them towards the cliff face.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Doctor, dealing with Neffy. I really wanted him to have an almost physical reaction to the events of the last two series, like how Angel kept flinching away from him after he remembered. I think it's sort of like...he feels like he betrayed his Mate and so his body is reminding/warning him of it whenever he's in a similar situation with other women :( I'm torn between feeling bad and being amused and touched by his reactions...but...I can also say it'll mean a serious FLUFF moment in the end ;)
> 
> Sorry if the last chapter was a little confusing at first, I didn't want to come right out and say 'it's a nightmare!' at the start, but I'm glad it was resolved and revealed for the most part by the end :) The theme for the original chapters will be the Doctor's nightmares. Despite getting Ayla back and Angel understanding about the amnesia/forgiving him the hurt he caused her...HE won't be able to let it go as easily what he did to her :( And with all he's seen and lost and suffered...all I can say is that...the last chapter isn't even the worst one yet }:)


	8. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: The Ships

Amy, Ayla, Nefertiti, and Riddell walked through another dark corridor, Amy and Nefertiti ahead, while Ayla walked between them and Riddell, the man frowned, seeing the little girl was tense, "What's wrong cub?" he asked her, stepping up beside her, he'd taken to calling her 'cub' in secret ever since he'd overheard her telling her parents they were lions.

Ayla looked up at him and he could see tears in her eyes, "It's dark," she whispered.

He stopped, glancing at Amy and Nefertiti as they walked on, slow enough where he knew he could easily catch up with them, and knelt down before the girl, taking her hands, "Are you, my brave girl, frightened of the dark?"

She nodded, sniffling, squeezing his hands and he could feel her shaking a little, "I don't like it," she told him, "You can't see what's hiding in the dark."

He gave her a fond smiled, "Well, then it's a good thing your Uncle John is here eh?" he gave her a charming grin, wiggling her hands a bit, "I've faced scarier things than the dark," he leaned in to whisper, "Like your mum."

Ayla gave a small laugh, "Mummy isn't scary."

He whistled, "Not to YOU, she terrifies me though."

And she did, even though she hadn't done anything to make him scared. But he saw it often enough in the animals he hunted, especially the females, especially the ones with young, they were...fearsome creatures. Mothers in general were...utterly the most terrifying beings in the Universe. They were so paradoxical. They were the kindest, most loving women ever, caring for their young, raising them, cherishing them...but threaten their young...and they transformed into the most frightening figures ever. He...hadn't seen it in Angel, he doubted the woman could ever truly be frightening, she really was kind and she'd faced quite a few scares when he'd been around them, and never got to that point. But...he knew it was there, the potential. He'd learned that, often, the most docile and tender mothers were the ones to stay _far_ away from when they were defending their offspring.

"Why?" Ayla frowned, not liking the idea of someone being scared of her mummy, her FATHER though...she knew a lot of people were scared of him. She didn't know why, he was silly.

"Because she loves you very much," he told her, "Like your dad. And...like me," he nodded, "I love you too cub," he smiled again, "And that's why you've got nothing to worry about, 'cos me, and everyone else who loves you, like Ginger over there," he jerked his head towards Amy and Nefertiti now a short distance away, "Will always protect you."

Ayla looked at him, "You won't let the shadows get me?"

"Not a single one," he promised, giving her a wink, "Now," he reached out and scooped her into his one arm, his gun held firmly in his other hand, smiling as he heard her squeal and giggle at the sudden move, knowing she'd feel better being carried and in someone's arms in the dark hallways, "Now you get to see how strong your Uncle John is!" he cheered, bouncing her in his arm a moment, seeing her smile, before he headed off after the girls.

~8~

"Where?" Brian shouted to the Time Lords as he followed them across the beach, he had no idea where they were headed but Rory and the Doctor had just taken off after Angel, following the girl as though she knew where she was going.

"Definitely away from them!" the Doctor called over his shoulder.

" _That's_ the plan?!" Rory scoffed.

"That's the plan!" he agreed, "Amendments welcome! Move away from the pterodactyls!"

Rory glanced over his shoulder to see the pterodactyls seemed to have started to circle them and were getting closer, screeching as they started to head right for them, "I think they might be noticing!"

"Amended plan, run!" the Doctor squeezed Angel's hand, rushing ahead to take the lead, needing to get her out of there.

He could feel his hearts pounding, his mind frantically racing to try and find somewhere safe to get them. It was almost worse than the Mating instinct when he was separated from her and she was in danger, because then he'd simply imagine so many terrible things that might be happening to her. But now...now he could SEE it, now he was aware, and now he had the chance to prove himself and protect her, get her out of there. And, after the dreams he'd been having, he'd vowed to _never_ ever let anything hurt Angel again, not that he hadn't already promised and been determined to keep it, he just...he had to get her out!

"Can't we just teleport or something?" Rory called as they ran faster.

"No, local teleport's burned out on arrival."

"What about Angel?"

"It's not safe," she told him, before looking over at the cliff face, pointing, "There!" she shouted, "Go there!"

The Doctor looked over, able to make out an opening in the cliffs, "Brilliant!" he cheered, managing to tug her closer to kiss her hand as they ran.

Rory looked back to see his father lagging, "Come on, run!"

"I'm trying!" Brian strained, he wasn't exactly used to running so much, he hadn't in ages. He preferred leisurely paces and taking his time.

They had _just_ reached the rocks around the cave when one of the pterodactyls dove for Rory, only for the man to be pulled forward by Angel, who had sensed the attack, right into the cave with the others.

Rory panted, leaning against the wall, all of them trying to catch their breath after that run, even the Time Lords...though it seemed they'd have a bit more breath to need to catch as the Doctor was currently kissing Angel off to the side, probably in thanks or joy that they were all ok again. He didn't know and frankly, he didn't care, he just smiled seeing Angel pull away with a light blush and a wide, utterly happy grin as she looked at the Doctor. He hadn't seen her be that truly happy till very recently, well, recently for HIM at least, Angel had called him periodically as she travelled, apparently a decade or two had gone by for the Time Lords where it had only been months for them. But still, she was happy and that really meant the world to him.

He'd always felt close to Angel, more than the Doctor, and that was expected, she was like him when they'd first met, quiet, shy, trying to do good, feeling not quite...adequate compared to their significant other. Both had had other people threatening their relationship with said other, even if the Doctor hadn't actively been as threatening as River was. Both had bonded, she'd talked to him, shared secrets with him, taught him so much and just...had the most unshakable faith in him that it just touched him. He'd never had siblings and he imagined, if he did, he'd really want a sister like Angel, he'd always felt SO protective of her, finding out that the Doctor was the cause of her past sadness has eaten him up inside, made him very angry with the Time Lord for not noticing, and he'd truly hurt for Angel to see her so sad.

But not anymore, because Angel was happy again. She really was, she was happy and laughing and smiling and she just...exuded joy. Granted, he hadn't met the Angel from before the Doctor forgot her, according to Jack there had been an _obvious_ difference between that Angel and the one who came to help Torchwood with the Miracle, ALL of them had been able to tell something was wrong. And even though he hadn't met that Angel, he KNEW, he just knew that this Angel, the way she was, how happy she was, was the Angel she was always meant to be. And to know that the Doctor was making her even more happy than he'd made her sad, tenfold really, it just...it made up for it in his mind. He'd always be a little...mistrustful of the Doctor when it came to Angel's hearts, he'd broken them once already, a 'fool me once, shame on you' sort of thing, but...he felt he could honestly say the man had come a LONG way in gaining back the trust he'd told the man he'd lost before Berlin. Because he could see it, Angel was genuinely happy now, with the Doctor and her daughter and the TARDIS and her family, just...with her life, and that meant so much to him to see.

"Are you alright?" Brian looked at his son, cutting off his thoughts, reminding him of the danger they'd just escaped.

Rory nodded and smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine, Angel's here after all," he winked at Angel who smiled in return as she turned to them, the Doctor winding his arm around her shoulders, her leaning into his embrace, "She takes care of all of us you know."

"Thanks Rory," Angel smiled at him.

Rory shrugged and turned to the Doctor, "What do we do now? There's no way back out there."

"Through the cave, come on," the Doctor nodded, heading into the caves, about to turn left.

"This way my love," Angel took his hand and pulled him to the right.

"Ah, yes," he entwined their fingers, "Thanks dear," and kissed her temple as she led them on, only for a thumping noise to sound before them, "That suggestion…" he glanced back at the men, "Was a work in progress."

"We're trapped!" Brian exclaimed, realizing that the thumping was likely a dinosaur heading for them, about to corner them.

"Yes, thanks for spelling it out."

"Doctor, Angel, whatever's down there is coming this way," Rory frowned.

The Doctor shook his head, "Spelling it out is hereditary, wonderful!"

Angel just smiled and tugged on his bowtie, "As is a love of bowties, it seems."

He had to smile at that, Ayla _was_ rather fond of her bowtie necklace, she'd even started to use little bowties as hair bows for her pigtails. He _really_ loved that about his daughter, that she had cherished a gift he'd given her so much that, even now, she still enjoyed them. She really thought bowties were cool, which meant, in his mind, that she thought HE was cool. And that...felt magnificent.

He blinked a moment, something Angel had said during one of their earlier adventures, all the way back when he'd first found her...when Rose had tried to save her father, at that wedding, that Sarah woman. Sarah had remarked that they didn't know what the baby was, boy or girl, and Angel...his mouth dropped open. She'd said to buy a bow, and HE'D asked bowtie or hair bow, and she'd just asked if it mattered. _Ayla_ wore bowties AS hair bows. He blinked and looked at Angel, stunned, had she known, even back then that they'd have a daughter?! No, no, that...that was truly impossible. Wasn't it?

It was, yes, it was...just a coincidence yes.

Right?

"That sound's getting nearer!" Brian called again.

The Time Lords looked over to see two large yellow robots appear before them, "We're very cross with you!" one of the robots pointed at them.

' _Dear?_ ' the Doctor looked at Angel, a bit confused as to why she'd led them _towards_ the robots.

' _They would have tracked us down,_ ' she explained, ' _I'd rather them find US than our daughter._ '

He nodded, squeezing her hand, that...made perfect sense.

~8~

Amy, Nefertiti, and Riddell, with Ayla still in his arms, stepped into another vegetated room, a computer bank in the center of it.

"Bit of weed killer wouldn't go amiss in here," Amy remarked as Ayla tilted her head at the computer and squirmed a little till Riddell set her down, Amy watching as the girl made her way to the computer.

"Whoever was running this vessel left in a hurry," Riddell remarked, glancing around the room as Amy followed Ayla.

"Maybe a plague came and took them," Nefertiti suggested.

"No," he shook his head, "There'd be corpses and bones."

"Unless the animals ate them."

"Whoa," Amy covered Ayla's ears gently even as the girl kept staring at the monitor, looking back over her shoulder at them, "Chuckle Brothers, lighten up, would ya?" she nodded down at the girl, silently telling them not to say things like that around her, giving them a look that they knew meant 'if the Doctor and Angel find out...' to which they nodded, agreeing to keep it down. She nodded, pleased, and pulled her hands away to rest them on the girl's shoulders.

Ayla pushed a button and the machine hummed to life, the lights coming on around the room as well.

"How did you know how to do that?" Nefertiti eyed the child.

"Mummy says my feelings are getting stronger," Ayla nodded, pushing another 'random' button, "That I should trust them more."

Amy smiled, running a hand absently down Ayla's hair, "Your mummy's very smart."

Ayla beamed up at her, "That's what daddy says _all_ the time," she turned back to the computer, picking up a small sphere that was sitting beside it and placing it in a tray, pushing it in as an image appeared, greatly staticed, but the audio playing.

"One hundred and seventeen years..." a man was saying.

"Data records," Amy guessed.

"Ship's owners?" Riddell asked.

"Could be. Come on, help us out..." she reached out to hit a few keys, helping Ayla.

"...will remain cryogenic..." the voice continued, Riddell turning around, hearing a low roar, "...space sleep...I will continue to work..."

"How about a picture?" Amy paused, leaning down to put her chin on Ayla's little shoulder, knowing the girl would probably find it faster than she could and that, one wrong move and she might end up erasing the footage, "Come on beautiful, find it for me?"

Ayla giggled and reached out to push a button, hesitating before hitting the one beside it.

"...far beyond our mapping..." the voice said as the picture slowly came into focus.

"That's my special girl," Amy cheered, tickling Ayla's stomach as the girl giggled.

"Look!" Nefertiti breathed, pointing at the screen, "It's beautiful."

A Silurian elder appeared, "I can't tell how far we have come. Far enough to avoid the destructive impact forecast for our planet. Far enough for me to feel a profound sense of loss..."

"What is that?" Riddell grimaced.

"It's a Silurian," Ayla told him, "Or Homo Reptilia, or..."

Amy gently put her hand on Ayla's mouth, hearing the tell-tale signs of a 'Doctor lecture' coming on, apparently the girl had met Vastra and the Doctor and the lizard woman had told her all about the mighty Silurian race. Ayla, for being much like Angel in her consideration, was _just_ as bad as the Doctor when a topic she knew a lot about was brought up. She'd once sat through the girl talking for 3 and a half hours about how 'time wasn't a straight progression of cause to effect' and something about wiggling balls of things.

~8~

The Doctor, his arm around Angel, was led down the corridor, walking ahead of the robots, Rory and Brian behind them, the robots in the back of them, their weapons aimed to keep them moving.

"You're going straight on the naughty step!" one of the robots stated.

"What's the escape plan?" Brian whispered out of the side of his mouth.

"Why do we want to escape?" the Doctor glanced back at them. Really, the longer they kept the robots and whoever sent them distracted, the safer Ayla would be. If they escaped now, he knew Angel was right, the robots would follow them right to Ayla and he would NOT have that.

"They have us hostage!"

Rory sighed, having already worked it out by the fact that Angel hadn't used the Vortex on the robots just yet, "They're taking us somewhere. We might learn from it."

"Oh, you see?" the Doctor beamed, pinching Rory's cheek, "So clever. I missed you, Rory!"

"We both have," Angel agreed, stepping away from the Doctor to link her arm with Rory's, making the Doctor pout at the action.

"Don't do that," Rory told the Doctor, though unable to hide his smile.

It still made him feel so happy when Angel said things like that, when she'd walk with him or talk with him. He knew the woman had an awful lot on her mind, the Doctor and her daughter's safety, River's hostility, the Silence should they learn the truth, what she'd done to the Daleks, but to see that she still cared enough to take the time to just 'hang with him' meant a lot. The fact that she'd pick walking beside him over holding hand with the Doctor at times meant even more. It meant that, despite having a family of her own, a true family instead of 'the family' as they'd taken to calling themselves, with the Doctor and Ayla, despite being with them for decades, she still thought he was important to her. And that was brilliant, to know that he wouldn't ever be 'replaced,' not as a companion, not as family. Like Mickey, he'd have a special place in her hearts and, even when she eventually took a new companion, he knew she'd talk about him (and Mickey) often and fondly.

He had to admit he was...hesitant when he and Amy had talked, really and truly talked after the Asylum, discussed their lives and their future and...children. Amy really _was_ truly scared of the Doctor's enemies trying to take another 'child' of hers, he still couldn't call River his child, she was his...daughter, in the most literal sense of the term, biologically his daughter, and that was as far as he could bring himself to call her. She wasn't his child, his little girl, his...anything. But he really _did_ want children, he'd always had, Amy knew that.

And that's why it was so hard.

In order to get Amy to attempt having children...she needed to feel safe, she needed to have a life like the other companions had built, on Earth. It put him in a very difficult position because...Amy was his wife, and he wanted her to feel safe and secure and happy, and he wanted children desperately, spending so much time with Ayla had just reaffirmed how much he did want a little girl or boy of his own, one he could really raise, hold as a baby, read stories to, raise properly. But, at the same time, he knew that it would mean...giving up the Time Lords and the TARDIS and everything...to build a life on Earth they couldn't keep disappearing for months on end with the Doctor's piloting.

He...was a bit suspicious that Angel might be aware of it or sense it at least, their confliction with wanting a life and a child...and not wanting to give up the life they had in the TARDIS. Earth life would mean...not seeing the Time Lords as often, like with the other companions, seeing them only on holidays some years. It meant not being able to spend time with Ayla and see her grow up, but also meant that he'd be able to watch is own child growing. He and Amy were so...it was such a hard choice because they wanted both, but they knew they'd have to choose. It was why he was suspicious of Angel, because...it felt like she and the Doctor were weaning them off of the TARDIS life, the gaps were further and farther between adventures. Yeah, they popped in here and there but the real adventures, like this one, didn't happen as frequently. It had been 10 months this last go of only having a phone call here and there.

It was like the Time Lords knew that they'd want to settle down, escape the danger in order to start a family and were trying to make it easier...but sometimes, easy couldn't be found and it was just...hard.

"What if they kill us?" Brian fussed.

"They won't Brian," Angel looked at him, "Trust me."

"How do you know?!" he continued, growing frantic.

"Because they wouldn't do that!" the Doctor agreed, turning to one of the robots and slapping his chest, not quite sure how Brian would react to finding out Angel was psychic on top of alien, "You're not going to kill us, are you, Rusty?"

"Who are you calling Rusty?!" it demanded.

"Have you seen yourself lately?"

"You try being on this ship for two millennia, see how YOUR paintwork does!"

"Halfway there and you look...fantastic," Angel whispered to him, smiling as she move to his side again, taking his hand as she rested her chin on his shoulder, "Possibly more foxy than before," she added with a wink and a mischievous smile.

"And you," he turned his head to rub his nose to hers, "Just look more and more gorgeous every day."

"Don't listen to him," the other robot turned to its partner, ignorant of the little Time Lord moment, "He's just being mean 'cos we captured them."

Brian looked around as the robots continued to bicker, his eyes widening, "Oh, my goodness..."

Rory turned around, "Whoa."

The Doctor smiled, seeing what they had, a triceratops moving around a corner towards them, "Ooh. Herbivore, Brian, don't panic. Triceratops. Ha! Beautiful."

"Hello my lovely," Angel knelt down as the dinosaur ambled right over to her. She laughed, petting it lightly as it snorted into her hand, clearly very happy with the attention.

"Shall I shoot it?" one of the robots wondered.

"We're not supposed to shoot the creatures, stupid!" the other countered.

"Stop calling me stupid!"

"'Rargh' yourself!" the Doctor moved to pet the dinosaur, but it roared at him, making Angel laugh.

"Be nice, please," Angel continued to pet it, laughing a bit at how the dinosaur made little growls when the men tried to pet it. She laughed as it reached out and licked her all over the face, "Oh stop it you," she smiled, standing up, trying to wipe her face off.

The triceratops stared at her a moment as though waiting for her to pet it again, before turning to Brian and moving closer.

"What do I do?!" he gasped, "What do I do?!" he looked down in horror as the dinosaur started to sniff him, "What's it doing?!"

"It can smell the grass on the golf balls in your pockets," Angel explained.

Brian stared at her, "How'd you know I have golf balls on me?"

"Oh, um," Rory smiled, a bit embarrassed he'd forgotten to mention that particular detail about Angel, "Angel's sort of psychic."

"What, really?" Brian looked at her.

"What're you carrying those around for?" Rory shook his head, thinking that might be a more important question.

The triceratops just licked Brian's face as it did Angel, "Urgh! Eurgh! Argh!"

"Aww," Angel smiled.

"Bless," the Doctor laughed, thinking, perhaps, they ought to get Ayla a dinosaur...

' _No,_ ' Angel cut in, making him pout till she kissed his cheek.

"Get it away from me!" Brian cried.

"May I have one Brian?" Angel held out her hand and he gave her a golf ball, "Come here," she waved it before the triceratops, pulling its attention away before tossing it down the hall, "Fetch!"

The triceratops quickly dashed down the hall after it.

The Doctor patted Brian on the back, "And breathe out," he turned to the robots, "Right! Take us to your leader."

"Really?" Rory gave him a look.

"Too good to resist," he grinned, clapping his hands before reaching out to take Angel's hand, walking off with her.

' _You really shouldn't do that,_ ' Angel remarked as they walked on.

' _Do what?_ ' he glanced at her.

' _Ask to be taken to their leader, what if they want to meet YOUR leader instead? What would you do then?_ '

' _Well then I'd introduce them to you,_ ' he said simply and she gave him a look, ' _I'd follow you anywhere Nella, you lead, I'll follow, always._ '

She smiled softly at that, ' _So I'm the boss then?_ '

' _Yes, yes you are,_ ' he winked at her, ' _The boss, the president, the queen..._ '

His thoughts were cut off rather spectacularly as Angel leaned over and kissed him gently, neither of them noticing Rory shaking his head fondly behind them as his father looked on, confused, only Rory seeming to understand that a silent conversation had to have happened.

~8~

"Of the 50 species loaded," the Silurian Elder continued as the small group watched on, "Only one has had any difficulty in surviving. All the others are thriving and we expect them to be able to repopulate."

"We're on an ark," Amy realized, "A Silurian ark."

"Lizard people herding dinosaurs on to a space ark?!" Riddell scoffed, "Absolute tommy-rot."

"Only an idiot denies the evidence of their own eyes," Nefertiti glared at him.

"Egyptian queen or not, I shall put you across my knee and spank you."

"Oh, Lord," Amy sighed, moving to cover Ayla's ears again, knowing that the two would probably start flirting and using innuendo that the girl really _didn't_ need to hear. She knew Ayla was likely 50 or something by now, she honestly didn't know, but she still looked like a little girl and she still acted and thought like one.

"Try and I'll snap your neck in a heartbeat," Nefertiti's glare intensified.

Amy nodded to herself, yes, Ayla did NOT need to hear that.

"Mmm," Riddell smirked, eyeing Nefertiti appreciatively, "Well, they certainly bred firecrackers in your time."

"Aw, no, no, no," Amy taking her hands off of Ayla to plead with them, "Please, don't start flirting. I will not have flirting companions!"

Ayla giggled at that, "That's what daddy says about you and Uncle Rory."

Amy raised an eyebrow, "Oh does he?"

Ayla just nodded as Amy crossed her arms. with a small harrumph.

"If the Doctor trusts Amy, so do I," Nefertiti turned to Riddell, "Stop doubting her."

"If this ship was built by..." Riddell trailed.

"Silurians," both Amy and Ayla said.

"Where are they?"

Amy blinked, "Surprisingly good question," she turned to the computer, "Display life signs for Homo Reptilia…" she frowned when 'No Life Signs Detected' came up, "But where have they gone?"

"Perhaps they found another world, left the ship," Nefertiti suggested.

"Why are the dinosaurs still onboard?" Amy countered, "And why is the ship coming back to Earth? It doesn't make sense. What's changed between then and now?"

"Aunt Amy?" Ayla asked quietly, tugging on the hem of Amy's shirt, which was quite similar to the shirt her mother wore, except her mother's was more like a poncho thing than a jumper.

Amy looked down at her, recognizing that tone, that hesitant tone she often heard with Angel when the girl was getting a bad feeling of something, "What's wrong Ayla?" she knelt down before the girl, holding her hands.

Ayla bit her lip, much like her mother's last self often did, "The bad man sent them away."

"What bad man?" Amy stiffened, but Ayla could only shake her head, not sure. Amy nodded, realizing it was a 'feeling' and glanced at Riddell who stepped up, putting a hand on Ayla's shoulder to offer the girl comfort and a sense of protection, she'd seen him comforting Ayla in the hall before. She stood and turned to the computer, "Computer, show me the ship at launch with all life signals. Now show me the ship today with all life signals. Thousands less," she murmured, and if the 'bad man' had done that, been responsible for the Silurians disappearing...if the dinosaurs were still there, maybe he was too, which meant she had to find him and warn the others, "Show me both images, then and now, side by side."

"What are you looking for?" Riddell looked at the image of the ship, little white dots scattered around for life signs, him and Ayla creeping closer to look at it.

"Ok, two images, spot the difference. What changed? Where's the bad man hiding?"

"There!" Ayla pointed to the center of the ship.

"Computer, zoom in to the center," it zoomed in to show a small rectangular image in the middle of the ship's matrix, "Oh, no…"

"What is it?" Riddell frowned.

"Another spacecraft. Ayla's right, the 'bad man' boarded this ship...and he's still here."

Riddell's grip on Ayla tightened comfortingly as the girl shrunk back against him slightly at that realization.

~8~

The robots led the group to another ship attached to that one, clearly attached as it didn't fit the make of the larger craft, a gate barring the entrance. The Doctor leaned forward, peeking in, "Love what you've done with the place down here," he called, spotting a figure lying on a cot of some sort off to the side of the room.

"Let him in," a man called from within, "Open the gate."

One of the robots pushed a button and the gate slid open but the Doctor hesitated, taking Angel's hand, "Sorry, I don't go anywhere without the boss," he was _not_ about to let them be separated again, not after last time.

"Fine, fine," the man grumbled.

The Doctor smirked and stepped in with Angel, the gate shutting behind them.

"It's ok Rory," Angel called to Rory and Brian, "We'll be alright. All of us."

"He's not interested in YOU," the robot told Rory as he gripped the bars to the gate, watching closely.

"Look, you need to learn some manners," Rory turned to it.

"No, YOU need to learn some manners!"

"No, YOU do!"

"No, YOU do! Mr...Manners!"

"Children," Angel called, a soft smile on her face, though a slightly scolding tone to her voice.

Rory and the robot quieted as the Doctor sniggered beside her. He looked around to see the craft was most certainly quite a bit different than the one they'd been in, cobwebs covering all the machinery, dark, dank, dusty, and far more technologically advanced, smaller as well. There was a man lying on the bed, old, with long hair, dressed in black and seeming struggling to breathe or move.

"Fantasia in F Minor for four hands," the Doctor commented, hearing a song playing softly over the speakers.

"You know it?" the man eyed him.

"Know it? Say hello to hands three and four!" he grinned, holding his hands up, "Schubert kept tickling me to try and put me off. Franz the Hands. Oh, that takes me back. I think he was trying to impress you," he looked at Angel, starting to pout as he recalled the attention the man had lavished on HIS Mate.

"Which failed rather badly when Ayla bit him for trying to use his hands on me," Angel told him, with a laugh.

Truly the only time they'd seen their daughter act out was when Franz had gotten a little...too handy, with HER, and Ayla had bit him and pointed at him, chastising him in a way only a child could for being disrespectful of her mummy, which had made the Doctor SO proud to see his daughter do, get the best of the man...which had also served to temper his anger at seeing the man, albeit a bit drunk, touching his Mate like that. He'd ended up laughing all the way to the TARDIS.

"As though I'd be able to take my eyes off you anyway," she winked.

He grinned widely, winding his arm around her as they looked around, wandering about the small room to see what there was, "Well, this is...cozy."

"It's fate you came," the man rasped.

Angel frowned at that...

... _a flash of light crackled as the old man appeared with the two robots, teleporting in_...

'... _but I had the IV system scan the entire ship and it found something even more valuable. Utterly unique_...'

... _missiles flew through space, heading right for the ship_...

"I'm not sure it was," Angel murmured, not believing that, and when a psychic didn't believe it, it wasn't true.

"This is my Mate, the Angel," the Doctor grinned, as he always did to call her that.

"Nice to meet you," Angel said, more distracted by the room than really meaning it.

"And I'm the Doctor…"

"Yes, I know," the man cut in, nodding at a computer that had security footage up, making the Time Lords look at each other, realizing he had been the one Angel felt watching them, "I'm Solomon."

A computer beeped behind them and a blue light scanned them both.

"What's that?" the Doctor asked, tensing, if it was something that could harm Angel...

"System malfunction, ignore it."

' _He's lying,_ ' Angel warned him.

He nodded, he'd wagered that, "What happened to you?" he asked the man.

"He was attacked," Angel said, "By…three raptors. They cornered him, the robots rescued him."

Solomon stared at her, wide eyed, "That's correct…" his eyes roved over the girl, wondering how she could have possibly known that. Had she hacked into the ship's security footage like he had?

"Ah, yes," the Doctor glanced back at the robots, subtly moving in front of Angel to block the man's gaze, not liking it, "The robots. They're...unusual."

"I got them cheap, from a concession on Illyria Seven. The robots did as best they could with my legs, but...you can help me so much more."

"Oh, a 'doctor' doctor!" he nodded, "I see," he breathed into his hands, "Let's have a look," he moved over to the bed, lifting a blanket that had been draped over the man's legs as Angel wandered around, looking at the machinery, already knowing she didn't want to see the mess of the man's legs.

"They chewed through part of the bone in my legs."

"Yes, very nasty."

"But you can repair them."

He looked at Solomon, "If you tell me how you came by so many dinosaurs."

"Inj…"

"Don't you _dare_ finish that order," Angel turned to the man, a firm tone in her voice, "Hurt Brian, and none of us will help you."

The man stared at her again at how she had known he was going to order them to hurt the older man and not the younger, "Then I'll have them kill _you_ ," he glared, "That should be more than enough incentive for HIM," he smirked at the Doctor, "To… _help_."

The Doctor tensed.

"But you won't," she stated, not at all concerned he'd follow through.

His eyes narrowed, "And why not?"

"You've been watching us," she shrugged, putting her hand on top of the surveillance feed, "So you know that if you hurt me, the Doctor, and Rory, as much as I hate to say it," and she _did_ hate to say it, she hated death, "They'll kill you."

But she knew it wouldn't come to that.

The man tensed though, clearly HE didn't know it.

"And I'm harder to kill than I look, apparently," she murmured, she'd always come close...but no one ever really managed to kill her permanently.

' _And no one EVER will,_ ' the Doctor swore, a vehemence in his thoughts as he turned to Solomon, "I don't respond well to violence, Solomon," the Doctor stated, neither agreeing with, nor denying Angel's statement.

"And I don't like questions, Doctor," Solomon snapped, but didn't give an order like he'd been about to again, "You boarded without my permission. Now, fix me."

The Doctor let out a breath but stepped forward to help the man, just the threat that the man could have the robots attack Rory or Brian was enough. He knew Angel would probably sense it coming and try to stop them, but he couldn't risk her getting hurt in the crossfire and he knew she was still a little hesitant to really use the Vortex at the moment, what happened in the Asylum had really shaken her.

Rory sighed, watching the Doctor work, when Angel glanced over at him. He gave her a small thankful smile, knowing the man had been about to order the robots to hurt his father and that she'd stopped him. She gave him a nod in return before holding up her hand to her ear in a 'phone' motion.

...a moment before his mobile rang, making him roll his eyes playfully at that and her smirk.

"What's that?" one of the robots asked.

"Your phone's ringing," Brian stared at the mobile as Rory pulled it out, "In space!"

"You get used to it," Rory shrugged, looking at the ID, "I have to take this. The wife. Hello, Mrs.," he answered.

"Where are you?" Amy asked immediately.

"Still onboard. Met some pterodactyls and some rusty robots, that I'm going to melt down," he replied nonchalant as the robots glanced at each other, he was _not_ pleased that the robots had kidnapped them.

"Rory, this is a Silurian ship…"

He glanced back at the Doctor and Angel through the gate, Angel handing the Doctor some surgical tools he'd need from across the room, trying her best not to look at Solomon's legs in the process.

"How did you get onboard?" Solomon asked them.

"Oh, we never talk about ourselves with a gun pointed at us, I'm not a very talkative person when there are guns around my Mate," the Doctor waved him off, "Let's talk about you. Your cozy, little craft embedded in a vast, old ship," he started working on Solomon's legs.

"Very observant."

"I'm a Sagittarius. Probably."

"I'm transporting it to the Roxborne Peninsula."

"The commerce colony," he nodded, working it out, "You're a trader."

"I search out opportunities for profit across the nine galaxies."

"Ah, the purple light," he realized, "That's what it was. An IV system, Identify & Value. The database of everything across space and time, allocated a market value. Argos for the Universe. You were trying to find out how much we're worth."

"Would you like to know?"

They turned to the computer to see that 'No Identification Found' was flashing across it, making the Time Lords smile. They had been very, _very_ thorough, Oswin had inspired the Doctor with making the Daleks forget them, and he'd wanted to take that across the stars. Make sure no one would be able to track them down in space and time...which, Angel was suspicious, might have also been to try and prevent River from popping up as well. Sadly it hadn't worked, she had only appeared once or twice though which was a blessing. They had both wanted to ensure that no one would read about them, and think them a treat and come after them. Luckily Ayla was too young to be included in a majority of the stories and they were careful, if ever they had an adventure, to make sure that those they helped didn't make a big deal of it or write down much about it.

The Doctor was finally trying his hand at modesty.

"You don't exist," Solomon eyed them suspiciously, "Either of you. It's never done that."

"That's us," the Doctor remarked, "Worthless."

Angel shook her head and walked over to his side, kissing his cheek, "Priceless," she corrected quietly, making him smile as he rested his forehead to hers a moment before returning to Solomon's legs.

"Like these creatures you have onboard," he continued to the man, "Very valuable...given they're extinct," the device in his hand whirred and Solomon groaned, "Done, sit up. Very slowly," he moved to help Solomon up.

"Doctor?" Rory called, stepping up to the gate, "Angel? It's Amy," he held out the phone.

"I need to take this," the Doctor told Solomon, taking the phone, "Amy. Is Ayla alright?" he could feel that she was, both of them had that connection with their daughter now that they had found her. But still, he wanted the spoken reassurance.

"She's fine, yeah," Amy told them, "This is an ark, built by the Silurians. They were looking for another planet."

"Where are they now?"

"None onboard. I mean, thousands of stasis pods, all empty. And…"

"What?" he frowned.

"Ayla's been...feeling something," Amy admitted, "She says the bad man sent them away."

He nodded, tensing, knowing who that bad man was, "We'll see you soon."

He looked at Angel, who nodded back at Solomon, having heard them. He turned and gave her the phone. She walked over to Rory, handing it back, "Get ready," she whispered with a meaningful look.

Rory nodded, stepping back to speak to his father quietly as the Doctor turned to see Solomon standing, using a rather sharp looking cane, "The pain in my legs…" the man began, "It's gone. I can move them. Thank you, Doctor."

"What did you do to the Silurians?" he demanded.

He smirked, "We ejected them. The robots woke them from cryo-sleep a handful at a time, and jettisoned them from the airlocks. We must have left a trail of dust and bone."

The Doctor closed his eyes and shook his head, now wanting more than ever to get his daughter and Mate away from the man.

"Because you wanted the dinosaurs," Angel stated as the Doctor sat down dejectedly.

"Their ship crossed my path," he nodded, "I sent out a distress signal. They let me board. But when I saw the cargo, things became more...complex."

"Piracy and then genocide," the Doctor spat.

"Very emotive words, Doctor."

"My Mate is an emotive man," Angel defended.

"The lizards wouldn't negotiate. I made them a generous offer."

The Doctor scoffed at that, "The creatures onboard this ship are not objects to be sold or traded."

"I feel like you're judging me."

"You said Roxborne Peninsula, so why are you heading to Earth? You're on the wrong course. Oh," he blinked, working it out as well, "You don't know how. Ha! Brilliant. You couldn't change the pre-programmed course. Without instructions, the ship defaulted, returned home. Oh, dear. The Silurians outwitted you, even after you'd massacred them. So now you're a prisoner on the ship that you hijacked."

"Not now you're here," Solomon's eyes narrowed, "You're going to help me to where I want to go, Doctor."

"Little bit of news, Solomon. You're being targeted by missiles. Get off this ship..." he stood up, taking Angel's hand, "While you still can," before leading her away.

"You think I believe that? You just want them for yourself. You won't profit from me, Doctor."

The Doctor paused at the gate, "Don't _ever_ judge me by your standards," he turned and flashed the gate with his sonic, stepping out, "Well, don't just stand there, Rory!" he looked at the robots, "Hey, he wants to see you," he told them before pulling Angel off quickly.

"Dad, come on!" Rory grabbed his father's arm and they rushed off after the Time Lords, following them down the corridor.

"This way," Angel shouted, leading them down a corner, right to the triceratops.

"Brilliant," the Doctor grinned, running for the dino.

"What're we doing?!" Brian asked.

"Just do exactly as I do!"

"Doctor, no!" Rory called.

The Doctor just ran up some stacked crates and leapt onto the back of the dinosaur, "Geronimo!" he laughed, waving his arms for them to do the same as he held out a hand to help Angel up, Rory and Brian rushing to scramble onto the triceratops.

~8~

"Did you call?" one of the robots asked as they stepped into Solomon's room.

"What're you _doing_?!" the man demanded, "Stop them!"

"Alright!" the second grumbled, as they turned to leave, "Don't shout."

"Useless machines!" he snapped.

~8~

"Hold on," Angel called to the men as they made it onto the dinosaur.

"Go, Tricey!" the Doctor commanded lightly, "Run like the wind!"

The triceratops bellowed, but remained stationary, even as laser bolts flew at them from the robots behind them, though that was understandable as the bolts bounced effortlessly against a golden wall that sprung up behind them, courtesy of Angel, one of the blasts had shot out the security cameras, she was safe to use the Vortex for the moment.

"How do you start a triceratops?!" the Doctor grumbled.

"There they are!" a robot shouted.

"I know!" the second snapped, "I saw them before you."

Brian pulled out his second golf ball and tossed it down the hall, repeating what Angel had said, "Tricey, fetch!"

The triceratops was off after it.

"Ha ha!" the Doctor laughed, beaming as Angel wrapped her arms around his middle from behind, squeezing him tight as she held onto him, "That-a-boy! Yee-hah! Come on, Tricey! Woo-hoo!"

"They've stolen a dinosaur!" the robot shouted, rushing after them.

"I can see that!" the second remarked.

"Come on, Tricey!" the Doctor urged, "Faster, baby!" they shifted as the dinosaur ran around a corner, "Whoa!"

"They're turning off, we're losing them!"

"Which way did they go?" the other robot looked around.

"I thought you were looking!"

"No! Now they've got away."

"We definitely used to be faster."

Angel laughed as the voices of the robots faded the farther away they went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you love 'Uncle John?' I know I did :) I could see him, a big game hunter...and he's got such a sweet spot for Ayla, awww ^-^ Poor Ayla though, it seems the entire family will have to deal with some nightmares this time :( But...luckily they've got each other ;) And we see a little bit more of the Doctor and Angel popping up in Ayla :)
> 
> I'm really excited for the next chapter :) We'll see who Solomon might be after, a bit more of protective Uncle John, and fluff! Gotta love fluff! ;)


	9. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: The Missiles

"I'm riding a dinosaur!" Brian gasped as they all clung to each other, the triceratops taking off at breakneck speed, making them bob up and down from the force of the run, "On a spaceship!"

"I know!" Rory whooped with a laugh, grinning widely.

This was why it was SO hard to give up TARDIS life. He'd never thought he'd feel that way, having started in the TARDIS rather shakily, having not really been one for the adventures and the danger and how much the Doctor made people want to impress him...but then...he'd really gotten used to it, and stated to like it, and then love it. He was sure it had a lot to do with Angel though, because every issue he had with TARDIS life, she was always a counter for. She made sure he understood the adventures and made things interesting by taking time to enjoy them with him, talking with him, showing him things, even small things, that were just incredible. She'd even asked him where HE wanted to go at times, anywhere in time and space and she gave HIM the choice. He never really felt like he was in danger because, the more he was around Angel, the more he saw of the incredible things she could do, the more he trusted her to protect him, the way he tried to protect her. It was never so dangerous that he was truly ever afraid because, Angel was always in the back of his mind and he had the...not faith but knowledge...that she'd do everything to save him and protect him, keep the danger from really hitting. And...he couldn't really blame the Doctor for making people want to impress him with their bravery because, even though it wasn't the same, he sort of did the same with Angel. He was always trying to be braver and prove himself, but it wasn't to impress her it was more...to live up to the man she knew he could be. And THAT was why it was harder still, Angel...the man he was today was because of her, she made him a better man.

"I only came round to fix your light!" Brian added, shaking Rory from his thoughts.

"Come on, Tricey!" the Doctor patted the dinosaur, wanting to slow it down when they saw the dead end ahead of them, the dinosaur _still_ running, "Where are the brakes?!"

"Whoa!" they shouted as the dinosaur stopped, sending them flying off it and tumbling to the ground. The Doctor landed with an oomph on his back, his arms wrapped around Angel as she landed on top of him. She should have hit the ground first, but he'd managed to twist them mid-air so that HE landed more painfully than her. And that was fine with him, more than fine really, it was hard to notice the pain in his back when his Mate was in his arms, lying on top of him basically.

He grinned cheekily at her, "Still falling for me then?"

She laughed, dropping her forehead to his chest a moment, "Never stopped," she looked up at him with a cheeky grin of her own, "We always seem to end up like this don't we?"

He flushed bright red but couldn't help the laugh that came out of him, his hearts racing away. He knew she was talking about all the other times they'd fallen and he'd hit first so to protect her, but his mind, in the dark room with her so close and warm...his mind had gone somewhere...not quite there on the ship. He really...liked this about Angel, she flirted back a bit. He wasn't sure she even realized she was, but she did. Sometimes her comments were very flirty and charming and just...made him melt, yes made HIM melt. But, in a way, it was SO like her too. The first her he'd travelled with had been completely uncomfortable with the attentions of other men and their flirting, the next her just lost, all the innuendo going right over her head from other men, her third self, a bit flirty but more in a confident personality way, more teasing than anything, stopping the flirting of others with a tease back at them. And this her, it seemed like she didn't notice when others flirted with her, she didn't even seem to notice when her comments came across as flirty, but he was grateful it only ever happened when directed at HIM.

He loved flirting very, VERY much.

He reached up and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "It's a very comfortable position," he smirked.

"Really?" she nearly scoffed, "Because it seemed like you hit the floor rather hard my love."

He shrugged as best he could with her still on top of him, something he was loving a bit too much given they were on the run from robots, "Not really."

"Are you sure?" she gave him a small, disbelieving look, "Are you hurt?"

"Not with you right..." he squeezed her in his arms, "Here I'm not."

She smiled, leaning in to give him a peck, sensing he was being completely truthful, he really didn't feel much pain when she was with him. It was like she numbed it, erased it, soothed it, just by touching him or holding his hand. She...liked that, that she had that ability to comfort him on another level, a level no one else could.

"As long as you're with me," he whispered to her, "I can endure anything."

Her smile froze as she moved to stand and help him, his words...striking something in her. It was like...that would be tested, one day, sooner than she would hope. His thoughts that he could survive anything with her there...it...alarmed her, quite a bit. She didn't know what it was but...she felt like...it had something to do with Rory and Amy. She hoped, beyond hope, that it was merely the day that the two decided to stay on Earth permanently, like she and the Doctor both knew they were starting to lean towards. She really did hope it was that but...something told her it would be much worse.

She glanced at the Doctor, hoping he hadn't noticed, not wanting to distract him with the missiles around, and, luckily, he seemed to be distracted by the triceratops now that he was standing, he was over beside it, petting it, "Good Tricey!" he cheered as it plopped down to sit before them, the golf ball in its mouth, "Ok," he looked around, Angel doing so as well, spotting a small monitor in the wall and heading over to it, "Where are we now?"

"Doctor," Angel called, standing by the screen. She pushed a button but it was dead, and...she'd noticed that this new her was rather...terrible with anything that wasn't the TARDIS. It was odd, she could usually muddle her way through technology of other species, trying to find similar qualities to a TARDIS...but she'd realized very early that, when she'd accidently broken the computers operating the moving platform in the Androzani forest and sent the platform crashing to the ground, she wasn't exactly able to do that anymore. It was almost like...if it wasn't a TARDIS she was just completely lost. She knew she'd used to be able to make her way, make it up as she went at times, but in that particular area, even her intuition and senses failed her. She was just terrible with computers and all manner of other tech.

Which wouldn't be very good if she ever found herself alone and needing to work one.

' _Which will never happen,_ ' the Doctor called as he headed over to her with the sonic, flashing the monitor to try and switch it on, ' _I will always be there with my trusty sonic._ '

She smiled, ' _Unless you break it...again_.'

He pointed at her playfully, as though he were going to counter, when the screen of the monitor flashed to life and they could see Indira, "Incoming message from Earth," he turned back to it, "Hello, Earth! How are things?"

"Doctor, the ship's coming through the atmosphere," Indira told him, "I have to start the missile program."

"No. No, no, no, don't do that, everything's under control here, turning round any moment. Need a bit of wriggle room on the timings..."

"I can't do that."

"You _can_ ," Angel argued, "Indira, please believe me, we WILL stop this."

"Tiny bit more time, Indira, please," the Doctor added, "This ship contains the _most_ precious cargo...and I'm not just talking about my Mate and daughter," which really WERE the MOST precious cargo in any ship ever.

"My only responsibility is the Earth's safety," Indira frowned, "I'm launching the missiles. Goodbye, Doctor, Angel."

"No Indira!" he called as the image disconnected, "Hey, come back! Please!"

~8~

In the military HQ, the crew solemnly looked at the countdown that was commencing on the computer screen.

"Target identified," it announced, "Navigation systems locking on to target. Missile launch procedure initiated. Estimated impact: 30 minutes."

~8~

Ayla frowned as she stared at the computer, poking random buttons, trying to get a feeling of which ones to press to get more information, as Riddell sifted through a cabinet behind them.

"Now these are what we need," Riddell found some rifles, "Dinosaur protection!"

"No weapons!" Amy grabbed the gun from him, not willing to expose Ayla to that sort of violence, "There's a little girl..."

"I'm well aware," Riddell cut in, with a hard look, clearly offended that Amy would think he'd shoot something in front of a child, especially not dinosaurs, especially not when she'd gotten upset when he'd first mentioned taking care of one of them, "If you would care to look before jumping to conclusions?" he handed her the magazine, showing her what the rifles were used for.

Amy blinked, "Anesthetic," she realized, "These are stun guns," she looked at Riddell, "You're almost clever. Sorry."

He merely nodded, "Enough to make a dinosaur take a nap," he added, one more little dig at the assumption she'd made. Just because he was a hunter didn't mean he killed every single thing in front of him. Hunters knew you didn't attack mothers with young, you didn't leave an animal wounded and suffering, and so many other things, "Even Angel couldn't object to that."

Amy had to nod at that, Angel would have had FAR more of an issue with anyone shooting anything than the Doctor. Not only because of what had happened in the Asylum, Rory had told her, but because she just didn't like violence in general. The Doctor, she knew, would do whatever was needed to protect the people he loved, whether that meant taking up arms, like under the Byzantium or when they'd been dealing with the Pandorica, or releasing his 'darkness' to get what he wanted, like when they'd been searching for Demons Run. He would truly do whatever it took to keep Angel and Ayla safe, even if it meant stopping the dinosaurs in a more permanent way. He'd regret it immensely, but he'd do it if there was no other choice. Angel wouldn't want them harmed at all, no matter what. She'd want them safe but equally she'd want the attackers to not be harmed. Luckily, most of the time, she possessed the means to do so in a non-lethal way. But she felt like Angel would be more ok with the dinosaurs merely going to sleep than being seriously harmed.

"The Doctor would encourage it, of course," Riddell had to say as well, "To protect Ayla," he winked at the girl letting her know that he was very serious about protecting her.

He was fairly certain that was one of the reasons the Doctor had taken him along, because he would protect the people around him with his life...and possibly to distract Nefertiti from her advances on the man. He'd noticed, first getting in the TARDIS, that Nefertiti had been quite taken with the Doctor and it was truly bothering the man, and well...Nefertiti, even before he knew who she was, was...intriguing and he'd be more than happy to take the lady off the Doctor's hands.

"You and the Doctor, Amy..." Nefertiti eyed her, "Are you his queen as well?" she was almost certain the other woman, Angel, was the Doctor's queen, he had a child with her after all, but she knew _many_ kings with more than one wife, and if he had more than one...perhaps he'd like to add HER to his list as well...

"No, no," Amy grimaced at the thought, whether from the question of being the Doctor's 'wife' also or being anyone but Rory's no one knew, "I'm Rory's queen. _Wife_ ," she corrected quickly, "I'm his _wife_. Please don't tell him I said I was his queen, I'll never hear the end of it."

Ayla just giggled, "Mummy's daddy's queen," she told her aunt with a short glance over her shoulder, "Daddy says it all the time."

Nefertiti eyed the girl before glancing at Amy again, "And the Doctor, does he have more than one queen?"

"No," Amy laughed at that, truly actually started to laugh heartily at it, at imagining the Doctor even glancing at another woman, well...not counting that mess with River, but he'd been amnesiatic at the time, now though...oh she'd seen SO many women making eyes at him and he'd just get all flustered and uncomfortable and try to leave, it really was quite funny, "It's just Angel for him. Only Angel. And I thought you _had_ a husband."

"A male equivalent of a sleeping potion," Nefertiti said dryly.

"You clearly need a man of action and excitement," Riddell commented, "One with a very large weapon," he cocked the rifle and headed for the door.

"So, human sleeping potion or walking innuendo," Amy muttered, hoping that had gone over Ayla's head, even _Jack_ toned down his innuendo when Ayla was around, which greatly amused the Torchwood team to see him floundering in attempts to cover up the ones that slipped through, "Take your pick," she shared a smile with Nefertiti.

"Mummy!" Ayla cheered suddenly, "Daddy!"

They looked over to see the Doctor, Angel, Rory, and Brian had appeared on the screen, standing in a corridor, Ayla having managed to hit the right button.

"That's very bad indeed," the Doctor was saying, "Completely unhelpful."

~8~

Rory frowned, eyeing the screen as the Doctor paced, not quite sure what the man was going on about, though, given the search he'd begun running of weapons that might be able to take out the oncoming missiles, he had a good idea, "Doesn't this ship have any defense systems installed?"

Angel shook her head, "Doesn't seem so."

"What ship doesn't have weapons?" he scoffed.

"Quite a few of the ancient species don't," she smiled, "They were...as full of hope as the humans are."

"So that's where you came from," he muttered.

"What?" Angel looked at him, not quite having heard him.

"Well, it's just..." he shrugged, "You've always been the most hopeful person I know."

The Doctor smiled, wrapping his arm around Angel's shoulders, "That she is, the light in the dark," he kissed her temple.

It was SO true too. Not just because of the Vortex, not even because of her hopeful nature, but...the pair of them. They always joked they were opposites, Smith and Jones, Naughty and Nice, Lies and Truth, Destroyer and Creator, and, he knew, in the scope of the Universe, his...nature was far more dark than hers. She really was the light in his dark, the one that held it at bay, kept it back, kept it from consuming him. She was the light he clung to so as not to fall into the darkness that lurked inside him. So, in yet another way, Dark and Light. And he'd never been more glad of it, because, like the humans loved to say, opposites attract, and she was...very attractive.

' _Focus,_ ' Angel called, but he could see her blushing as his thoughts, rather on purpose, filtered over to her, letting her feel exactly how attracted he was to her, because words failed him to describe it.

"What about the control deck?" Brian asked, walking over to join them, "You said we should go to the control deck next."

"It's too late," the Doctor sighed, reminded of the danger, and turned away from the computer, "It won't make any difference."

"We could at least _try_ ," Rory argued.

"It won't work, Rory. The missiles are locked on."

"So, what? We're just giving up?"

"I don't know. I don't know."

"Actually…" Angel blinked, "We _should_ go there."

The Doctor frowned and turned to her, "Why?"

She opened her mouth to answer, actually having an idea about it, when there was a flash of light and Solomon appeared with his robots, teleporting in, "You were telling the truth, Doctor," he replied, "Earth _has_ launched missiles. This vessel is too clumsy to outrun them, but I have my own ship."

"You won't get your precious cargo onboard, though," he countered, "It'll just be you and your metal tantrum machines."

"We do not have tantrums!" a robot shouted.

"Shut up!" Solomon snapped, before walking over to the Doctor, hobbling on his canes, his legs healed but still a bit shaky, "You're right, Doctor. I can't keep the dinosaurs and live myself. But I had the IV system scan the entire ship and it found something even more valuable. Utterly unique. I don't know where you found it or how you got it here, but I want it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Doctor stiffened, fearing that the machine might have picked up their daughter. It was a ridiculous notion, she was just a little girl, quite older than she appeared, but still just a wee girl. She _couldn't_ have been picked up by the system, they had been SO careful to make sure word about her spread nowhere, so careful to keep themselves hidden and if THEY didn't appear on the system, why would Ayla?

But it didn't stop him from fearing the worst.

...until Solomon spoke, "Earth Queen Nefertiti of Egypt."

~8~

Nefertiti tensed at that as they watched, Ayla reaching out to take the woman's hand, seeing her a bit frightened that the 'bad man' wanted HER. Nefertiti looked down, startled to see Ayla holding her hand, comforting her, given how...unseemly she'd been with the girl's father. But there she was, a little girl, scared, away from her parents, knowing the bad man was with them, and yet...wanting to comfort HER.

"A face stamped across history," Solomon grinned.

Nefertiti squeezed Ayla's hand back in thanks.

~8~

"Give her to me and I'll let the rest of you live," Solomon finished.

"No," the Doctor whispered, leaning in.

Solomon glared, "You think I won't punish those who get in my way? Whatever their worth?" he nodded at a robot and it stepped forward, shooting Tricey repeatedly before any of them could react, the men watching in horror, Angel closing her eyes in sorrow at how she hadn't seen that.

~8~

Ayla gasped, tears in her eyes and turned around, letting to of Nefertiti's hand a moment to hug her Uncle John, feeling safer with him at the moment, burying her face in his legs as he put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her.

Amy turned and quickly knelt beside the girl, "Shh," she soothed, rubbing the girl's back as she cried quietly at what had happened, "Shh, it's alright," Amy swallowed hard, feeling terrible that the girl had been exposed to that.

~8~

The Doctor walked over to the dying dino and knelt down, Angel eyeing it a moment, "Doctor," she breathed, moving to kneel beside him, "Let me…" she whispered.

He looked at her, nodding as he moved to the side.

"There, there," she murmured, stroking the dinosaur's snout as it eyed her in such terrible pain.

She closed her eyes a moment, turning her back on Solomon, and focusing as much as she could, knowing she couldn't afford Solomon to see what she was doing. If the man knew, if he saw her using the Vortex...he'd demand her instead, and NO ONE would be prepared for the hell the Doctor would unleash to keep her at his side. She and the TARDIS were of the same agreement, when he was angry and upset was when the Doctor made mistakes, and now that they had a daughter to think of, she was even more determined to do all she could to keep him calm and rational. Her eyes drifted open, the Doctor able to see the faint golden swirl in them, knowing she was doing all she could to keep the power contained and unnoticeable.

~8~

"Ayla look," Amy breathed, turning so the girl could see her mother performing her latest miracle, she could see the signs of what was coming even if the others couldn't.

To them, it looked like Angel was merely trying to comfort the dinosaur, but she knew better.

~8~

Angel laid a hand on the dinosaur's head, a dim golden swirl wafting over from her hand to its snout, blocked by her body so Solomon wouldn't see. Thankfully, it was dark enough where the man couldn't make out the wounds slowly starting to close, healing.

"Shh..." she whispered to it, lowering her voice so Solomon and the robots wouldn't hear, "Play dead."

The triceratops opened its eyes to look at her, and she SWORE she could see gratitude in them, relief from the pain, before they gently fell closed, the dinosaur doing as commanded and trying its best to appear unmoving and lifeless.

Angel smiled at that, that was a VERY smart dinosaur...before she pulled her hand away, swaying a bit till the Doctor steadied her. He knew she was hesitant to use the Vortex but hadn't wanted the dinosaur to suffer. He had tried to encourage her to use the Vortex, to use it in the TARDIS, practice with it, believing, perhaps it was just another level of her power that her body was able to handle but her mind was not that had been the result of the Asylum. This was really...her first self to ever truly feel confident in using the Vortex. Her last self had started the same way but, with all that happened, her confidence in even THAT had been chipped away. He didn't want to see that happen again and tried to gently urge her to keep using it, to try and gain more control. With everything finally calm, she had more than enough time to practice her powers. It was his theory that what had happened to the Daleks had been because she wasn't in complete control just yet, and only practice would help.

She had been a bit hesitant to believe that, though, seeing her using it now to help...maybe that was just what she needed to remember that the Vortex was truly more good than bad.

"Well done dear," he whispered, kissing her temple, "But…are we going to have an immortal dinosaur running around now?" he joked lightly, recalling the last time she'd brought something to life using the Vortex, Jack was still living his life with Torchwood. Not that the dinosaur had died, she'd merely healed it, but still, he wanted to lighten the mood.

"No, no," she smiled, resting her head against his a moment, "I've gotten better since then."

He nodded, helping her up as he turned to Solomon, the man still sneering at them, thankfully having not noticed Angel's feat. He quickly passed her over to Rory to check on her as well, moving to stand before her, blocking her from Solomon's view, not wanting the man to grow suspicious as to why she was suddenly so tired, "You must be very proud," he began, playing along that the triceratops had died.

"Bring her to me," Solomon demanded, "Or the robots will make their way through your corpses. Bring her now."

"No."

There was a flash of light and Amy, Ayla, Nefertiti, and Riddell teleported into the room.

"Mummy!" Ayla ran to her mother, who knelt down to hug her daughter tightly, "You saved Tricey!" she whispered in her mother's ear excitedly, being careful not to be too loud, she was just...so happy it was alive and well again. Her mother was amazing like that and she couldn't wait till she was the same one day, able to help and heal and protect, to make people better and make them...grow into themselves, into the people they were meant to be.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor turned to the adults.

"I demanded to be brought here," Nefertiti told him, stepping forward.

The Doctor grabbed her arm, stopping her as she continued to try and make her way to Solomon, "No, no, no, no, no way."

"It isn't your choice, Doctor. It's mine."

" _Listen_ to me, if you go with him, I can't guarantee your safety."

"You saved my people. I am in your debt."

"No," Angel stood up, weary from use of her powers.

She had learned long ago not to use too much of them in dangerous situations, never knowing what was lurking, waiting to attack once the danger seemed to have passed. The last time she had been so tired she couldn't even muster the Vortex Ayla had been taken from her, _never ever again_. She _refused_ to ever let herself become that exhausted until she was safely back in the TARDIS, with everyone, and they were all safe. But she _was_ tired, she had never healed anyone so...completely before or from such extreme or numerous wounds. A gunshot here, a cut there, but never so many, so severe wounds, and never before with a dinosaur, she may have used more than she ought to have. As a result, she couldn't really get a true sense of what was coming at the moment, nothing except her own exhaustion.

"You don't owe us anything."

"Then I do it of my own will."

"Neffy, Neffy, Neffy..." the Doctor shook his head, but Nefertiti just walked over to Solomon.

"No!" Riddell shouted, cocking his rifle and aiming it at Solomon, "Take her, I shoot you."

"Put your weapon down," Nefertiti held up a hand, "Let me make my choice."

"Do it, boy," Solomon sneered, a robot stepping forward and lifting its arm till Riddell lowered his, "My bounty increases. And what an extraordinary bounty you are," he reached out and touched Nefertiti.

But she shoved his hand away, " _Never_ touch me."

Solomon merely pushed her against the wall, the sharp edge of his cane pressed to her neck, making Ayla gasp as he smirked at the queen, "I like my possessions to have spirit. It means I can have fun breaking them," the woman glared and pushed the cane away, "And I will break you in, with immense pleasure. Thank you, Doctor. Computer? Take us back to my ship."

With a flash, Solomon, Nefertiti, and his robots were gone, teleported away.

And then an alarm went off, making Angel groan softly and rub her head, she could already feel a headache coming on and this was NOT helping.

"Hostile targeting in progress," the security system announced, "Hostile targeting in progress. Hostile targeting in progress. Hostile targeting in progress. Hostile targeting in progress."

The Doctor looked over at Angel, about to check on her, when he remembered that she wanted to go to the control deck before Solomon appeared...and he realized why, "Bingo," he grinned as the idea struck him as well, "You are fantastic!" he murmured to Angel kissing her forehead.

"What is it?" Rory asked, "Doctor?"

Ayla just smiled as her father grabbed the sonic, ready to teleport them out, knowing her father had just come up with a brilliant idea to save them all.

~8~

The small group teleported, via the ship's systems, to the control deck to see two piloting chairs facing each other, covered in cobwebs, with a small post between them.

"Ok," the Doctor clapped, "Control deck," and ran to the post, looking inside it as Riddell took a guard position at the door.

"So, what's the plan?" Rory asked.

"Come on. The missiles are locked on to us, we can't outrun them, we have to save the dinosaurs and get Nefertiti back from Solomon. Isn't it obvious?!"

"It's sort of the opposite of obvious," Rory remarked as Ayla giggled.

"We have 17 minutes before the missiles reach us," Angel murmured, moving to swipe the cobwebs off a chair and sitting down, rubbing her temples, her headache had struck, "We need to control the ship, turn it around."

The Doctor nodded, "Exactly," and soniced the post, Ayla coming up to it and standing on her tip-toes to look inside it.

"You said it was too late, there wasn't any time," Rory reminded him, though his glance kept turning to Angel as she massaged her head.

"Ah, yes, but I didn't have this plan then, did I?"

"And you've got a plan now?" Amy gave him a look.

"A thing Aunt Amy," Ayla corrected, though her voice was muffled from how she was speaking into the post she was looking down.

Rory shook his head and looked at Angel, making his way over to kneel before her, "You alright?"

Angel gave him a tired smile, "Just a little headache," she laughed, "Who knew healing a dinosaur would take so much out of me."

He gave her a small laugh as well, "I know just what you need..." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small kit of some kind, opening it and rooting through it, his father coming over to see what he was doing, "There," he held out a small purple pill to her.

"What's that?" Brian asked as Angel took the pill and swallowed it.

"Medicine," Rory shrugged, "You carry a trowel, I carry a med-pack," he wiggled the packet before putting it back in his pocket, "It's all about the pockets in our family. It's a pill that ought to help with her headache, completely safe for Time Lord biology."

"Thank you Rory," Angel smiled, "I feel better already."

"It heals headaches instantly?" Brian blinked, "Never seen one of those."

Rory shrugged, "I pick up cool stuff wherever we go. For some people it's cars and hardware, for me it is nursing supplies."

"He's _amazing_ Brian," Angel looked up at him, "He actually made a few medicines in the past. Invented them himself."

"Yeah well," Rory started to blush at her praises, seeing his father looking at him with a bit of awe, "It's hard to find pre-natal vitamins for aliens when the medicine you usually take isn't available."

Angel shook her head, "Oh hush," she told him, turning back to Brian, "He took the _best_ care of me when I was pregnant with Ayla," she informed the man, "He ran all my tests and mixed vitamins just for me and made sure I always ate right and got enough rest and didn't overdo anything," she reached out and took Rory's hand, "He even delivered Ayla."

"He did?" Brian breathed, looking at his son with...quite a good deal of respect, quite impressed, "That's..."

"It was nothing," Rory tried to brush it off, as uncomfortable with praise as Angel was.

"It was _everything_ ," Angel told him, squeezing his hand, "You were my doctor," she winked.

"Did somebody call?" the Doctor popped over, crouching down to rest his elbow on the armrest of the chair, "What are we all talking about?" he whispered, as though doing so would mean he hadn't interrupted the moment but merely joined it.

"How remarkable Rory is," Angel told him.

"Ah yes," he nodded, "Rory the Remarkable Roman," he patted the man on the back, Rory smiling at hearing the Doctor finally admit that he was deserving of compliments too, "Well done Rory," he added before getting up and heading back to the post, "Riddell? Keep an eye out for dinosaurs," he ordered, getting back to work.

Riddell grinned, "I was rather hoping you'd say that," he handed a gun to Brian, who was still slightly shocked learning how...outstanding his son was, well...he'd always known how impressive Rory was, he really was remarkable, but to hear other people...like the Doctor and Angel...say the same, he knew it meant a lot to his son, and it meant a lot to him as well because of that.

"Don't hurt them!" Angel called after them as the two headed out of the room.

"Rory, Amy, get rid of the cobwebs," the Doctor nodded at the second chair.

~8~

Solomon smirked as he pressed a button on his ship's control computer, ready to leave...but the ship didn't move. He frowned, "Come on, come on. We're not moving," he pressed it again but the sound of metal clanging resounded, "He's magnetized us. We can't move away!"

~8~

Riddell stood in the doorway, a nervous Brian beside him...when they heard growling in the distance. He looked around as raptors began to emerge, "Keep walking, big chap," he called to one, when another one appeared. He swung his gun between them, only for even _more_ to join them, "Hell's teeth, that's really not fair!"

~8~

Indira sighed as she and her team watched the screen in their base.

"Missile target will be reached in 11 minutes," the computer announced.

They could only hope the Time Lords and the others made it off the ship before then.

~8~

The Doctor stood up from the floor, slamming his hand on the computer before him that he was examining, "No! Don't be like that! Really unhelpful."

"What's the matter?" Amy asked from where she was standing by Angel, Ayla in the woman's lap.

"Parallel pilot compartments, bio-configured, needs two operators of the same gene chain. _That's_ why Solomon couldn't change the ship's course and neither can we…"

"Of course we can," Angel called and he turned to face her, she just squeezed Ayla in a little hug, "Me and Ayla, she's my daughter, we ARE of the same gene chain. Our core DNA is the same."

While Time Lords could change their faces, change their DNA with each regeneration, they always retained echoes of it deep in their DNA, buried, but there, remnants of the people they were. It was what allowed them to remember their past selves, even though both she and Ayla had regenerated, there still shared DNA as mother and daughter, and that was on a very specific level. 'Gene chain' merely meant of the same family, the remnants in their DNA meant just that as well.

The Doctor shook his head, walking over to her, " _I_ should do it," he said softly, moving to kneel before her and Ayla, concerned, she was rather tired.

She smiled and reached out to cup his cheek, "I think Nefertiti needs you more right now my love," she told him.

He smiled, turning to kiss her palm before standing, scooping Ayla up into his arms in the process, "How about that sweetheart?" he asked her, actually a bit...happy that Angel was insisting he go after Nefertiti, he did not want his Mate anywhere near the man, not at all, "You want to try your hand at piloting a Silurian ship with mummy?"

"Can I?!" Ayla nodded, excited, she'd learned quite a lot about how to pilot a TARDIS between her Aunt Idris and her mother's teachings...and her father's examples of what NOT to do...she was certain she could do this, help save the world as her parents so often did.

"Here we go," he set her down in the second chair.

"What are they doing?" Amy frowned, worried.

"Ship does all the engineering," he explained quickly, "The controls are straightforward, simple enough to use. Two eye-line screens, velocity and trajectory. Try to steer away from Earth, sweetheart," he dropped a kiss to Ayla's head, "Try not to bump into the moon otherwise the races who live there will be livid."

"I know daddy," Ayla nodded.

"What?" Rory gaped, surprised there were species living on the moon by then...and feeling like he really shouldn't be that surprised at all.

"Primary controls in the arms of the chairs, principle's the same as any vehicle. Eight minutes, 45 seconds," he stood back and soniced the chairs, turning them on. He walked to Angel, crouching beside her, "Get us as far away as you can dear," he told her as she nodded. He grinned, kissing her cheek a few times till she turned her head to give him a peck, making him beam instead and stand, looking at the post again, "Right, phase two sorted. Now for phase one."

"Phase two comes _after_ phase one," Amy reminded him.

"Humans, you're so linear. Did Ayla not teach you about cause to effect?" he smirked, he and Angel had been highly amused to hear their daughter had rambled about time for hours on end, what was even more impressive was that Rory, who had actually paid attention to every word the girl said, had understood her and learned something from it. It seemed she'd inherited both his ability to ramble but Angel's ability to simplify what she knew, "Shine a torch in here."

Amy leaned forward, shining her torch while Rory walked up to them, "What're you doing?"

"Mixing my messages," he pulled a handful of wires out, "How's the job?" he glanced at Amy.

"We're about to be hit by missiles and you're asking me that?" she gave him a look.

"Daddy likes to multi-task," Ayla called, swinging her legs as she waited for him to finish activating the rest of the ship, Angel just resting with her head back against the chair, her eyes closed.

She was trying to sense what would happen, if the plan would work but she was just...a little distracted at the moment, knowing she'd have to pilot the Silurian ship with her young daughter...she really only had experience piloting a TARDIS and was hoping it wouldn't be too difficult. She really didn't know what the Doctor would do to stop the missiles, perhaps he'd go into Solomon's ship and use HIS weapons to target the bombs.

He nodded, "Keep talking. How's the job?"

"I gave it up," Amy sighed.

"You gave the last one up."

"Yeah, well I can't settle. Every minute, I'm listening out for that stupid TARDIS sound…"

He scoffed, "Right, so it's _my_ fault now, is it?!"

"She just means we can't not wait for you," Rory explained, "Even now."

Amy nodded, "And they're getting longer, the gaps between your visits."

"Are they?" the Doctor glanced up, trying to act innocent, reaching his arm into the post.

"We think, um," Rory began, "You might be trying to wean us off you."

"Would that be bad?" the Doctor glanced at them, "To give something up little by little instead of suddenly?"

Wasn't that what his companions _always_ complained about? That it was so much harder to adjust to life on Earth after seeing everything he helped them see? He was...trying to be more considerate this time, make up for his past mistakes, he wanted to be...better, a more...responsible adult in some ways. He wanted to make the transition easier for them. And...it was hard, equally as hard for him to give them up completely.

It was easier for him to drop them off on Earth and run away, knowing they were safe, and knowing that he wouldn't have to see them again and hurt all over to say goodbye once more. It was a coward's way out, he knew, but he was trying to be stronger, for Ayla, for Angel, because neither of them wanted to give up Rory or Amy either. But each time it was harder to say goodbye, so the gaps became longer...and...it was getting easier, with the longer gaps. He was finding he could go longer and longer without needing fiercely to see the Ponds. And...that was a good sign, it meant, one day it would be easy to pop in, say hello, stay for dinner, and leave again.

He really DID want to keep his companions in his life, all of them.

He smiled at that, Angel had done a number on him hadn't she?

"It's not just that, I promise," the Doctor looked at her, "Really promise. You're Ayla's Uncle Rory, her Aunt Amy, we couldn't just give that up instantly."

"But you and Rory," Angel called, making them look back at her as she smiled at them, "You have lives. Each other. You'll have so much more than that, I can tell," she winked at them, "And...your lives are on Earth, we have lives in the TARDIS too, we have each other," she smiled at the Doctor, "We have a family of our own too, and..."

"And you're just spending time with each other," Rory nodded, getting it. They were trying to give them the best of both worlds, weren't they?

Amy smiled at that, "We just worry there'll come a time when you never turn up, that something will have happened to you and we'll still be waiting, never knowing."

"You'd know," the Doctor said quietly, rubbing his chest absently.

The humans frowned but nodded, understanding what he meant. They could recall what they'd felt the moment Angel had 'died' at Lake Silencio. They _had_ felt it. They had known. Even the family, from what they'd heard when they first got together after that event, the family had known and they hadn't even been there. So, if that day ever came, they _would_ know...and that was almost scarier, to live each day wondering if you'd wake up and feel...that.

"Come on Ponds," the Doctor shook his head, grinning at them now, "You'll be there till the end of us."

"Or the other way round," Rory murmured quietly.

The Doctor looked down sadly, knowing there was some truth in that, it had happened before. And, hadn't he told Rose Tyler once that humans aged, they would eventually die, and he would live on? He could only hope that, for the Ponds' sake, it would be the fact that they lived out very long and extraordinarily happy lives instead of some danger that got the best of them.

"Beep," Angel called.

He looked up at her a moment before his sonic beeped, finished. He smiled at her, "Done," he nodded, pulling some more wires out of the post and resting it on the rim.

"Doctor?" Riddell called, rushing in, "We need more help…" he trailed off as Amy grabbed a stun gun, "What're you doing?"

"Helping," she smirked, striding past the men and into the hall with Riddell, knowing Rory would he harder pressed to leave both Angel and Ayla.

The Doctor looked at Rory before snatching up a crystal he'd pulled from the post, "Rory," he called, "Keep an eye on them for me," he nodded at Angel and Ayla, whose chairs had begun to move, the piloting program kicking in.

"Of course," Rory nodded as the Doctor tossed the crystal in his hand, "But what are you going to…"

He teleported out.

"...do?" Rory finished with a sigh and a roll of his eyes.

~8~

Amy and Riddell quickly joined Brian, holding another stun gun, in the doorway, the man having kept watch as the raptors grew closer.

"Quickens the blood, doesn't it?" Riddell smirked.

"The sooner this lot go back to being extinct, the better," Amy commented.

"You know what I want more than anything?"

"Lessons in gender politics?"

"A dinosaur tooth to take home," he shot a raptor, "Dinosaurs ahead, lady at my side, man behind, about to be blown up. Not sure I've ever been happier."

"Shut up and shoot," Amy nudge him, both of them firing at the dinosaurs.

"Duck!" Brian shouted as Amy dropped down and Riddell fired over her head at a raptor.

"Come on man!" Riddell nudged Brian, "Shoot!"

Brian swallowed hard and fired at a raptor.

~8~

Angel and Ayla laughed as they piloted the ship to safety, "How do you like it sweetheart?" she called to her daughter, she was actually struggling just a little bit to fly it but Ayla seemed to be doing fine enough.

"I'm flying am alien spaceship!" she giggled, swinging her feet excitedly, bouncing in her chair.

It wasn't as fun as piloting the TARDIS, but she wasn't old enough to really do that, she was still a little short, but it was fun enough.

~8~

"The ship's trajectory is changing," a man said in the headquarters, watching as the ship started to veer away from Earth.

"It makes no difference," Indira sighed, "The missiles have locked on. How long till target?"

"Seven minutes."

Indira closed her eyes, knowing what the veering meant, the Time Lords were still onboard.

~8~

The Doctor teleported into Solomon's ship with a wide, though very dangerous-looking, grin, "Hello! Having trouble leaving?" he turned and stepped out of the teleport, grabbing two live wires and pressing them to the robots' chest, blowing them backwards.

"Daisy, Daisy," one of the robots began to sing in a daze, "Give me your answer..."

Solomon stood, glaring, as the Doctor patted the robot on the chest as it powered down, "Ship's still magnetized, couldn't bear to lose you."

"Release my ship, Doctor," Solomon moved to hold a cane to Nefertiti's neck, "Or I kill this precious little object."

Nefertiti, seeming to have had enough of the man, kicked his other cane out from under him, knocking him to the floor at the sudden imbalance. She grabbed the one that had been aimed at her and pointed it at _his_ neck this time, "I am _not_ your possession now, nor will I ever be. Now stay there."

The Doctor sauntered over and peered down at the man, "Don't mess with Egyptian queens, Solomon, or Time Lords. I hope you've learnt that now," he walked over to the controls.

"What're you doing?!" Solomon demanded as the man fiddled with them.

"Disabling this ship's signal and replacing it with the one from the Silurian ship," he said simply, really...quite eerily calm as well, which was never a good sign for him, he was either explosively angry or furiously calm...and right now...he was furiously calm, because of this man and his greed, missiles were being sent at the ship his Mate and daughter were currently trying to steer off, "I send this craft off emitting the signal they're looking for, the missiles will follow," he turned around, "Hopefully Silurian ship safe, dinosaurs safe, everybody safe," he checked his watch, "Bit tight for time though, sorry, don't have my Mate here to keep me on track, shouldn't really be chatting. Neffy, let's go," he clapped his hands and headed for the teleport, pausing a moment to look back, "How remiss of me, almost forgot, the thing about missiles, very literal, _this_ is what they latch on to," he set the crystal down and pulled out his sonic, "Now, one press on this and the ship's demagnetized."

"Doctor, whatever you want, I can get it for you, whatever object you desire."

"I already have all I desire," the Doctor waved him off, before pausing to think, "Did the Silurians beg you to stop?" he wondered, glancing at the screens around them, displaying the missiles, headed towards THEM now and he smirked, knowing that the others were safe, "Look, Solomon. The missiles. See them shine. See how valuable they are. And they're all yours," he turned and followed Nefertiti to the teleport.

"You wouldn't leave me, Doctor..."

The Doctor simply closed the gate and held up his sonic, looking at it contemplatively, "I would do _anything_ to protect my Mate, to protect my daughter," he murmured the words so similar to what he'd once told Angela Smith, he really would do anything. And the man...even just knowing his name, Doctor, knowing of Angel and Ayla, being a trader, he was bound to ask the wrong question to the wrong people and it would only be a matter of time before the Silence tried to hunt them again. Solomon was not a man who would ever stop until he got what he wanted and, having lost the dinosaurs and now Nefertiti, he wouldn't stop till he'd gotten him and his girls, and that...as terrible as it was to say...wouldn't do. He looked at the man solemnly, "I'm sorry," he murmured, before pressing the sonic on, the crystal starting to glow. He eyed Solomon, "Enjoy your bounty," before forcing himself to press the teleport button and beam out, hoping Angel wouldn't be too cross with him for what he'd done, if she had seen this coming she would have stopped him.

"DOCTOR!" Solomon shouted as the ship took off, heading away from the Silurian ark and out into space. He gaped, watching the missiles following him, "DOCTOR!"

But the missiles hit and everything exploded.

~8~

Amy, Brian, and Riddell stood in the middle of the corridor, surrounded by sedated raptors, "Well done," Riddell clapped a slightly shell-shocked Brian on the back.

~8~

The Doctor cheerfully led the way to the TARDIS, Ayla beside them, riding on Tricey's back as Angel led the dinosaur on. He was in rather good spirits because...Angel wasn't mad at him!

Well, she'd been at first, very mad and quite disappointed, which had broken his hearts to see. She hadn't liked the fact that he'd left Solomon there to the missiles, but he'd explained to her that it had been for Ayla. He'd asked her if the sense she'd gotten off the man was different than the personality he'd described, the scenario he'd pictured in his mind of what would happen if Solomon escaped, the Silence and the threat of them finding out about their family. He'd reminded her that, if they hadn't gotten involved, Solomon would have been on the ship, unable to move, unable to leave, unaware of the missiles till they hit, he would have died on the ship anyway, the only change was that the dinosaurs didn't die with him.

When he'd reminded her about Ayla's safety she'd hesitantly and begrudgingly agreed to let this one go for the moment. Her daughter's safety was truly one of the most important things to her. She wouldn't ever want a trader like Solomon to learn about their daughter and come after her or inadvertently set the Silence on them as well. It was...terrible, it truly was, she hated death, but then...he'd reminded her that 'everything, all things, must die,' used her own words against her as he brought up the original fate of Solomon and his ship in regards to the missiles. Reminding her that they'd saved all the dinosaurs on the ship, the innocent creatures that the Silurians had given their lives to protect. And for that...she couldn't stay too mad at him for long, so...all in all...he was rather chipper she didn't hate him and that he wasn't 'sleeping on the sofa' as the humans would say.

"So, dinosaur drop-off time," he grinned, scooping Ayla off Tricey's back and setting her down, taking her hand as he led her to the TARDIS where Angel was opening the doors.

"Actually, we think home for us," Rory commented.

The Doctor paused and looked down at his daughter, grinning up at him, home, yes, as much as he loved travelling with the Ponds, with anyone really, he loved spending time with his family as well.

"Of course," Angel nodded.

"Not forever," Amy added as Nefertiti and Riddell stepped up to join her, Rory, and Brian, "Just a couple of months."

"Right, yes, we're pretty busy anyway," the Doctor agreed, "I mean, we've got to drop everyone back."

"About that," Brian began, "Can I ask a favor? There's something I want to see."

The Doctor looked at Angel, who smiled and nodded.

~8~

Brian sat in the doorway of the TARDIS, his legs dangling out the side, Ayla beside him, both of them sharing a sandwich as they hovered above the Earth. Brian took a sip of tea from a thermos as Amy and Rory came up behind them, enjoying the view.

Angel and the Doctor stood by the console, smiling as they watched their daughter among her family.

~8~

In the African Plains, in 1902, Riddell stared up at the night's sky, a dinosaur tooth hanging from a cord around his neck. He glanced over as Nefertiti stepped out of the tent, her hair loose, a rifle in her hands as she smirked at him.

~8~

Rory was standing on the ladder in his home one day, looking at the light fixture, blowing on the end of it before inserting the bulb.

"MORE postcards from your dad," Amy called as she entered with a handful of cards.

"Do you know what?" Rory remarked, stepping down the ladder, "I think it _is_ the fitting."

He walked over to where Amy was standing near a wall of photos, tacking up the new ones. They were all of Brian in amazing locations, like Pisa, Rio de Janeiro, Egypt and more. But the latest one, that was of the TARDIS, in a prehistoric land, the dinosaurs running around, with the three Time Lords standing before a sign that read 'Siluria.'

~8~

Angel looked over from where she was turning down the sheets, having just come from putting Ayla to bed as the Doctor took a shower. The girl had taken a little longer to sleep than normal, had needed an extra story and the 'night light' to be set on a slightly brighter setting, all the wandering in the dark hallways, despite her Uncle John being there, hadn't set her very at ease. She knew the girl was afraid of having a nightmare and so she'd done everything she could to help her feel safe and comfortable, snuggled up with her 'Aslan' and with the stars above her, the door opened a crack to let in the light of the hallway as well. She'd sung her a little song as she'd slept, helped lull her to sleep and she couldn't help but smile. She got the feeling Ayla would be just fine and have a good night's rest.

She'd been surprised though, with how long it had taken her to get Ayla to bed, that when she'd entered the bedroom the Doctor still wasn't there but in the shower. She'd gotten ready for bed when she'd heard the water turn off, just turned down the duvet when the door to the bathroom had opened and the Doctor stepped out. He was wearing his typical bottoms, his hair wet, with a white towel draped over his shoulders, his chest bare. He smiled when he saw her but she frowned when she spotted him.

"Theta what happened?" she asked, moving over to him, his skin was...slightly red, more like splotchy red, and it felt warm under her touch.

"Nothing," he shrugged, taking her hands to hold them, absently playing with them, examining them as he had her last self once.

"Are you trying to break Rule 3 my love?" she asked jokingly.

"No!" his eyes widened as he looked at her, "No, not at all," she gave him a look, "Nothing happened, honestly," he crossed his hearts, "I just...took a shower."

"With volcanic water?" she guessed, eyeing the red of his skin.

"It was...warm, yes," he nodded.

"Theta, it was scalding," she countered, it...wasn't like him, to like a shower _that_ hot, "What's wrong?" she asked him gently.

He sighed, smiling at her softly as he reached out to trace her cheek with a finger, "Can't hide anything from you can I, psychic?"

"No you can't, thief," she countered with a laugh, "Now please, my love, tell me what's wrong?"

He nodded, "I just...Nefertiti...and it was...and she kept..." he grimaced, not really knowing how to phrase it without it sounding embarrassing, so he just gestured at himself.

"Oh," Angel nodded, understanding him perfectly.

"Yes," he looked away.

She stepped closer, draping her arms around his neck, resting her forehead to his temple, seeing his eyes fall closed and him start to smile, "Well then," she whispered in his ear, "Since she made you feel so uncomfortable touching you," she let her one hand trail gently back over his shoulder and tapped his chest, just over his heart, in time with it, smiling herself as she felt the heartbeats pick up, "I think I know just what you need."

"You do?" he murmured, feeling her lift her other hand to play with the hair at the nape of his neck, making his breath hitch.

"Mhmm," she nodded against his head, "To replace the bad with the good."

His eyes blinked open, half-lidded, as he looked at her, "You know, I think that's just a... _fantastic_...plan," he smiled at the word. He glanced at the bedroom door, "Ayla's to bed?"

She nodded, "And she will be for quite a while I think."

"Brilliant!" he laughed, suddenly winding his arms around her waist and jumping towards the bed, landing on his back, pulling her down with him, on top of him as she laughed heartily at his sudden action, making him beam at the sound...only to cut if off quite soon after with his lips.

He reached up, his hand moving to the back fo her neck as he kissed her deeply, before rolling them both over. Yes, this was a touch he most certainly preferred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff! ^-^ I felt so bad for how the Doctor felt when Nefertiti was touching him, I think what he really needed was Angel to make up for that ;) I'll leave it up to your imaginations what happens next lol.
> 
> I was torn between having Solomon take Angel or not, but I really wanted to have her and Ayla pilot the Silurian ship and, I think, knowing how the Doctor gets when she or Ayla are taken, she'd be extra careful not to let on that she has this extraordinary power to the man :) And...I think if Angel was physically there with the Doctor she'd convince him to save Solomon despite what he did...and I REALLY don't like him. He's one of the few that I'm actually sort of glad Angel didn't save, as terrible as that is.
> 
> And now that we've finished with DOAS...I think we know what's coming next...I wonder what the Doctor will dream this time? Hmmm... }:)


	10. Dissected Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning...this chapter might be a little hard to get through (I'm sure you can guess by the title). It's more...a horrific nightmare, in a way. I tried to tone down any graphic scenes while still trying to remain true to the true disturbing nature, so I hope it won't be too bad. This will also start off very familiar, but it's more to set the scope/scene/episode :)

Angel groaned as she woke up, her head was pounding from the lingering affects of the gas from the glass coffin she'd found herself in. She shook her head, shaking her black locks out of her vision, only to find she was standing upright against an examining board, her arms and legs clasped down against it. Feeling far too much like she was back in Van Statten's museum and the other hospitals she'd been held at she struggled, trying to get out, about ready to use the Vortex when...

"Don't struggle," someone whispered, startling her. She looked over to see a man in a similar predicament beside her, his shirt opened, "Close your eyes and don't struggle."

"Why?" she breathed, "What going to happen?"

"Decontamination, they call it. They did it to me. While I was conscious."

"Did what?" she swallowed, feeling herself starting to shake at what might be coming.

"Dissected me," he looked down at his stomach where there was a long, straight, healing scar.

"No…" Angel gasped, looking down at her stomach, the tiny bump invisible under her blue flowy dress, her baby there, and it was so small...she'd just found out about it a short while ago...

Oh dear God no...

"He's coming!" the man tensed, hearing footsteps approaching, "I'm sorry. I wish I could help you."

Angel looked over as one of the reptilian creatures, a Silurian she could make out, approached her, a surgeon's mask over his nose and mouth, and she _knew_ it was the same man that she'd seen through the glass of the coffin before. Now though, he was wearing an operating apron and holding up a large syringe, which made her hearts freeze as he drew even nearer.

"Please," she eyed the really rather sharp cutting tool in his hands, "Don't…"

She was terrified, _beyond_ terrified, of the sharp object getting closer and closer to her stomach. She...she wanted to use the Vortex, she could feel it thrashing inside her, wanting to be released, wanting to throw the doctor back and break apart the restraints, free Mo as well, and get them both out of there. But she wasn't letting it. She was stronger than the last time the Vortex had lashed out, more aware of _why_ it was reacting so instantly to her danger, and...she was _scared_. The Vortex had damaged her often in the past. Using too much of it had nearly made her regenerate on Mars, HAD made her regenerate on Kroptor. It left her weak, it left her hurting, and...she couldn't risk it, not with the baby. The Vortex was similar to regeneration energy in how truly powerful and devastating it could be. It could heal, yes, but equally it could injure.

She _couldn't_ risk the baby.

She was probably _incredibly_ lucky that she hadn't lost the baby during the dealings with the 456, or on Mars, or when she'd fallen through a ceiling into Naismith manor, or when the Vortex had flared up in the Calvierri school...she couldn't believe she'd done all that while pregnant. It terrified her more than she could say to think she might have lost the baby and not even realized because of those events. But now that she knew, now that she was aware, _everything_ was different. Until she knew _exactly_ what affect the Vortex would have on the baby...she couldn't risk huge displays of it, she just...she _couldn't_. If she lost the baby...

And that cutting tool was getting even closer.

"Please!" she begged, squirming, trying to push herself farther back into the examination board, away from the device.

"Leave her alone!" Mo shouted, hearing the tremor of fear in her voice and struggling in his own restraints to try and stop the doctor, "You got me!"

The doctor just pulled down his medical mask to reveal his scaled face and pushed as small button in his hand, locking her in place by the wrists painfully, wincing as she gave a small cry of pain, the angle of the restraints making it awkward and likely to bruise, "Commencing dissection," he reached for her.

"Silurian!" Angel called in a last ditch effort to buy time, for what she honestly didn't know, her mind was racing too much to make sense of anything, fear clouding it, but she felt it, if she could just make him wait a moment longer...maybe the Doctor would come, "You're a Silurian."

He eyed her in shock, his mouth falling open at her knowledge, "How do you know our race?"

"I'm not human," Angel breathed, panted really, "Your tests will be contaminated if you use me as a subject. I'm _not_ human."

The doctor's eyes widened, startled, "Yet you appear similar to that specimen," he nodded at Mo.

" _He_ appears similar to _me_ ," she countered, "Time Lords came first."

The doctor frowned, suspicious that the woman might be lying and about to open her up to see if she was...

~8~

Mo closed his eyes, clenching them shut tightly at the sounds of the person sobbing beside him. Angel had _begged_ the Silurian doctor to stop, to not come any closer, to not try and hurt her, that he couldn't dissect her or decontaminate her as he had called it, to get back. She had pleaded, she had told him she wasn't human, that she would contaminate his tests if he were to dissect her, but it seemed it only made him more intrigued, the Silurian doctor couldn't pass up the chance to dissect and examine someone who looked so much like a human yet apparently was not one. She had cried and screamed as she felt it, as she felt the instruments cut into her, the Silurian doctor couldn't give her any medications, not knowing how they would react to someone who was not human, so they had all had to listen to her screaming and begging him to stop, screaming bloody murder when the man got to her stomach, curious to see what an 'alien' ate.

And now he knew why.

The doctor had been very excited to find out she was with child and now he would have an infant to study as well, instead of just a child or adult like the humans. Even if it was an alien, it was a prime specimen.

It _killed_ him to hear the beeping of the heart monitor the doctor had hooked up to the woman, beeping twice as fast because apparently she had two hearts, catching the baby's heartbeat as well as it raced and increased what he knew was to a dangerous level...before going flat. It was even worse to see the doctor...he grimaced and flinched to remember...pull the fetus from the woman beside him, covered in blood, taking the baby away despite the fact that she...it looked like a little girl from what he could tell...had died. It seemed he did not even care.

He'd glared at the doctor through tears as he turned, his back to the woman who sobbed brokenly, weakly, to place the baby on a smaller examination board on a desk, covering it with a small, splotched red, cloth...when...

"Area 17 incursion, species diagnostic requested," came over the speakers, "Area 17 incursion, species diagnostic requested."

The Silurian doctor sighed and turned to go...leaving Mo trapped and her nothing more than a sobbing, crying wreck stuck to the board, scarcely able to breathe as she tried to work past her pain, both physical and emotional, at the loss she had just suffered, to see her baby taken from her and killed before her eyes.

He struggled in his restraints, wanting to murder the doctor for doing that to her, for seeming about to leave her there, bleeding on his examination table, "Get back here!" he shouted at the doctor, "Get back here! How dare you do that her?! You need to fix her!"

But the doctor just ignored him and walked out the door as Mo tried, struggled as hard as he could, to break free of his restraints. He could hear the girl beside him whimpering, her breathing labored, trying to get enough air to her lungs, but she was growing weaker. She was tied to a board, blood seeping out of her, the doctor hadn't tried to staunch it, too excited about the...smaller specimen.

He looked over at Angel as the doctor left, "Hold on," he begged her, he didn't even know her name, "Hold on please, just a little longer. I'm...I'm...I can get out of here, I can..." he struggled with the restraints around his wrist, trying to break them open, _needing_ to get to her because he could see it...she was barely hanging on as it was. Apparently the doctor didn't understand how blood worked to aliens, he barely understood humans. He was a reptile, of course he wouldn't understand. And she was getting worse, "Please, please just hold on," he called, trying to keep her awake, trying to keep her conscious, "I can...I'm almost out, I'm almost out!" he squeezed his eyes closed, crying out in pain as he managed to pull his one hand through the small hole, "Finally," he muttered, "Just a little more," he started to pull at the restraint on his other wrist, glancing frantically at Angel, seeing her head starting to lull forward, "Hold on," he wheezed, turning to the side, twisting the binds, trying to break the other restraint on his arm open...and managing to do it. He pushed the strap across his chest away, leaning down to unhook his legs, both coming open easier with two hands on them, before he fell out of the examination board, onto the floor. He scrambled to his feet despite his weary muscles and new-weak nature, and rushed to her side, lifting her head but she was far too gone. She could barely open her eyes, she was sweating.

He looked at the restraints around her, they were completely locked down, there would be no way he'd be able to open them without the key and only the doctor had that, "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry. I can't get you out!"

"Go," Angel whispered, so softly Mo almost missed it. She was just...so tired...she couldn't feel the Vortex any longer.

He looked up at her, startled, "What?"

"Go," she struggled to breathe, tensing at the pain, "Just...go."

He started to shake his head, how could he just _leave_? She was far too pale, unnaturally pale, from all of the blood she was losing, if he left now...he knew he wouldn't be able to find help in time. If he stayed though...

"Go," she repeated, "Please," she stuttered, and he could see her shaking as she tried to keep up her strength, enough to give him a message, "Go," she urged him.

"I can't," he shook his head, "How can I leave? You need help!"

"It...won't come," she breathed, feeling her hearts _shattering_ to know that.

She'd hoped, vainly it seemed, that the Doctor would try to get her back. She knew it was a far cry, he didn't seem to care about her anymore, but...she'd hoped he'd care enough, as the last of their species, to rescue her, to focus on getting her back, not knowing what danger she was in, that he'd just...come for her. It seemed she'd been wrong to hope, hope got you nothing but pain, and she'd been weak, too scared to use the Vortex in time, and with the first cut...she'd been in too much pain, too distracted, and now her baby had suffered for it.

She deserved this.

To die there, alone.

But Mo didn't.

She blinked her eyes open at him...and he saw it. She was terrified, there was a fear in her eyes but there was also resignation and sorrow, unbearable loss, and...death. He let out a breath at that, no matter what, no matter if he managed to get her out, he...he wouldn't be able to _save_ her. He couldn't imagine what she had felt, to see her baby being torn from her the way it had, it would have traumatized any woman at all...and you didn't recover from something like that. He could tell if he didn't get her out soon...the bloodloss alone would kill her, but it seemed like she was all too willing to let it happen. She looked so weak, she could barely keep her head up.

"I can't," he whispered, but she just looked at him pleadingly.

"Please," she managed to breathe out, he could hear the strength in her voice fading, "Go."

He swallowed hard and nodded, standing, "I'll bring help," he swore, "I'll come back, just...hold on."

Angel could only shake her head, "Tell him..." she swallowed, "I'm sorry," she struggled to get out, her voice shaking so bad he could barely understand her.

Tears filled Mo's eyes as he stepped back, "I'll be back, promise," before he dashed out of the room, rushing down the halls, trying to find someone, anyone at all, any sort of human, that could possibly help. There _had_ to be more humans there. Not only had the woman told him to tell someone something, but...that alert that had led the doctor out, it was the same alert he had heard when he'd been dragged underground.

Angel watched him go through fading vision, disappearing down the dark hall. She closed her eyes, feeling tears in them again, it was too much. She hurt so much more than just the baby...dying, more than just the Doctor forgetting her, she physically hurt and she couldn't...she just couldn't...she just couldn't hang on any longer. What was the point of it?

She looked at the door, staring at it till her vision blurred and black dots appeared in her sight, before her head lulled to the side as her eyes fell closed...

~8~

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably as he stood in the lush vegetation with Amy and Nasreen, following their Silurian guards towards a large gleaming building.

"What is it Doctor?" Amy asked, seeing his expression grow more to discomfort than the interest that had just been on it.

"I...I don't know," he admitted.

He felt...off, odd, out of sorts. It was like he was moving through thick water, sluggish. Yet his hearts were racing, his head was pounding, he felt like he was tingling but not in a good way but in a way as though you were going cold but he didn't know why. It was actually rather warm in the center of the Earth and yet...he was shaking.

"Are you ok?" Nasreen looked at him, "You look as though you're about to faint Doctor."

He shook his head, "Faint? Who's going to faint? I don't think I faint. No, far too girly and I'm not a girl, not a human either, just a madm..."

Amy rolled her eyes, "She means you don't look well Doctor, and you really don't," she eyed him, concerned, "You really do look pale. Are you sure you're ok? You're starting to sweat."

And indeed he was, which was even more odd because he felt rather chilled, but he shook his head, "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'll be fine. Fine. I'm fine."

Amy watched him cautiously as he started to stutter, this was _not_ like the Doctor at all. This was what he did when he was getting frantic, when he was worried and didn't know what to do, but...it couldn't be their situation, he'd seemed fine and calm a moment ago, "If you're sure..."

"Yes, quite," he nodded, though Amy could see a jerkiness to it as they walked on, following Restac and Malokeh down the vast vegetation once more.

But it was clear to everyone that something was very wrong with the Doctor, he'd started rambling about the moon to distract them, or attempt to, but his words were slurring a bit, he was stuttering and getting his thoughts jumbled, had started talking about moon cheese. It was like he was distracted or something.

And he was.

It just...didn't seem important, the moon, not it all. Something else was there, lingering in his head, something in his hearts and his soul, something else that was so much more important than just the moon...but he couldn't figure it out. He swallowed hard, his mouth was going to dry, it was like he couldn't breathe anymore, his chest was tightening ,his lungs felt starved of oxygen. What was it? What was happening to him?

He didn't know but whatever it was...he hoped he figured it out soon so he could stop it.

~8~

Mo ran down the halls, looking around wildly, frantically peeking around every corner, trying to make sure there weren't any lizard men there. He ducked back as two passed, before rushing out, down the opposite hall. He came to a vast corridor with glass on either side of it, like windows on alcoves of some kind. He walked up to one of them, hoping it would be weapons stored behind it, and press the button on the side...jumping back as he saw two lizard men standing there, with weapons in their hands. He leapt forward to turn the lights off, hoping they hadn't seen him...but they didn't move even as they were encased in darkness once more. He frowned, hitting the light one more time and turning them on, staring at the lizards that didn't move even now, even as the glass window slid open, even as he stood right in front of them.

"Hello?" he frowned, looking at them, waving his hand in front of their masks, but they still remained immobile. He let out a breath, realizing that they must be asleep, and snuck forward, grabbing the guns out of their very hands, two of them, as many as he could take, before he hit the button again, sealing the window and turning the lights off.

He glanced down the hall, before he continued on, rushing down it, he had to find those other humans, he had to, he needed help! That girl needed help terribly and quickly. He didn't even bother waiting until he could make sure there were no lizard people around a corner, didn't bother checking the corners any longer, not now that he had weapons. He just...he wanted to find help all the sooner.

He remembered what it was like when his wife had been pregnant with their son Elliot. He would do anything, anything at all, to protect her, no matter what, no matter from what. Even though this girl was not his wife, she was pregnant...she _had_ been...she was with child and the child has died. He knew there had to be a man out there somewhere that the child belonged to as well. And that man needed to know what had happened. He would do all he could to protect that girl, even now, just...trying to get her help that maybe, in the future at least, she could be saved and healed, maybe...maybe have more children.

But to do that...he had to make sure she survived.

~8~

"Doctor, maybe you should sit down," Amy suggested as they entered a large citadel-like room.

She was really starting to get worried now. The Doctor was...even more unbalanced than normal. He was wobbling quite a bit, he was unsteady on his feet, he was sweating and shaking and unnaturally pale and he didn't even look as though he was even _there_. His words were barely coherent at the moment, and he didn't seem focused either. He was looking around in a jerky motion, as though scarcely able to control his bodily movements, and he seemed weak, like he was slumping, like he could barely stand straight any longer. He seemed to be having trouble breathing as well, he was panting and rubbing his chest as though his hearts or lungs hurt, but she didn't know why.

Neither did he, it seemed.

The Doctor bit back a groan, feeling his insides twist painfully, barely understanding Restac as she spoke about their execution, how they were going to make an example of the apes...when suddenly a man ran in with guns in hand, shouting for them to stop...but he didn't even notice it really. He couldn't really focus on anything. He knew the man had to be Mo, he had to be, he had been taken there before. But he didn't understand why he couldn't focus, why it was so hard for him to make connections.

What was this...this pressure building inside of him? Why was there this pain starting to throb in his very soul?

Restac advanced on Mo but Mo seemed to be beyond angry at the moment, he didn't even bother to try and let the woman speak as he fired the Silurian weapon at her, striking her in the gut, sending her falling backwards, wounded, the other soldiers that had accompanied them quickly rushed to her side, knowing they could not attack while he had a gun in his hand, knowing that the humans could be volatile.

"Mo!" Nasreen shouted, completely startled and horrified that he'd fired a gun at another person...even if it was an alien, or an earthlian as the Doctor had said.

Mo didn't even bother to apologize as he ran over to them, "Please," he begged, "You have to help me!"

"What happened?" the Doctor looked over, knowing instinctively that something had happened.

"Oh my God," Amy gasped, seeing the lines marring his skin, the dissection lines, and...some fresher blood as well.

Mo just shook his head, "That's not important, please I need your help. She's hurt."

Amy jumped as the Doctor lunged forward, grabbing the edges of Mo's collar, startling her, "What do you mean she's hurt?!"

And then she realized...the only other person there...was Angel.

"What happened?!" the Doctor demanded, feeling a fierce protectiveness, a fierce anger, rise up in him that he'd never felt before. He didn't know where it was coming from, all the knew was that the fact that _Angel_ _was hurt_ had registered in his mind and that he had to find her, that he had to help her. It didn't matter what he was feeling or how terribly weak he was becoming for some reason, he _had_ to find Angel...

He had to find her, he had to find her, hehadtofindher, hehadtofindher, findherfindherfindher...

He fell to his knees as the mantra kept repeating his mind, help Angel, find Angel, save Angel, save his... _Mate_...and then he gasped, grabbing his head as pain shot through him, memory upon memory upon memory piling into his mind, overwhelming him.

All those little moments he and Angel had shared restored to his mind, and now...all he could think about was that they had taken his Mate, that she had been taken beneath the earth and, according to Mo, she had been hurt terribly somewhere, "They took her..." he muttered, "They took my Mate," his expression hardened and he turned to Mo, grabbing him by the front of his shirt again, "Where is she?" he demanded, a dangerous tone in his voice, a murderous and desperate look in his eyes that had Amy jumping back at the sheer change in him.

"This way," Mo pulled back and led him off.

They rushed through the halls, Mo firing at any Silurian that appeared before them, not caring that Amy was shocked...though more so at seeing the Doctor not saying a word about it as she would've expected him to be angry with Mo for shooting down the innocent reptiles. But she could see it on his face, he looked like he would've done it himself if he had the strength, but he was stumbling into walls, falling to the side, falling to his knees and struggling to get up, more determined than she had ever seen him to keep going. So she ran to his side to help him up, to support him, as they continued on.

"Doctor, what is it?" Amy asked as he stumbled again, just outside the door to some sort of examination room, one Mo had been in, "What's happening to you?"

The Doctor didn't answer, just looked at Mo as he tried to open the door...but it was locked again, "No! No, no, it's locked! I can't get in!" he shouted, pounding on the door, looking through a small window in it at Angel, lying there, still attached to the board, the girl was slumped over, her black hair falling half in front of her very _very_ pale face, the blood was everywhere, still dripping though slower than before. And he knew...she wasn't moving, she scarcely looked like she was breathing, and that was not good at all. He pounded on the door once more, "Open up!"

"Move!" the Doctor shoved him aside, grabbing the sonic and flicking it at the door, unlocking it, opening it, and running in, "Angel!" he nearly fell to the ground, seeing the state she was left in, hanging there on the examination board, her dress torn, blood everywhere, cuts still open, clearly having been dissected...and she wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing. He could feel it inside him, he could feel it now, exactly why he'd been reacting and growing weaker...

Angel was dying.

She was probably very nearly dead at the moment.

He ran to her side, struggling to get her unlocked, forgetting he'd dropped the sonic on the floor in shock of what had happened to her, "No, no, no, no, no..." he strained, trying to pry the bonds open himself with his bare hands, "Open up! Open!" he felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he started to cry, struggling with the restrains, his mind becoming more disjointed...all he could see was blood, was Angel covered in blood, his Mate's blood. She was dying and he had to get her out but he couldn't.

"Doctor move!" Amy cried as she ran over with the sonic, having picked it up, flashing it at the bonds...but it didn't work, "How does this work? How does this work Doctor? How do you work the thingy?"

He just grabbed it from her, pointing it at the restraints, opening them as Angel fell off the board and into his arms as he sank to the ground with her, his hearts nearly broke as he collapsed at catching her because he could feel it...the last of her life was leaving her even as they spoke, "What...what...what did he _do_ to her?" he started shaking his head, "Why did he do this?!" he couldn't understand why the Silurian doctor would dissect Angel!

Even if she looked like a human she _wasn't_. She was an alien and that would've contaminated the tests that he knew the doctor had been running.

"Why would he just leave her like this?!"

"He likes to collect the young," Mo said solemnly behind him, having heard the reptile talking about it far more than his studies on him and other adults, "And he had a better test subject this time," he swallowed, tears in his eyes, "A baby, straight from the mother's womb."

The Doctor froze at that, looking down at Angel's stomach, not having wanted to look at more of her, afraid of what he'd see if he took his eyes off her face but...there it was...her stomach was even more deeply red from the blood than the rest of her. He reached out a shaking hand and tugged the torn part of her dress to the side gently, the tears in his eyes finally falling as he stared, horrified, at the red, ugly cuts across her stomach.

"Baby," he struggled to get that word out, his mind completely shutting down on him.

A baby.

There had been a baby.

But it wasn't there anymore.

He couldn't see it...where was it?! Where was it? He flinched, he didn't even know the gender and...he knew...he knew the baby was his. It _had_ to be, it was the only way. His son or daughter...where was it? Where was the baby? Where was his child?

He froze even more, his hearts breaking at the thought that not only was his Mate was dying in his arms but his child...his child was taken right out of her. He knew that Angel was too far past the point of being able to be healed with regeneration energy...at least not his...and he could feel it...she was purposefully NOT regenerating. She...she was _choosing_ to die. It had to have been unbearable...to lose their son or daughter like that and...he realized, thinking back on time, the only time it could have happened...the baby was too young, it couldn't have survived the extraction.

"Where is it?" he looked around, frantic, "Where is it? Where's the baby? Where's the baby? Where's my child?"

Amy gasped, hearing him claiming the child as his, she hadn't thought he and Angel were together like that, he'd said they weren't!

Mo looked at the other side of the room, where he'd seen the Silurian carrying the baby, and closed his eyes. The Doctor saw it however, followed his gaze, and saw the lump that was covered by a small white cloth. Amy looked between them, before spotting it herself. She walked over, hesitantly lifting the cloth, checking underneath it...and gasped, tears in her eyes, and she looked away, letting the cloth drop back down.

It was the baby.

But it wasn't a baby yet, it was...such a little thing. It looked barely even three months old it was so small, but she reached out gently and picked it up with the cloth, wrapping it around it like a shroud, as she carried it to the Doctor. He took in his arms, unable to bring himself to lift the cloth and peek beneath, knowing what it would look like, knowing it wouldn't look like a baby, and that was NOT how he wanted to remember his child. He had wanted to remember any child of his and Angel's as a full grown baby, as a toddler, as a child, a teenager, and adult, and old man, anything at all but just...alive. With the baby clutched firmly to him he turned to Angel, speaking softly as he stroked her face, but she didn't move, she wasn't even breathing anymore.

Amy stood there, watching, with tears in her eyes, as the last whispers of life left the Time Lady.

"Angel?" the Doctor kept talking, as though she were still there, as though his words could bring her back, remind her he was there, let her know he was back, get through to her, spark a regeneration. Something, anything, he just...he couldn't lose the baby AND her after having just remembered, and...he couldn't lose her not knowing that he was her Doctor once more, "Angel look, it's our baby, it's our little baby," he nearly choked on his words, he couldn't even say what it was, he just...couldn't bring himself to look, but he knew what he was hoping for, "Our little girl," he whispered, "Look, Angel, she's so beautiful," he sniffled, struggling to hold on, to keep going, torn between needing her to wake up and wishing his body would go faster and follow, "Please, you need to wake up. Angel you need to look at her. She needs her mum."

But Angel didn't move, she didn't stir, he could feel in his own hearts slowing to join hers and he knew, he was going to join her very soon and that was all the better.

"Please Angel," he begged, "Please just open your eyes. Please just once more," he looked at her, but she didn't open her eyes, she didn't move, she didn't stir, she didn't breathe, her hearts had stopped beating. He couldn't...he couldn't deal with this any longer. He'd failed her, he'd just wanted her to open her eyes, see him there, see that he loved her, that he had _always_ loved her, even when he'd forgotten...but he'd been too late.

He closed his eyes, holding her tightly, "Don't worry," he whispered, kissing her hair as he cradled her to him, "I'm coming. I'm coming."

Amy just shook her head, not knowing what was going on, "Doctor what are you talking about? What's happening? What's happening to you? What's wrong?" she could see it in him, he was getting paler by the second, it seemed like he was having trouble breathing as he just sort of faded away in front of her.

"She was my Mate, Amy," he told her, his voice trembling as he spoke, and he hadn't remembered her, "She was my Mate."

Amy looked at him, "Yeah, I know, you said she was your mate, she was your friend," it was true, he said that a lot.

He winced, recalling Liz 10, how he'd denied it, how incredibly he had proclaimed that they were only friends to everyone who brought it up, but they _weren't_ just friends. He could see it, in his mind, Angel wincing, her flinching, the pain in her eyes, every time he said that, especially that last time, with the Dream Lord, how he had said that his memories couldn't be that important if he could forgot them.

If he forgot _her_.

Oh God.

It hit him fully just then, to realize, to _know_ that she had died not knowing he remembered. He fell ill, he felt like he could be sick all over the floor, right at that very moment when he realized that she had died not knowing that he _did_ love her, truly and deeply loved her, with everything he had. She was gone, and she didn't even know, he couldn't even tell her, she wouldn't hear him. His hearts broke all over again, realizing still that he would never know why he had forgotten her in the first place. He didn't know why it happened. How could it have possibly happened?! She was his _world_ and he would never know...and that was probably better because he just wanted to be with her now and that was all he wanted.

"No Amy, you don't understand," he shook his head, staring down at Angel's pale face, "She was my _Mate_ ," he emphasized.

Amy frowned, sensing the context of Mate was different than mate, "And what's that?"

He flinched, shaking, and looked up at her, tears in his eyes...and Amy gasped, seeing the heartbreak and the pain radiating from his gaze, "She's my _life_ Amy and now...she's gone."

Amy shook her head, "No, there must be a way we can help her. There has to be something we can do to save her! What about the TARDIS?"

The Doctor shook his head and looked back to Angel, "It's too late. She's gone."

Amy frowned, "But what about that regeneration thing you said?"

"We can force our regenerations to not take effect," he murmured brokenly, "What was the point, you must of been thinking that," he looked at Angel, squeezing her cold hand.

That had to be what she was thinking, what was the point of going on when the last thing she had to hold onto had been taken from her? The baby was gone, she was gone...it was the same for him now. What was the point anymore? He wasn't even sure if she realized that in her dying he would too. Angel would _never_ ever be that selfish...but she was in such incredible pain, he could feel it even now, he could feel every single aspect of it, of what she'd felt, and he just...wanted her to be happy and not feel pain anymore.

He knew what had happened, she didn't want to go on any longer, without him, without the baby, what else was there to live for? How any woman could survive an experience like that he wasn't sure. He knew he didn't know how Angel would either and apparently she didn't as well. She just couldn't go on any longer, it was why she hadn't let the regeneration happen, why she'd held off on it like the Master had. And he couldn't blame her. He only wished the Mating would hurry up and that he could join her quickly, because right now, sitting on the cold ground, with his Mate and child in his arms, knowing both were gone...it was too much, it was his worst fear playing out before him. And he just wanted to be with her again, with her and their child in whatever afterlife was waiting for them. He had to believe there was an afterlife, even for a man like him. He used to be so afraid that there would be, that he would end up in the Gallifreyan version of hell because of all that he had done, not just to his own planet but to others. In knowing Angel though...he had started to believe in the Gallifreyan version of heaven as well, started to dare to hope that he might be worthy of it, especially with an Angel vouching for him.

But he didn't care where he ended up, as long as he was with Angel and their child and that he could be with them forever.

"Doctor, what is it?" Amy called, her voice sounding further away than it was, distant, "You're scaring me."

But the Doctor didn't even take his eyes away from Angel, "Don't be frightened," he whispered, "I'm not..." he closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to Angel's, steeling himself against the pain, against the Mating trying to pull him along with her. He longed to just...let go, let himself be with her...but he knew, even in death...there was still something Angel would want him to do first. And, after everything he'd done to her...he could at least do this one last thing.

"Don't worry Angel," he pressed another kiss to her hair, "I'll take care of everything," he swallowed hard, placing the baby in her arms, before he struggled to his feet and he ran out of the room, rushing down the halls, trying to keep going as Amy, Nasreen, and Mo ran after him. He looked back when he noticed them, "Get out of here!" he nearly growled at them from the effort and the torment he was feeling at having to leave Angel, at fighting against the feeling he'd been welcoming moments ago.

"Doctor what are you _doing_?" Amy tried to move to help steady him.

But the Doctor shoved her away, falling against a door, peering through the window to see a control room on the other side. He soniced it open and spun around to face them, "Go!" he half-snarled at them, slamming the door shut, blocking them out. Mo, seeming to be the only one who realized what the Doctor was doing or planning to do, grabbed Amy and Nasreen's arms and pulled them away.

"Go, go, go!" Mo shouted, pushing them on, running through the halls till they reached the alcoves, still with a mess of Silurians standing stationary within. He pressed a button on the wall, opening the glass walls, pushing the frozen Silurians out, "Get in!" he ordered, jumping onto a circular pad he'd noticed earlier, looking up to see a sort of tunnel thing, the same tunnel thing he'd seen on they way down, "Get on!"

"Get on what?" Amy shook her head.

"What are we doing?" Nasreen had to ask.

Mo just reached out and grabbed them, yanking them onto pads of their own before he hit a button on the wall and they shot up through the tunnel, racing through the layers of earth, the transport pods taking them back to the surface...

~8~

The Doctor worked frantically in the control room, muttering under his breath, thoughts disjointed, cursing in Gallifreyan as his hands shook and his vision blurred as he raced to get it done before he couldn't go on any longer. Angel was counting on him, he had to make sure he did this last thing, for her, he HAD to. He winced, struggling to hold on, he needed just a little bit longer, just a little bit longer to make sure the Silurians wouldn't ever do this to anyone else, another moment longer to make sure he could join Angel and that everyone would still be safe...like Angel would want.

And that was the point in fighting now.

Angel would want the humans to be safe, she would never want anyone to experience what she had at the Silurian hands, and he could do this for her, with his last moment and his last breath and the last of his strength, he could do this for her.

He looked up, watching as the teleports reached the top of the planet on a monitor, before he grabbed the sonic, flicking it on, turning the light on the end red.

Just one more second.

He took a breath, closing his eyes, and activated the sonic...sending off a massive amount of explosions throughout the entirety of the sub-city, shattering all the holding cells, releasing toxic gas, burying the Silurian civilization in tons of rubble that they would never ever escape from.

They would never harm a human again, they would never ever hurt Angel again.

He...smiled...as the room around him began to cave in from the blasts, burying him underneath the debris, though he didn't mind...he could finally be with Angel once more...

~8~

The Doctor gasped awake with a jolt, looking around the dark room he was in, feeling as though he were choking, as though he were still there in the sub-city, being buried alive despite the fact he was lying on a rather comfy bed. He could almost feel the bumps and bruises all over him, even though none marred his skin.

He sat up, letting out a breath as he hunched forward, burying his face in his hands as he heaved, feeling like he couldn't get enough breath in him. It was...another dream, yet another nightmare. He should have expected it, they'd been...plaguing him for...quite a while, quite a very long while. He took a breath, closing his eyes, steeling himself, feeling that brief flash of fear he always felt when he woke, the fear that it wasn't a dream, that it _had_ happened, that one mistake in his past...like taking longer than he had to protect the humans, like putting more effort and focus on them instead of listening to the instinct that he needed to get back to Angel...had taken the woman he loved more than anything from him. Worse still, that dream had taken Ayla from him in the most horrific way imaginable.

He looked over, feeling the weight lift off his shoulders as he saw Angel sleeping beside him, Ayla was actually between them, having had a bit of a nightmare earlier and come to seek comfort only her parents could give. He knew sometimes it wasn't even that, sometimes she just wanted to have a sleepover with them and they were always more than happy to have her, but this time...it was a nightmare. He leaned over, brushing a strand of Ayla's hair behind her ear, before he dropped a kiss onto her hair, and tugging 'Aslan's' bowtie for good measure. He looked over at Angel, lying there on her side, facing him and Ayla, and gave a small smile.

It was...the greatest relief in the Universe to wake up and see _both_ his girls lying there beside him, reminding him that they were there. He took a deeper breath, looking at how she was sleeping, the TARDIS had warmed the room, Ayla hated being cold, and it was a bit too warm, their thinnest blanket was over them, but Angel had kicked it down to her knees. He reached out and hesitantly took hold of the edge of her tanktop shirt, he tugged it up slowly...letting out an even more relieved breath at seeing the flawless, perfect skin, not red, not cut, not...anything short of just perfect.

He leaned over, careful not to wake Ayla or Angel, and pressed a soft kiss to her stomach. He tugged her shirt back down and rested his forehead on her belly for a moment before pulling back, looking at his girls, so innocent in their sleep, so happy, so...safe and alive and alright.

"I'll protect you," he whispered to them, though being very careful to be quiet enough where they wouldn't wake, "I swear I'll protect you both, forever. I will NOT fail again. I promise you, I won't fail either of you again."

He blinked rapidly, feeling tears in his eyes as the nightmare hit him again, replaying itself over and over in his mind, and he...started crying. He _wouldn't_ fail. He would make sure they were safe always, if it was the _last_ thing he _ever_ did, he would _not_ let that happen, his nightmares would NEVER come to life. He would never ever _ever_ let that happen again.

Ayla would NOT be taken from him.

Angel would NOT be harmed.

Neither of them would be studied or poked or prodded or tested or manipulated or...anything that had been done to them before. He would protect them both with his lives, he had made the mistake once before, failed once before when it really mattered, and it would NOT happen a second time. Not ever. Not again. He had been telling the truth in what he'd told Amy about sticking to the shadows, he was slowly learning his lesson on the mistakes he'd made in the past.

He would not put his family in danger again.

He looked at them once more, wiping at his eyes before he laid back down, reaching out to take Angel's hand across Ayla, looking at both his girls, content to watch over them as they slept because he knew he wouldn't be sleeping any time soon, "I'll protect you," he whispered again, "I'll protect you."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt a little ill writing what happened to Angel here :'( I'm not quite sure if I managed to not make it completely grotesque but just very alarming and disturbing, or if it was a little too glossed over and things. Grr...original chapters! -shakes fist- Lol :)
> 
> I know Malokeh wouldn't have ever been so cruel or careless to do that to Angel, and that Angel would have likely reacted with the Vortex before it got to that point, but these are the Doctor's nightmares, they don't always make sense, often they take things and warp them into the worst possible scenario :( I can say though that, so far, none of the other nightmares will be quite as gruesome as this one. I sort of felt like...with the ark being Silurian and seeing Solomon's legs torn apart and things, that the Doctor's mind would drift to their last adventure with them and the danger Angel was really in. If he'd taken longer to help the humans...she might have very well been 'dissected' :(


	11. A Town Called Mercy: The Kahler

" _When I was a child, my favorite story was about a man who lived forever, but whose eyes were heavy with the weight of all he'd seen, a man who fell from the stars._ "

~8~

A futuristic drone flew over the ground, zigging and zagging, trying to escape something...only to be targeted and shot down mere moments later. As it fell, a man with a squiggling blue tattoo on the side of his face fell from it as well, rolling to kneel on the ground as he crashed into it. He panted, groaning as he laid there, pain shooting through ever part of his body. But still, he forced himself up, kneeling, only to tense, hearing a whirring behind him and footsteps. And he knew what that meant.

The man closed his eyes, "I knew you'd find me eventually."

A larger man in black stomped closer, lifting his arm to reveal a futuristic weapon was fused into the flesh of it. He looked down at the man, a black Stetson on his head, the rim of it just barely masking his robotic eye, a metallic red scanner in place of what should have been a normal eye. He stared at the man kneeling before him, "Make peace with your gods," he rumbled, his deep voice overlaid with a metallic quality, lacking emotion as he spoke.

"Once they were your gods too," the man remarked.

The larger man's expression hardened at the reminder, "Not anymore."

The man turned and slowly tried to crawl away, reaching for a gun lying on the ground...but the larger man merely shot him for it. He fell backwards onto the ground with a groan, staring up at the stars as the larger man walked over to him, appearing in his vision above him, raising his weapon-arm again, "Am I the last one?" he whispered.

The larger man simply stared down at him, "There's one more. The doctor," before he fired the killing shot.

~8~

The Doctor stood in the middle of a road that led to a desert town, his arms around Angel as she stood before him, her back to his front with his chin on her shoulder. It was probably...odd...he hadn't really let go of her since a rather nasty nightmare about the Silurians.

Literally.

He hadn't really let go of her. He'd found this new him loved to touch her, very much so, but...it was a bit more than that. It was like that was the only way he could convince himself she was there, that she was ok, that she hadn't been harmed by Malokeh. There were times he had to physically remind himself of how much care Malokeh had shown Elliot, how much compassion he'd shown in trying to help the humans, how that particular Silurian wouldn't have EVER done what he had in his dream. He hated how his mind had taken Malokeh's natural curiousity, taken what Mo had suffered, and applied the harsher qualities of it to the Silurian and Angel. He still felt just...ill, to even think of what he'd dreamt. He wasn't sure if Angel had noticed the semi-desperate quality that had arisen in his need to touch her constantly, but...he found he preferred that. He didn't want to worry her and...he didn't want to talk to her about the nightmares. For the first time in...ever really...he didn't want to share those dreams with her. And it had nothing to do with their terrible nature, with forcing her to see the things he imagined happening to her, but...it was just...him. He didn't wan to share the dreams because he knew what she would try to do about them. She'd...

His train of thought was cut off when Angel turned her head, her nose brushing against his cheek as she kissed it, "Bit off again, my love," she murmured.

He smiled, "But a very...good off," he remarked, glancing down at her attire. He liked this FAR more than the other outfit she would have worn if they'd gotten where they'd intended to go. He'd rather see her dressed like this than a skeleton. She was wearing tight black pants, tucked into black boots, with a white button up, long-sleeved shirt, a black vest over it, with a little bolo tie, completing her look with a black Stetson...he'd thrown her blue one into a supernova.

On accident, of course.

Yes, entirely on accident.

They just happened to be floating near a supernova at the time.

And it wasn't like he'd seen it there, run like a chicken with his head cut off through the TARDIS to the wardrobe, dug through all the hats till he found it, and then raced back to kick it out the door.

Not at all.

But the best part of her outfit...her hair was down, completely down, not even clipped on one side. He loved her hair, he always had, every version of it, along with everything else about her. Everything was very fitted, and it gave her a true 'western' feel. He should have expected that they weren't in Mexico given she and Ayla had disappeared into the wardrobe and come out looking like western heroes instead of dressed and painted like skeletons...which he was very thankful for. The LAST thing he wanted was to imagine them...dead.

He swallowed hard and kissed her temple, glancing back at Ayla who was standing with her Uncle Rory and Aunt Amy, dressed in a small cowgirl outfit. She had a blue denim skirt that went to her knees, brown cowboy boots on that looked remarkably like a miniature brown version of the ones Angel had worn in her last incarnation, a white shirt and a brown vest, a red Stetson on her head, though more dangling behind her neck at the moment. Her hair was still in pigtails though. It seemed she had inherited her mother's love of dressing for the times, something he was pleased they could share and enjoy together.

"'Mercy," Angel read from the sign above the town as she turned back to it, pulling his attention back as well, "8 _1_ residents.'"

The sign for the town was also accompanied by various others with numerous warnings to keep out. That particular sign was for the population of 80, but with the 0 crossed out to add the 1.

"Look at this," Amy called, nodding at a ring of rock and branches that circled the town, "It's a load of stones and lumps of wood," she looked up at the Doctor, rolling her eyes slightly to see his own were closed and he was swaying Angel lightly, seeming to be humming in her ear, not paying attention at all, "Doctor!"

He blinked and looked over, "Let me guess, you want me to take a look?" he sighed, "But I'm comfy!"

Angel laughed and reached up to pat his cheek, "And your daughter is curious too," she nodded over to where Ayla had skipped up to the ring to take a closer look.

He smiled and dashed over, flashing the sonic at it, "Ooh..."

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"A load of stones and lumps of wood," he stated, reaching back to take Angel's hand, tugging her on to step over the line with him, not seeing her glance back, feeling as though they were being watched, to see a man in black, in the distance, staring at them before he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Er, the sign _does_ say, 'Keep out,'" Rory called when Ayla went to follow her parents, worried for the little girl.

He knew that the Doctor and Angel were VERY protective of Ayla, very very protective, but...sometimes he couldn't help but feel like he worried more. With the Doctor's confidence and Angel's senses...he knew it was likely they knew it would be a relatively safe trip. But as the Doctor's confidence had gotten him into trouble with the Silence and Angle couldn't see everything...he DID worry. He knew how quickly things could escalate around the Time Lords.

"I see keep-out signs as suggestions more than actual orders," the Doctor waved behind him, "Like dry clean only."

"Come on Uncle Rory!" Ayla ran back to grab Rory's hand, tugging him on. Rory laughed, scooping Ayla up and moving her to his back in one fell swoop, giving her a piggyback ride into town. She giggled cheerfully, lightly nudging his sides with her little cowboy boots, "Giddyup!"

He let out a bellowing laugh and mock-neighed, making a snorting horse noise as he trotted a bit, bobbing Ayla up and down as though riding a horse, making Amy smile and shake her head as she stepped over the line as well, following the others down the street. She knew Rory was worried for Ayla, but was also amused by the girl's eagerness.

Her smile faded though when she saw various people watching them from behind windows and doorways, keeping a distance. One woman even pulled her own daughter closer, watching them with narrowed eyes as though they were unwanted.

"My love?" she heard Angel say and looked over to see the woman had stopped, her hand on the Doctor's arm, staring at a street light across from them with a frown.

"That's not right," the Doctor muttered, seeing it spark, clearly running on electrical power instead of candles or oil, which was very not right. He pulled out the sonic to scan it, eyeing the results with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"It's a street lamp," Rory shook his head, not seeing the point. There were lost of street lights around, but...then again, there were lots of phone boxes, none quite like the TARDIS though...was that it? Was the street light not a street light? Was it like...a giant antenna? Or a beacon! Or maybe some sort of communicator ray? Or...

"An electric street lamp," the Doctor said, unknowingly answering Rory's questions, "About ten years too early."

"It's only a few years out," Rory shrugged, laughing slightly as Ayla started to pet him like he was a real horse.

Angel smiled, glancing back at him, "Isn't that what you said about leaving your phone recharger in Henry VIII's bedroom?"

"Right," Rory winced, glancing at the Doctor to see him frowning about it, "Still cross about that?"

The Doctor just shot him a look as if to say, 'what do _you_ think?' That adventure had been...an experience, which had ended up in Angel nearly being married off to Henry VIII (who had mistaken her for Anne of Cleaves, who had run off with a case of cold feet), him being thrown in the Tower of London...again...for sorcery (who knew the sonic lighting a candle counted as that?!), and Amy and Ayla off to try and find the wayward Anne while Rory tried to break the Doctor out of prison. All because they'd gotten caught by Henry VIII since they'd had to go back for the device.

"It all worked out in the end," Angel reminded him.

He sighed and nodded, "And we STILL didn't get married."

He'd offered to get married just after Henry VIII had, the wedding had been lovely...once it wasn't his Mate set to be walking down the aisle...and it had made him think about their own, really making her 'Angela Smith' again. She'd just pointed out, very...brilliantly really, that Henry VIII was the epitome of why she didn't want to _marry_ him. Which had confused him, and...hurt slightly because he thought it was still lingering fears of him forgetting her again, that he'd 'replace' her with River like Henry VIII did with his wives. But she'd elaborated, reminded him that he HAD a wife already. He'd argued that it was on Gallifrey, that it wasn't his choice, and that the 'to death do you part' thing that humans had had already come to pass.

She'd just smiled and told him that that woman was his WIFE, but SHE was his _Mate_. And he'd blinked and stared at her, not understanding. She'd laughed and kissed him, whispering that she didn't want to be a replacement wife like Henry's were, she didn't want to be his 'second wife' but his first and only Mate. And THEN he'd understood it. Mate really was a FAR more unique and treasured term among their people. And really...he didn't want a second wife either, he hadn't thought of it in that context. He hadn't even wanted a first wife (well...unless it was Angel). But he understood now, he'd already been married, he could marry again, to use a title like 'wife' which was generic to their people...it was easily broken and replaced at times. But Angel, she was his Mate, she was and would always be his ONLY Mate.

And THAT was why the term and title was special to her, why she didn't want to lose it and replace it with 'wife.'

He'd kissed her rather deeply for that, which had actually shocked a nun or two, and he hadn't even had to eat his hat to do it.

"Still your Mate," Angel countered, giving him a peck.

He just grinned and reached up to touch her cheek, gently bringing her back for another quick kiss, and another one...a bit more slow...

"Doctor, um..." Amy began, seeing people starting to close their doors and windows and hide inside and the Doctor just getting more distracted.

The Doctor smiled happily at Angel as he pulled way, "Anachronistic electricity, keep-out signs, aggressive stares..." he tapped her nose, "Has someone been peeking at my Christmas list?"

She smiled, "Don't need to peek, my love," she whispered, tapping her own head, "I know what you want."

He laughed, knowing it wasn't just from being psychic or having a connection to his mind, she just...knew him, inside and out, the same way he knew her. He stepped back, taking out a toothpick from his jacket and putting it in his mouth to chew on.

"Doctor!" Amy sighed as he strode on with Angel, towards the saloon as Ayla giggled, Rory setting her down.

The saloon was rather crowded, very lively too, a man was playing a tune on the piano as men sat around, drinking, playing poker, the women chatting away. At least until the Doctor pushed the bat-wing doors open, _everything_ stopped and _everyone_ stared at him, watching as he sauntered over to the bar. He put his hand, the one that was not holding Angel's still, down on the counter, adopting an American accent, "Tea. But the strong stuff. Leave the bag in," he tried to flip the toothpick around with his mouth...only succeeding in it getting stuck and him nabbing it out of his mouth, trying to play it off.

"What you doing here, son?" the female bartender asked, eyeing him oddly, it wasn't much they got company of the like...not at all really, not since that circle appeared around the town. No one got in or out of Mercy since then.

He grinned, laughing, "Son? You can stay."

"Sir," a black man dressed in a neat black suit and white shirt, which made Angel glance at herself in amusement, stood, a cross on him, "Might I enquire who you is?"

"Are," Ayla corrected promptly, "Who you _are_."

The man looked at her a moment, shaking his head, before looking up at the Doctor for an answer.

The Time Lord turned and leaned against the bar, tugging Angel closer, taking her hand in both of his, playing with it absently, examining her fingers and her palm and whatnot, "Of course. I am the Doctor, this is my Mate..." he trailed off as the other men stood, "No need to stand," he grinned at Amy and Rory, "You see that? Manners."

"Um, dear," Angel cut in, reaching out to pull Ayla closer, just _knowing_ the simultaneous stand was not a good one, "I don't quite think they're being respectful…"

Another old man stepped forward and began to measure the Doctor's shoulders. He turned, frowning, "Oh, thank you, but I don't need a new suit…"

"I'm the undertaker, sir," the man introduced.

"I got a question," a young man stepped forward, "Is you an alien?"

"Are you," Ayla corrected again, making her parents smile, all those bedtime stories seemed to be catching up to their little girl. They'd just finished reading her Sherlock Holmes and a few others, it seemed she'd developed a fondness for language.

' _Who knows,_ ' the Doctor remarked to Angel, ' _Maybe she'll be 'the Author' when she's older._ '

Angel smiled, getting a sense it wouldn't quite be that, ' _Or the Poet,_ ' she joked, though she knew neither quite...fit with their daughter. She DID love creating things of her own, making things for people, she always had a card made for Rory or Amy or all their other companions when they stopped in to visit on a holiday or birthday. She and Sky would often make sock puppets and rag dolls when they'd play together. Their girl had tried her hand at drawing with Clyde once...and realized quite quickly she was just like her parents, couldn't manage even a stick figure. Though the Doctor LOVED the stick-him with its little square fez and triangular bowtie.

They really didn't know what Ayla would call herself, if she would even want to choose a title or another name, she seemed to like Ayla. But whatever she chose they knew it would fit her perfectly. It would have to, you didn't pick a title or name that you'd want to be called the rest of your lives on a whim. It took an enormous amount of thought and consideration. And they weren't putting any pressure on her to choose one, she still had a few decades left to go before that point.

Angel glanced over at the humans, a bit...surprised that they knew about aliens. They could tell the boy hadn't meant simply foreigners but true and actual aliens. Though the Doctor looked between her, Ayla, and himself, more amused, "Well, um..." he began, "Bit personal. It's all relative, isn't it? I mean, we think YOU'RE the aliens. But in this context, yes. Yes, I suppose I am…"

Suddenly all the men rushed at the Doctor, yanking him away from Angel and lifting him up, and carrying him outside.

"Daddy!" Ayla shouted as she and Angel ran out after him.

Angel frowned because...well...they were humans. She _never_ liked using her powers against them, it never felt right, she never saw them as much of a threat. And, given the way they reacted to finding out the Doctor was an alien, she didn't think they'd appreciate seeing how much of an alien they really were if she used the Vortex. And...she was still a bit concerned about using it. She used it for small things, yes, teleporting if need be, minor healing, maybe make a wall to protect them, but...she didn't use it more than that because...she was still a bit afraid that if she really tried to use it, or exercise it like the Doctor would say, that it would just...overwhelm her. He kept trying to get her to practice in the TARDIS, with it being the safest place in the Universe, but she just...couldn't. Ayla was there, HE was there, it was their home, if she ever lost complete control...she didn't want to think about what could happen to them all in the box. She did NOT want another Pandorica incident.

Amy and Rory ran up to them, trying to get the men to let the Doctor go, only to find themselves being restrained as well, Angel keeping Ayla close yet off to the side with her, not about to let _anyone_ lay a hand on her daughter.

"Doctor!" Amy struggled, "Put him down!"

"Don't think we won't kill you," the man holding her threatened.

"Doctor!" Angel called.

"Leave her alone!" Rory yelled, seeing the men holding his wife back.

"Don't worry!" the Doctor called back, "Everything is completely under control!"

"Get off me!" Amy struggled more.

"Guys!" the Doctor tried to talk to the men, "Guys! Oh, dear," he muttered as he was thrown over the town line, "Whoa!" he rolled over, Angel and Ayla immediately at his side, Ayla hugging him as he sat up, worried, "It's alright sweetheart," he whispered, "I'm fine," and hugged her back, holding her to him as Angel helped him up, checking on him as he stood there with Ayla in his arms.

"Are you alright my love?" she asked, frowning. She could tell he likely was, maybe a bit bruised, though alright, but...she always wanted to make sure he was ok and not just base it on sensations.

He just gave her a quick peck, "Just fine dear," he told her, moving to step back over the line...when the men all drew their guns on him. He tensed, holding Ayla tighter to him as Angel stepped closer. He could feel her stiffen beside him and he knew she was getting ready to use the Vortex if she had to. He knew she wouldn't want to, with them being humans and with her fears of her control of it getting to her, but she would if it needed. Now that the town knew they were aliens...well, they might be more open to something like the Vortex popping up.

"He's coming," the preacher breathed, staring at something over their shoulder, "Oh, God. He's coming."

Angel turned, seeing the man in black she'd spotted before walking towards them, flashing nearer via a teleport.

"Preacher..." the young man called, "Say something."

"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done..."

The Doctor slowly turned to see the man in black coming nearer still and turned back to the line, wanting to get Ayla across it, but the men still didn't drop their guns.

Angel spun back around and quickly reached out, touching the Doctor and Ayla's shoulder, the three of them disappearing in a flash of gold, right before the eyes of the entire town. The men's eyes widened as they stared around, trying to see where they went. The man in black stopping and disappearing now that they were no longer outside the town line.

"That's very rude you know," Angel's voice said behind them.

They all spun around to see Angel and the Doctor standing there, Ayla standing between them, her little arms crossed, frowning at them too, looking as cross as a little girl could at what they'd done.

"That was _mean_ ," the girl stated.

Someone whistled, impressed, and they turned to see a man with a 'marshal' badge pinned to him standing there, his gun out, having been about to stop the madness. He glared at the townspeople, "You wanna tell me what y'all were thinking?"

"Isaac, he said he was a doctor...an alien doctor," the young man whispered.

"That a reason to hand him to his death?" Isaac glared, "That man's also someone's husband," he nodded at Angel, assuming from how the man was acting around her that she was his wife, "Clearly someone's father," he gestured at Ayla, "And you were gonna leave them widowed and fatherless?"

"But, Isaac, it could be him!"

"You _know_ it ain't," he snapped before turning to walk away, nodding at Angel, Ayla, and Amy respectfully, "Ma'ams."

The Doctor nodded at the men, before taking Ayla's hand, his arm around Angel's waist as he turned and led them after Isaac, Amy and Rory following cautiously after.

"Just let him go like that?" one of the men grumbled.

"Be seeing you, boy," another called.

~8~

Isaac stepped into his office, basically into the town's jail, walking over to a desk off to the side of the room and sitting on the corner of it as the others stepped into the jail after him.

"What was that outside?" the Doctor demanded, stalking right over to the man, a hard expression on his face.

He was not _at all_ pleased that little display of human hysteria. Not only had he been held at gunpoint, but his _daughter_ inadvertently had as well, simply because she was in his arms at the time. What sort of men did that? He could tell that at least half the men who had tried to keep him out had been older men, old enough to have at least one child, why would they _ever_ consider forcing a man 'to his death' as Isaac had implied? Why would they continue to hold him at gunpoint and refuse to let him back in even with his daughter in his arms?

No, he knew why. Fear. He'd seen it come into play in that shuttle on Midnight. He could remember quite clearly what had happened to Angel as a result of it. Fear led to savagery, and he was starting to think this trip wasn't a good one if it would expose Ayla to that sort of nonsense. In his mind, there was nothing that couldn't be calmed or subdued through words. When humans refused to listen was when things got terribly dangerous. But thankfully at least one person in the town, the most powerful person it appeared, WAS listening to them and able to still see reason in that he'd been about to stop everything before Angel had seen to it herself.

"The Gunslinger," Isaac sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"The man in black?" Angel frowned, not quite sure if that's what the Doctor was talking about. He was more outraged at what the men had been doing as opposed to curious who the man-in-black was. But it seemed the two were interconnected anyway.

Isaac nodded, "Showed up three weeks back. We've been prisoners ever since. You see that borderline, stretching round the town? Woke up one morning, there it was. Nothing gets past it, in or out. No supply wagons, no reinforcements. Pretty soon, the whole town's going to starve to death."

"But...he let US in," Rory shook his head.

"You ain't carrying any food, just five more mouths to feed. We'll all die even sooner now."

"What happens if someone crosses the line?" the Doctor asked, not liking the direction this was going.

Angel just picked up a Stetson that was sitting on a small table nearby, a hole in it, "This," she handed it to him.

The Doctor frowned as Isaac nodded, putting a finger through the bullet hole, "He wasn't a very good shot then."

"The hat was his target," Angel told him quietly.

"How'd you know that?" Isaac eyed her.

"Psychic," the Doctor commented, nudging her.

She smiled, "Thief," she countered playfully, elbowing him lightly in the side, making him squirm and retaliate by poking her in the ribs, making her jerk away, ticklish, him grinning like a madman, a very proud madman.

The Doctor turned to Ayla, putting on a laugh, wanting to make her less scared, "Look at that sweetheart," he crouched down and held the hat up for her to see, "He shoots people's hats!"

"I think it was a warning shot," Amy hissed to him.

The Doctor winced, "Yes, I gathered as much," he told her, standing as he nodded at Ayla. Amy winced, realizing what he'd been trying to do, try to play it off so as not to alarm the little girl who was now playing with the hat, sticking her finger in it and wiggling it, spinning it around her finger.

"What does he want?" Amy asked, turning to Angel instead, which made Isaac curious as to just how psychic she was, well...if she WAS psychic. He'd seen many, MANY strange things recently, but psychics? That was a bit out there, "Has he issued some kind of demand?"

"I think...he's after an alien doctor," she stated, gently reaching down to take the hat that Ayla was animatedly showing to Rory from her to hand back to Isaac, "Isn't he?"

Isaac nodded, startled.

Angel just smiled, glancing at the Doctor mischievously and he grinned, seeing what she had done. She hadn't really gotten a sensation just then. It was just...obvious, what the Gunslinger was after. The way the townspeople had reacted to finding out the Doctor was an 'alien doctor' was key. They had been fine when he was just a 'doctor' but only after they'd found out he was an alien as well...and given that he'd implied she and Ayla were aliens too (not his most brilliant moment he realized now) and the girls had been safe, it was ONLY him they'd wanted.

An alien Doctor.

' _You are just...brilliant,_ ' the Doctor whispered to her in her mind, his arm snaking around her shoulders.

' _It was simple is all,_ ' she shrugged, modest.

It was a first though, one she was rather proud of. She hadn't...really had many things that were simple to her. TARDISes, yes, time and space, of course, her love for the Doctor and Ayla and her family, very much so, but everything else...she tended to struggle with. To have something actually be simple, to make sense to her, to pick up on without her feelings guiding her...THAT was just incredible. She liked to think it was a small sign that she might possibly be getting a tiny bit clever, or at least learning more.

' _You are already the MOST clever woman I have ever known,_ ' the Doctor murmured, turning his head to rest his forehead to her temple, ' _You truly are, you see things in ways I don't, you offer a new perspective, and that is just...fantastic._ '

' _Maybe I imprinted a bit of you when I regenerated then,_ ' she smiled, mimicking the words she'd said so long ago, making him beam to hear again, ' _You're rather fantastic too._ '

He let out a small laugh at that.

"But that's you," Amy turned to the Doctor, unaware of the silent conversation, "Why would he want to kill you? Unless he's met you."

"And how could he know we'd be here?" Rory frowned, " _We_ didn't even know we'd be here…well, except Angel and Ayla…"

"We were going to Mexico," Ayla informed Isaac.

"The Doctor and Angel were taking us to see the Day of the Dead Festival," Amy added.

"Mexico's 200 miles due south," Isaac offered.

The Doctor looked up as the light flickered, there was that electricity that shouldn't exist there yet, "Well, that's what happens when people get toast crumbs on the console. Anyway, I think it's about time we met him, don't you?" he moved to sit on a railing by the door, crossing his arms as he watched Angel glance behind her at the jail cell in the back.

"Who?" Isaac stiffened, as though he knew exactly who the Doctor was speaking of.

The Doctor smiled, "The chap outside said I _could_ be the alien doctor, but _you_ said I wasn't. So you already know who it is. Two alien Doctors! We're like buses. Resident 81, I presume. So beloved by the townsfolk, he warranted an alteration to the sign. Probably because he rigged up these electrics," he pointed up at the lights, "And I'm guessing he's in here because, if half the town suddenly wanted to throw me to my death, _this_ is where I'd want to be," he hopped off the railing and turned to the cell behind them.

"I don't know what you..." Isaac tried to stop him.

"It's alright, Isaac," a man called, and the humans (for the Time Lords were already facing that way) turned to see a well-dressed man sit up on the cot in the cell, "I think the time for subterfuge has passed," he stood and walked to the cell doors, spectacles on his nose, a squiggling tattoo on the side of his face that made Angel frown, "Good afternoon. My name is Kahler-Jex. I'm the doctor."

... _a young man screamed on an examination board, his arm up as sparks went off, a blaster being fused to it_...

'... _test subjects ready for activation_...'

... _a line of people stood still, metal welded to their faces and body, looking up as a red light activated in their eyes_...

Angel let out a breath as the vision hit her, and she knew, she just KNEW, it had been one of the past. She...recognized the boy on the examination board, one of the men in the line of people she'd seen...it was the Gunslinger. She felt ill thinking about that, the screams she'd heard echoing in her mind. She closed her eyes, shaking her head, trying to ward off that memory.

The Doctor, on the other hand, stared at the alien with wide eyes, seeing the tattoo, a mark of the Kahler and, at first, thought it was completely incredible to meet one! However, he could feel his excitement diminishing when he glanced back to share his excitement with Angel, only to see her backing away from the cell, pulling Ayla closer as though to keep the girl away from the man.

Something wasn't right.

' _What is it dear?_ ' he asked, moving over to her as Isaac went to unlock the door and release the alien doctor.

She shook her head, staring at Jex in horror, ' _He's not a good man,_ ' she warned him, swallowing hard, ' _He's done something terrible…_ '

' _What?_ ' he frowned, reaching out to take her hand, seeing her truly becoming upset by this.

She looked at him, tears in her eyes, not wanting to show him the vision she'd seen, ' _The Gunslinger._ '

His eyes widened, realizing what she meant, this man…whatever the Gunslinger was...Jex had created him.

~8~

The Gunslinger stood on a bluff, overlooking the town, waiting, watching.

~8~

"The Kahler," the Doctor remarked as he eyed Jex, who now sat behind Isaac's desk, the marshal beside him, "You know, I love the Kahler. One of the most ingenious races in the galaxy, seriously. They could build a spaceship out of Tupperware and moss," but he continued to eye the man with suspicion, which made the Ponds tense.

"How did you get here?" Amy asked Jex, seeing a difference in the Doctor. Normally he'd be over excited to meet someone like he'd just described, over the moon really...but he was...oddly subdued about it all, and when he was being careful about something...it was usually very bad.

"My craft crashed about a mile or so out of town," Jex explained, "I would have died if Isaac and the others hadn't pulled me from the wreckage."

"And you stayed?" the Doctor frowned, the man _seemed_ good enough, kind enough, but he knew better than to doubt Angel's feelings about anything, "As their doctor?"

"On my world, I was a surgeon, so it seemed logical and it gave me an opportunity to repay my debt to them."

"Listen to him," Isaac laughed, "Talking like it was nothing. Tell them about the cholera!" he slapped Jex on the back.

"Now, Isaac, I'm sure our guests aren't..."

"Two years after he arrived, there was an outbreak of cholera. Thanks to the doc here, not a single person died."

"A minor infection we'd found a treatment for centuries ago," Jex added modestly.

"No, no, no. What do you call them?" Isaac pointed up at the lights, "The lectricks?"

"Using my ship as a generator, I was able to rig up some rudimentary heating and lighting for the town."

The Doctor leaned forward, "So why does the Gunslinger want _you_?"

He knew, of course he knew, he knew that Angel had seen the man's past, even if she wasn't sharing that particular vision with him, one of the very, VERY few things she wasn't sharing with him these days. He knew, from her insight, that Jex had done something to the Gunslinger, far worse than making the man. He didn't know if the Gunslinger was a robot or a cyborg or something else, but Jex had had a hand in it, and something he'd done had warranted the Gunslinger to come after him with a vengeance.

Unfortunately, he also knew that trying to convince the other humans to believe her word, that Jex was not a good man, that he'd done something horrible, would be far more difficult without either the man's own confession or other evidence, physical proof of what had happened, of how Jex was involved.

"It don't matter," Isaac waved him off.

"I'm just saying, if we _knew_..."

"America's a land of second chances. We called this town Mercy for a reason. Others..." he sighed, "Some round here don't feel that way."

"Now, Isaac, we've discussed this," Jex sighed.

"People whose lives you _saved_ are suddenly saying we should hand you over!"

"They're scared, that's all. You can hardly blame them."

"Them being scared, scares me. War only ended five years back. That old violence is still under the surface. We give up Doc Jex, then we're handing the keys of the town over to chaos."

"Did you try to repair your craft?" the Doctor cut in, still trying to get the man to admit his inconsistencies, "Surely someone with your _skills_..."

"It really _was_ very badly damaged," Jex remarked, unable to meet the Doctor's eyes.

The Doctor didn't even need Angel to tell him that Jex was lying just then either. He stood, "We evacuate the town. Our ship's just over the hills. Room for everyone," he sat on the desk, turning to face Angel and Ayla, the girl in her mother's arms as Angel seemed reluctant to let her too close to Jex, "I'll pop out, bring it back here. Robert's your uncle."

"No," Ayla shook her head, "Rory's my uncle. And Jack. And Gray. And Mickey. And John. And..." she started to tick off the uncles in her family on her hand till Angel put a finger on her lips gently, amused. It was...true, Ayla didn't have an uncle Robert just yet.

Rory frowned, however, and looked at the Doctor, "Why doesn't Angel go?" he asked, "She could just pop right into it yeah?"

The Doctor tensed, "We don't know if the Gunslinger will start to attack the town," he countered, even though it was a rather large lie.

There were...quite a few reasons that he should go and Angel stay, even though he was absolutely against her being anywhere near Jex not knowing what the man had done to make Angel wary of him and deem him 'not a good man.' The first was...if he was left there with Jex...he wasn't sure what he'd do once he worked out what the man had done. He was quite sure he'd have worked it out by now but...his mind was a bit sluggish lately, little sleep tended to do that to you. He really would rather have Angel in the town, with other people there to protect her, than out in the desert where the Gunslinger was. And...he knew, one of them, him or Angel, would have to go, which meant the Ponds would likely be left with Jex and he knew that he and Angel would want them to be protected. Angel really was the most protective woman in the Universe, and with her foresight she'd be able to tell when Jex was becoming a threat and teleport out. It would be easier to teleport out than to teleport back and forth between the TARDIS and the jail instead of going in one go.

"If anyone gets hurt, it would be best for her to be here," he added, reminding Rory of her healing abilities, "She could warn of the attack at the very least."

The humans who knew of her power nodded at that.

Ayla frowned, ' _Mummy?_ ' she looked at her mother, pulling her attention away, ' _Why is daddy lying?_ '

Angel smiled softly at her daughter, ' _He doesn't want to frighten the humans, and he wants to get evidence for himself so they'll believe what we tell them later._ '

"Take Ayla with you," Angel called to him, he turned and looked at her, nodding as she set the girl down.

"Come along sweetheart," he held out a hand and Ayla ran over to him, he knew why Angel had said it. She wanted their daughter as far away from Jex as possible. Between him and the Gunslinger, they knew the Gunslinger wouldn't harm an innocent.

"Really?" Amy scoffed, eyeing the Doctor, "Simple as that? No crazy schemes? No negotiations?"

"I've matured," he defended, "I'm 1,200 years old now. Plus, I don't want to miss 'The Archers,'" he stood, picking up the Stetson and headed for the door.

"Oh, so you're not even a tiny bit curious?"

"Why would I be curious?" he sighed, "It's a mysterious space cowboy assassin. Curious? Of course I'm not curious."

Angel just smiled, ' _Liar._ '

' _Tru...truther,_ ' he attempted countering back at her, which just made her shake her head at him.

But her smile slowly faded, he...should have been able to come up with a better comeback than that, she'd seen him do so with less to go on, ' _Are you alright my love?_ '

' _Of course,_ ' he nodded, turning to go with Ayla, ' _Just fine._ '

"Son?" Isaac called as the Doctor paused, "You've still got to get past the Gunslinger. How you going to do that?"

He put the Stetson on, "With a little sleight of hand," he grinned at Angel, letting her see his plan, "Dear?"

Angel sighed as he stepped out with Ayla before turning to Rory and Isaac, "You may want to sit down for this…"

~8~

Rory and Isaac ran through the desert, Isaac wearing Jex's coat and hat, "You ok?" he called to Rory.

"Yeah, fine. Yeah. Keep moving."

"Next time... _you_ get to wear Jex's clothes."

From the opposite ridge the Gunslinger stood, zooming in on Isaac, about to fire, when Rory ran past, the man lowering his weapon, not wanting to harm Rory, an innocent.

~8~

The Doctor walked up to the preacher as he hitched his horse to a post, "Can we borrow your horse, please? It's official Marshal business," he placed Ayla onto the saddle before hopping on after.

"He's called Joshua," the preacher smiled, "It's from the Bible. It means 'The Deliverer.'"

The horse neighed, making Ayla giggle, "No, he's not."

"What?"

"We speak Horse," the Doctor told the man, grinning, "He's called Susan. And he wants you to respect his life choices," he turned and galloped the horse out of town.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Doctor, the nightmares are really getting to him aren't they? :( And if this is him just at the start of them...just imagine his reaction to seeing what Jex did himself...oh boy }:) And Angel seems to be starting to notice something's a little off with him. I can say she'll be noticing more, but it'll be difficult, because...the Doctor himself is actively trying to hide the nightmares for her. And there's a reason beyond just not wanting to hurt her in seeing them }:)
> 
> I'm really excited for the next chapter though :)


	12. A Town Called Mercy: The Marshal

Rory and Isaac carefully made their way along a ridge in the cliffs, trying to both keep out of the Gunslinger's direct line of sight so as not to be targets but still keeping within his attention so that he would be distracted enough to not go after the Doctor as he left town. Rory had surprised Isaac when he'd volunteered to go with the man, to keep him safe, even if it meant that the Gunslinger would likely target him as well.

Isaac had joked that if he got hit by the Gunslinger, thinking he was Jex, then Rory could put on the coat and hat and continue on...which had made Amy throw her shoe at him for thinking that way.

It had surprised them all when Rory had said that _was_ his reason for wanting to go. Shocked them all, really, it did. Rory had just shrugged and reminded them that he'd...matured...over all that time. He knew the dangers of travelling with the Time Lords, he accepted them, he understood the necessity of thinking of the worst case scenario in order to be prepared for it from his time as a Roman. He'd just looked at Angel and said that, if Ayla was going with the Doctor...then...he wanted to make sure that absolutely EVERYTHING was being done to keep the Gunslinger away.

And he did want to help look out for Isaac, to make sure the man wasn't going it alone, to make sure he had an extra set of eyes to help keep back from the blasts that were likely to come. He had a few reasons for wanting to go with the man, but to know that Ayla was a large part of them, that he loved his niece so much, touched them all.

The duo had just taken a step forward, when the ground beneath them exploded, the Gunslinger firing at them.

"I, uh...I think he's seen us," Rory panted.

Isaac grabbed his arm, "This way."

~8~

In the marshal's office, Jex was standing by the window, look out it, as though he'd be able to see the Doctor racing through the desert or Isaac rushing about behind the rocks. Really, all that could be seen were the buildings across the road and the sky. Amy sat at the desk with Angel standing beside her, though the Time Lady's eyes on Jex, her arms crossed, shifting back and forth slightly.

That man...she just...how could he do something so terrible? She knew the Doctor had done many bad things in the past, but it was always when there was no other option left, absolutely none, and...he'd never done what Jex had. He'd never stood over someone, experimenting on them, taking everything good about them and hollowing them out to turn them into soldiers just like...just like the Daleks had in New York. THAT was why she'd felt so uncomfortable around the man, she realized. To her...he was just like a Dalek, he'd done exactly what they had, taken someone and hollowed them out into a warrior they could control and force to kill.

She and the Doctor had managed to save those soldiers in New York...perhaps there was still a chance to save the Gunslinger too. She...she knew, she got a terrible sense from her vision that the other soldiers, well...that they weren't there any longer. She truly feared that it could mean Jex and the other scientists had done exactly as the Daleks had tried to do as well and...exterminated them, or whatever the Kahler called it. The others like the Gunslinger weren't there any more, she knew that, and she sincerely hoped it wasn't like New York, because...to do that to the others...what difference was there between Jex and a Dalek?

"When this is all done, do you want us to take you home?" Amy asked him, not seeming to notice Angel's hesitation with the man.

"That's not really for you to decide Amy," Angel murmured absently.

"What, I'm _asking_ him aren't I?" Amy smiled, "The Doctor would probably just trick him into the TARDIS and whisk him off home as a surprise or something."

Angel glanced at her, "I meant, it's not for you to decide who we take in the TARDIS," she corrected, "Rose did the same once, a boy named Adam, invited him along instead of asking the Doctor first to invite him, we nearly lost the TARDIS because of him."

It had been...different with Donna asking Jenny, she'd more implied it but Jenny was their daughter. It was even different with Rory, when Amy had asked the boy to stay, because SHE had been about to ask him to be her companion at the same time, Amy had just beaten her to it. With Mickey, the man had asked himself it he could come. She didn't know why but it just...bothered her when companions assumed that, because they travelled in the TARDIS, they had a right to invite other people to travel with them as well. She knew that the companions often came to look at the TARDIS as their home but...to be completely honest...they were still 'guests' of the Time Lords, if that was even the right word. In the grand scope of it, the humans were invited in by them, making them guests, and guests, to be polite, shouldn't invite other guests.

"Sorry," she looked at Amy, offering her an apologetic smile for what she'd said. She'd found that...she was really rather more protective of the TARDIS than she used to be. Ever since Idris really, since realizing that the TARDIS was even more alive than she'd ever dreamed, and then...when she'd regenerated...being able to _hear_ the box talking in her mind, she was even more aware she was a living, sentient thing, and...she was important to her. She was very much protective of the old girl, of her sister, and she just...didn't want to risk another Adam incident.

"No, you're right," Amy countered, "It's not my place to ask," especially not when she and Rory were slowly trying to not get so attached to the TARDIS and the Time Family every time they appeared. They were trying to wean themselves off, help the Doctor in that regard, and really...if they weren't permanent residents of the TARDIS, she didn't have a right to ask that of Jex. Even if she knew that Angel and the Doctor would likely ask the man that very same question, it wasn't her place to ask it.

"Thank you for the offer," Jex remarked, "But I have already given everything I have to the Kahler," he sighed, "My skills, my energy...all that was good in me. But here...I could start afresh. I could remember myself and _help_ people. That's all I ever wanted to do. End suffering."

Angel sighed, it was harder to listen to him talking about that, how he wanted to end suffering, yet...he'd made so many people suffer. Not just the soldiers, like the Gunslinger, but...their families as well. She couldn't imagine, never ever wanted to, because she had already experienced it in a way, a child being taken from her and raised to be something else, something dark, something destructive. It was worse because...Jex hadn't just done that, he'd operated on them, he'd fused weapons and metal to them, he'd reprogrammed their brains and controlled them.

And it was hard because...she could sense he _was_ repentant for what he'd done. So, in one small way, that was where he DID differ from the Daleks, even if it wasn't by much. She got up, "Here," and picked up a jacket Isaac had left when he'd switched for Jex's, draping it over his shoulders, seeing him shiver a bit. Kahler was actually quite a bit warmer than Earth at this time and for this place, to him it was a bit chilly.

"You know, had I not seen you with your daughter, I would still know you were a mother," he smiled at her, "There's kindness in your eyes. And sadness. But a ferocity too."

"That was Angel before the kid too," Amy laughed, getting up to come and lean on the desk, half sitting on it as she faced them, "What about you? Are you a father?"

"Yes. In a way, I suppose I am."

~8~

Isaac and Rory hid against the base of a rocky ledge, "So, we wait here till the Doctor comes to pick us up in your ship," Isaac breathed.

"Yes, I know. I was there when we agreed it."

"Yeah, I said that more for my benefit more than yours."

~8~

The Doctor galloped Susan along a dirt road, his one arm firmly around Ayla's middle to keep her safe and secure, when the girl called out, "Daddy, what's that?" and pointed to something in the distance.

He led the horse over and slowed, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Susan neighed, "Yeah, I know we're in a hurry. I just want to check something out," he hopped off, "Stay there sweetheart," he pointed at Ayla, not that she could really get off the horse without his help, "Two ticks," Susan snorted, "Yes," he knelt down and looked at the dirt, "Yes, it could be important," Susan whinnied, "Oi, don't swear, my daughter's right there!" he warned the horse as Ayla giggled, making him smile.

He brushed off some dirt that seemed to be making a small mound and found what looked like a tube of some sort, some kind of hose, running along the ground. He frowned, looking at it closely, before he sniffed it, standing. He tugged it more, loosening it from where it had been half buried in the dirt, revealing an entire line of it down further into the desert, the other end leading towards Mercy.

~8~

The lights in the marshal's office flickered as Jex looked up at it, worried.

Angel eyed them as well, before silently calling out to the Doctor, the two of them keeping their minds open, confirming that what he'd found was connected to the electrics.

~8~

The Doctor dropped the line and ran back to Susan.

~8~

Jex's expression grew more concerned as he eyed the light, Angel watching him carefully.

~8~

The Doctor had Susan follow the line to where it ended, sparking, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," he tugged Susan to a stop as he dismounted, "Yes, I wear a Stetson now," he called as the horse snorted. He headed over to the mound in the dirt that had a tarp on it, where the line was connected. He pulled the tarp off, seeing an oval pod beneath it, perfectly intact, which Susan snorted to, "Yes, good point, Susan," he examined the capsule, "Where IS the damage?"

He glanced over at the horse and walked back, petting Susan's snout, "Now, you stay here," he told the horse, "If anything happens, you take my daughter back to town as _fast_ as you can, you run and you don't stop, understand?" Susan nodded, "Thank you," he kissed the horse's nose before looking at Ayla, taking her hand, "I'll just be a minute sweetheart, Susan will take care of you ok?"

"Ok daddy," she nodded, taking the reins and wiggling to get comfortable.

He smiled, "That's my girl," he dropped a kiss to her hand before turning to examine the pod.

~8~

The Gunslinger walked to the edge of a ridge and looked down, trying to find Rory and Isaac. Isaac reached hand out to keep Rory back, to keep them out of sight, however the Gunslinger picked up their heat signatures and raised his gun, ready to fire…

~8~

The Doctor climbed on top of the pod, knocking on it, tapping it to see it was hollow. He pulled out the sonic and flashed it, popping the top off, which only served to set the alarms off. He winced, covering his ears as Ayla did, the horse whinnying in discomfort, while the door slid open.

~8~

The Gunslinger looked up as the piercing noise of the alarm reached him and lowered his arm, turning away. Isaac and Rory leaned over, watching him go before rushing in the opposite direction back to town, they could just tell something had gone wrong in the plan and they knew...no matter how hard they tried...the Gunslinger wouldn't be distracted by them any longer.

~8~

Amy opened the doors to the marshal's office and stepped out with Jex and Angel, staring out at the desert as the alarms reached them even there.

"That's the alarm on my ship!" Jex exclaimed.

"The one that was so broken it couldn't be repaired and was barely powering the town?" Angel eyed him, hoping he would pick up on how odd that sounded, that the alarms still worked yet everything else had been 'destroyed.'

But Jex was too focused on the alarm.

"Maybe the Doctor wants to get it working again," Amy shrugged, at least SHE had been paying attention, though she failed to pick up the hidden meaning in Angel's words as well.

"But that wasn't the plan!" Jex fretted, "He's not following the plan."

"That's the Doctor in a nutshell," Angel commented, eyeing Jex as he turned and hurried back inside.

~8~

The Doctor dropped into the pod, falling right into a seat as the computer sprang to life before him, "Security breach. You have ten seconds to enter the pass-code or this vehicle will self-destruct," he flashed his sonic on the panel, "Thank you for choosing Abaraxas Security Software. Incinerating intruders for three centuries. Nine, eight, seven," he flashed it again and the computer program shut down, "Self-destruct over-ridden."

He breathed out a sigh of relief, "This is an awful lot of security for a titchy spacecraft..."

"Awaiting command."

He sighed, steeling himself, knowing, from Angel's reaction, that he wouldn't like what he found in the databanks, "Tell me everything you can about the Gunslinger."

"File not found," it stated as he groaned, "Please choose from...Technical Specifications, Flight Recorder, Personal Files, Maps and Charts."

"Personal Files of Doctor Kahler-Jex."

Jex's face appeared, "Names of deceased subjects can be found on the drop-down menu," he began as information began to scroll across the screen, footage of people screaming in pain accompanying it.

"No..." the Doctor breathed, shaking his head, "No, no, no, no, no..." but as he stared, as he watched the footage continue, the experiments, the operations, the weaponry attachment, the...programs downloaded into the test subjects...he couldn't deny it any longer, he couldn't deny what he was seeing.

And it disgusted him.

"No!" he shouted, starting to push buttons, any buttons he could, needing to turn the screen off, not wanting to see it any longer, "No. No. NO. NO. NO!" and when that failed...he reached out and punched the screen in front of him, hissing as he felt his knuckles bruise, but not break, the screen crack and turn to static, but not cut his hand, thankfully, Angel would kill him if he came back injured.

Angel.

He let out a breath, closing his eyes as he hunched forward, burying his face in his hands, shaking his head, it was...too much. It was too much like his dream. Seeing the Kahler doctors, seeing Jex, standing over the subjects, cutting into them while they were still alive, more for adapting the weaponry to them than scientific research, but just as horrifying to witness. All he could see as he watched were flashes of Angel, his dream playing out, replacing them with her, seeing her lying there, being poked and prodded by the doctors.

It made him sick to think of because he knew she'd endured similar treatment before, with the owners before Van Statten, that she would have endured the same if he hadn't reached her in time. As terrible as it was to say...he hadn't seen her being cut into before he'd found her, but that dream...dreaming about it happening, seeing it in his mind's eye, hearing her screaming, seeing the blood...even in a dream...it was the most terrible sight ever. And to know that Jex had done the same to so many others, none of them could possibly be as important to anyone as Angel was to him, but they WERE important to other people. They were husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, sons and...daughters.

And it made his hearts drop into his churning stomach to think on that as well. Ayla...she had nearly been what the Gunslinger was now, had Kovarian and the Silence gotten their way. His daughter, his precious, innocent, daughter, would have been a murderer. She would have been twisted and essentially programmed to fight him and kill him, kill Angel, just like the Gunslinger had been. The man had had terrible things done to him, had harmed others, had had his entire life erased and replaced with nothing but the drive to kill the enemy...which would have happened to Ayla as well. His daughter had come so close to being the Gunslinger, and he didn't even know what sort of tactics Kovarian would have used, he knew it would be more terrible than what the Gunslinger endured. But it didn't change the fact that what the man had been through was, in itself, a travesty and a heinous crime.

His girls...both of them had suffered...he shook his head, reminding himself it was a dream...could have suffered the way the Gunslinger had. The fact that it was at Jex's hands didn't make a difference, it was the same terrible crime in his mind. He opened his eyes, a fierce quality to them, a darkness burning in their depths as he glared at the cracked and staticing screen as he steeled himself for what he knew was coming.

Because now...now he had his proof.

~8~

Amy and Angel stepped back into the marshal's office when the alarm stopped, closing the doors only to turn and see Jex with a gun aimed at them, "I'm sorry. He really _should_ have followed the plan."

~8~

The Doctor stood up in the entrance to the pod, only to see the Gunslinger teleport before him. He heard Susan whinny and move to turn and rush Ayla back to town when he held up a hand, "Susan, wait!" he called as the horse stopped, he turned to the Gunslinger as he lifted his gun, but held his ground, "Don't shoot."

"Daddy!" Ayla shouted, seeing the man aiming a weapon at her father.

"I know who you are," the Doctor continued, far too calmly to be a good omen to anyone, "And who Jex is too," his jaw tensed, "I know what he did you," the Gunslinger eyed him a moment, hearing a...dangerous note in the Doctor's voice, a disgust at what had happened, a sympathy for HIM, and lowered his weapon, "What I don't understand...is why you haven't just walked into the town and killed him as he deserves?"

The Gunslinger blinked at that, seeing a potential ally, "People will get in the way," he stated.

The Doctor nodded, that was...exactly like something he could see Angel saying. No matter what was done to her, he knew that she would always want to protect the innocent. He eyed the Gunslinger, seeing a man who had likely volunteered into that program Jex's records talked about, as a way to protect other people, and been tricked and mutilated in order to do so. He vaguely considered if that might be the man's past, even though he wasn't psychic like Angel was...he saw a...kindredness in this man, his words just then, having had such a horrible thing happen to him, wanting his revenge, yet still retaining that soundness of mind to realize that other people, innocents, children, would get hurt if he lashed out...well, he had a newfound respect for the Gunslinger.

"You want justice," the Doctor nodded, "And you deserve justice. If we bring Jex back to Kahler," he began, knowing that, despite wanting to give the man the chance to face his torturers, he couldn't expose his daughter to that, "We can put him on trial and..."

The Gunslinger raised his weapon again, "When he starts killing YOUR people, you can use YOUR justice."

The Doctor looked him in the eye, nodding, knowing that nothing would stop the man from seeing his revenge handled. And he found...he was rather torn.

All he could think about was what he'd want if Jex had done what he did to the Gunslinger to Ayla or Angel, and he felt fury rise in him at the thought, felt the need to hand the man over to the Gunslinger overwhelm him. Yet, at the same time...he knew that Angel, even having endured what the man had, wouldn't want another life to be taken. She would be of the belief that the war had ended, too many lives had been lost, too much blood spilled already.

So what did he do?

~8~

Amy and Angel stood there as Jex put his personal items in his pocket, his gun still trained on them, Amy glancing at Angel who, despite having literally obliterated the Daleks, was standing there calmly, as though she were sure the man wouldn't fire at them, as though he wasn't a threat, "Isaac says he doesn't care about my past. But things may have been uncovered that even he might struggle to forgive," he moved to the door, "So it's best we beat a hasty retreat."

" _We_?" Amy scoffed, "We're coming with you?"

"It's unlikely the Gunslinger will shoot if I'm with you. As far as I can tell, he's programmed to take innocent lives only if absolutely necessary."

"We're not going Jex," Angel told him.

He cocked the gun…only for a golden spark on the metal to force him to drop it. He stared at Angel as her eyes dimly glowed gold before fading.

"Doc, what are you doin'?" Isaac called, having stepped into the office with Rory only a moment earlier, just in time to see Jex cock the gun.

~8~

The Gunslinger lowered his weapon, "No more warning shots. I'll kill the next person to step over that line. Make sure it's Jex," he warned, before turning to walk away.

The Doctor let out a breath and hopped out of the pod, rushing back over to Ayla and Susan. He could feel it, that darkness in him, that part of him that actually...wanted...to hand Jex over starting to get the best of him. And when the darkness in him rose, he knew the only way to push it down again, to gain control of himself, to clear his mind of the shadows and whispers, was to find his shining light once more, to check the darkness.

He needed Angel.

~8~

Jex stood in front of the back wall of the room, Isaac, Rory, and Amy facing him, Angel, although in the middle of the room, had her eyes on the door.

"It was stupid of me, I realize that now," Jex sighed, "I just thought I'd put you all in enough danger, perhaps if I left..."

"He's lying," Angel said, not even bothering to look over at him, not needing to see his expression or anything to just KNOW he was lying. He wasn't afraid of their safety, he was afraid they'd find out the truth.

"Every word," the Doctor agreed as he and Ayla entered, the girl running to her mother, who scooped her into her arms, hugging her tightly, relieved that the girl was ok and also that...that she could hug her again, being with Jex had...worried her more than she let on, "Everything he says, it's...all... _lies_ ," the Doctor glared at the man, "This man is a _murderer_."

"I am a _scientist_!" Jex sounded offended.

"Sit down," the Doctor strode over to him but Jex refused, glaring right back at the Doctor with his chin up, "SIT DOWN!" he nearly snarled, making Jex quickly sit, startled by the once childish man transformed into a rather...intimidating force right before his eyes.

Angel made her way to his side, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. The Doctor looked over at her, feeling a sense of...calm wash over him, feeling himself smile at the sight of his Mate holding their daughter in her arms, both of them smiling at him, ' _Be calm my love,_ ' he heard her whisper in his mind, ' _Anger is always the shortest distance to a mistake,_ ' she reminded him.

He nodded, placing a hand on hers, before he let go of her and looked over at Jex, "Tell them what you are," he said, trying to be calmer when faced with a man who had committed such an atrocious deed.

"What am I?" Jex repeated, "A war hero."

"Ok, somebody want to tell me what's going on?" Isaac asked.

"The Gunslinger...he's a cyborg," Angel told them, taking a few steps back with Ayla, having gleamed as much from the Doctor's mind. He'd...blocked her slightly, when he'd entered Jex's shuttle, and afterwards, all she could hear was that he was coming back, that he was rushing to do so, and confirming a fear she had had, that the Gunslinger was originally human, not just a machine.

"A what?"

"Half man, half machine," the Doctor explained, "A weapon. Jex built it. He and his team took volunteers, told them they'd be selected for special training, then experimented on them," he could feel his anger rising once more, just talking about it...it was taking all his focus NOT to let the dream surface enough for Angel to sense it or see it, he couldn't let that happen, "He fused their bodies with weaponry and programmed them to _kill_!"

"Ok, why?" Isaac frowned and looked at Jex, almost...betrayed, "Why would you do that, doc?"

"We'd been at war for _nine years_ ," Jex sighed, "A war that had already decimated half of our planet. Our task was to bring peace, and we did. We built an army that routed the enemy and ended the war in less than a week. Do you want me to repent? To beg forgiveness for saving _millions_ of lives?!"

"And how many died _screaming_ on the operating table before you had FOUND your advantage?!" the Doctor snapped.

He was absolutely disgusted with the man, disgusted at himself as well that he had exposed his daughter to that sort of darkness by bringing her here. She knew what cyborgs were, she knew how they were created, and to find out that this man had FORCED that on someone else...it was horrible. And, no matter how long the war lasted, no matter how long the cyborgs were used for, or how long it took them to be successful in making them...the Gunslinger...he was _younger_ than Ayla. He was someone's son, someone's little boy, he was a child compared to the Time Lords and he'd suffered, been tortured, forced to kill...

"War is another world," Jex countered, "You cannot apply the politics of peace to what I did, to what any of us did."

"Doctor," Angel called, seeing him getting worked up.

He took a breath, shaking his head at the man before walking to the other side of the room, where Angel had moved with Ayla, having set the girl down. However repentant the man was or might be, the fact that he had still harmed others the way he had...it upset her. He could see it in her mind, it too had gone to the fate Ayla could have had, a fate so similar to the Gunslinger's, to be programmed and brainwashed to murder others. He put his arms around her, Ayla burying her face in their legs as she hugged them as well, sensing her parents were upset but that they weren't telling her absolutely everything they'd seen and discovered about the man. She knew cyborgs, she could guess what happened, but they weren't being specific and she knew that, because of that, for them NOT to tell her something...it had to be _very_ bad.

"But what happened then?" Rory shook his head, "How come you're here?"

"When the war ended, we had the cyborgs decommissioned," Jex replied, not seeing Angel wince.

' _What is it?_ ' the Doctor asked her, feeling it as she was in his arms.

' _It's...it's just...rather a bit too much like the Daleks in New York,_ ' she murmured in his mind.

He blinked, feeling his jaw tense at that, he hadn't even thought of it that way but now, knowing what Jex had done, it was EXACTLY like the Daleks. Well, that just cemented it in his mind that Jex...he truly deserved whatever was coming for him.

Now he just had to work out what that was. The Gunslinger deserved justice...but to do so would mean exposing Ayla to even more violence.

"But one of them must have got its circuitry damaged in battle," Jex shrugged, "It went offline and began hunting down the team that created it, until just two of us were left. We fled and our ships crashed here."

Rory looked over at the Doctor, to see the man quietly speaking with Angel and turned back, "So what do we do with Jex?"

"What do we do with him?!" Isaac asked, shocked the question was even asked.

"Yeah, I mean...he's a war criminal."

"No, he's the guy that saved the town from cholera, the guy that gave us heat and light."

"And no matter what good they do, sometimes the bad outweighs it when it comes to criminals like them..." he winced, "Like _Jex_ ," he corrected.

Finding out what Jex had done, seeing the Doctor and Angel's reaction, how far away they were keeping Ayla, it didn't take a genius to work out where their minds had gone. His own mind had gone to the same place, or thereabouts. He...was thinking of River. The same thing had happened to her and...he was torn. Because, in a way, River was both Jex and the Gunslinger, she embodied both of them. She was like the Gunslinger in that she'd been 'programmed' to kill Time Lords, that, in the end, she was using her knowledge and her training to CHOOSE to kill someone, but...she was also like Jex. She WAS Universally recognized as a war criminal, and she HAD done truly terrible things.

Amy had told him about a conversation Angel had had with her in some forest when Weeping Angels were attacking, how she'd asked about River. Angel had said that, one day, River would do something truly _good_ for them and that she would honestly apologize for what she'd done to Angel. So he knew that, one day, River would do something good but, in his mind...he didn't see how it could possibly outdo ALL the bad she'd done to Angel as well. Sometimes...sometimes doing one good thing at the end of your life didn't make up for all the evil things done during the entirety of ones life.

"Look, Jex may be a criminal and yeah, kinda creepy..." Amy cut in.

"And still in the room!" Jex scoffed.

"But I think we should put aside what he did and find another solution."

"Another solution?" Rory gaped, "It's him or us!"

"When did we start letting people get _executed_? Did I miss a memo? Doctor, tell him," she looked over at the Doctor with the others.

"Hmm?" the Time Lord looked over, distracted, "Yes. I don't know."

Angel smiled, "I'm sure whatever Amy said is what he'd agree with," she answered.

Jex absently began to clean his monocle, seeming FAR too casual and...confident in his decision...to really seem alarmed or concerned about what the Doctor might do, "Looking at you, Doctor, is like looking into a mirror…"

Angel stiffened, "Jex, _don't_ …"

" _Almost_ ," he continued, not seeing that Angel wasn't warning him not to be rude, but warning him away from baiting the Doctor, who, despite her efforts, was still on the brink of handing the man over, "There's rage there, like me. Guilt, like me. Solitude. Everything but the nerve to do what needs to be done."

"Jex you really have no idea..." Angel tried again, feeling the Doctor tensing, getting angrier and angrier.

But Jex was too far gone in his self-righteousness, "Thank the Gods my people weren't relying on _you_ to save them..."

The Doctor turned and suddenly rushed at Jex, "No. NO!"

"Daddy!" Ayla gasped.

But the Doctor just grabbed Jex and yanked him up, "But these people are!" before shoving him to the door, "OUT! OUT! _OUT_!"

Angel and Ayla quickly ran out after him as he pushed Jex out of the office and down the road. Isaac rushed after them, pausing to give Rory and Amy a look. Rory moved to follow, before turning to stop Amy a moment.

"Oh, you're _really_ letting him do this?" Amy scoffed.

"Save us all?" he nodded, "Yeah, I really am," he turned to leave, Amy heading after him, the three of them catching up with the Doctor as he shoved Jex through town.

"MOVE!" he roared.

"No!" Jex struggled.

"Doctor," Angel ran after him.

"MOVE!" and, with one firm shove, he pushed Jex over the line of town and into the dirt outside it.

Jex fell into the dirt, scrambling back up, trying to get back, but the Doctor grabbed a gun from a man's holster and pointed it at Jex, forcing him to stay back, his hands raised.

"You _wouldn't_ ," Jex stated.

He cocked the hammer, "I genuinely _don't_ know..."

" _I_ do," Angel called, her voice cutting through the darkness that had swarmed through his mind. It was just like Demons Run all over again...that one single small power in the Universe that could stop him dead in his tracks, quite possibly one of only two things that had the power to do that.

The Doctor tensed and looked back, seeing Ayla...frowning at him, worried for him and what this would mean for him if he did this, if he let his anger consume him. Angel was standing behind her, calm as ever, her arms encircling their daughter as the girl clutched her mother's arms...the same position as the angel pendant he wore around his neck, under his clothes. He could see it in her expression, she really _did_ know exactly what he'd do, didn't she?

And the answer was no, he _wouldn't_ do it.

Because he was the Doctor, it was his job to make people better, not hurt them, not KILL them...if he killed Jex now...if he left him to the Gunslinger...how would he be any better than that man?

Amy though, didn't seem to have as much faith, for she grabbed another gun and fired into the air, before lowering it to aim at the Doctor, "Let him come back, Doctor!"

"Or what?" he scoffed, "You won't shoot me, Amy!"

"How do you know?! Maybe I've changed," she cocked the gun as Angel shook her head, humans, _so_ irrational, "You've clearly been taking stupid lessons since I saw you last," she waved the gun around...and accidently shot the ground, "I didn't mean to do that!" before doing it again, Angel quickly bringing up a golden shield around her and Ayla.

"Amy DROP the GUN!" the Doctor rounded on her, an expression of complete danger on his face.

Amy dropped it immediately at the command, actually jumping back from the near snarling quality of it.

"Not the best thing to do Amy," Rory muttered to her, reaching out to take her hand, tugging her back, "What happened last time you had a gun around them?"

Amy's eyes widened and she looked over at Angel and Ayla, both safe within the wall of the Vortex but...oh she was SO stupid! She understood the Doctor's tone now...the...the last time he knew of her having a gun, a real gun and not a stun gun or anything...was when...when...when she'd...shot at Ayla. And for Angel to bring up the Vortex to protect them and with HER holding a gun and...

She knew EXACTLY where the Doctor's mind had gone, and she didn't fault him for snapping at her like that.

"Sorry," she whispered, looking down, horrified because...she really COULD have hit Ayla on accident, she'd been careless.

"Ok," Isaac cut in, "Everyone who isn't an American," he gave the Doctor a look as well, "Drop your gun."

"That means you as well my love," Angel called.

The Doctor looked over at her, lowering the gun, but not exactly dropping it as he made his way over to her, Angel lowering the wall that was protecting them, "We could end this right now," he whispered to her, "We could save everyone RIGHT NOW!"

"And we can save everyone in scores of other ways as well," she reminded him, "This is just one option," she eyed him, "But...could you tell me when killing someone DID become one?"

He swallowed, not having an answer, "Jex HAS to answer for his crimes though."

"Yes, he does," she agreed, "But an eye for an eye is never the way," she reached out to touch his face, "Sound familiar?"

He let out a breath, and squeezed his eyes shut tight, he'd said the same to Ambrose...which was just another reminder of Silurians and his dream, "They keep coming back," he whispered to her, his voice almost...broken by that knowledge, by how utterly a never-ending cycle it was, "Don't you see?" he looked at her, reaching up to press her hand more to his cheek, holding it, curling his fingers around it, "Every time I negotiate, I try to understand. And people...they get hurt. They always get hurt. Why can't I honor the victims first? His, the Master's, the Daleks', all the people who died because of my mercy?"

"Because your mercy keeps you from becoming him, or the master, or a Dalek," she told him quietly, startling him, "Your mercy makes you better than all of them, your compassion, your hearts, if you lose that...what would you be then? The Doctor?" she shook her head, before looking down at Ayla, "Or is this something you want Ayla to see?"

He looked down at his daughter as well, the little girl looking up at him with wide eyes, she...learned so much from watching him. And this...this wasn't something he wanted her to see, he didn't want her to see him take someone's life, or give someone's life over to someone else.

"If we could choose who lives and who dies," Angel whispered, "That would make us monsters."

He nodded, he knew it was why she always tried to save everyone she could. If she succeeded, that was fantastic, but...even if she failed...at least she had tried, at least they hadn't died because she refused to help them.

"My angel," he murmured, looking her in the eye with a soft smile, "My light in the dark."

"My madman," she countered with a smile of her own.

"My daddy!" Ayla cheered, leaping forward to hug the Doctor's legs as he laughed, that was...exactly who he wanted to be, her father.

He turned, handing the gun to one of the men, "We think of something else," he decided, "But frankly," he had to add, "I think I'm betting on the Gunslinger just a little."

Angel blinked.

'... _you'll chase me to another planet...And another race will be caught in the crossfire_...'

... _the Gunslinger looked back, hearing the explosion, spotting smoke rising above the buildings from the desert_...

'... _he behaved with honor at the end. Maybe more than me_...'

Before she shook her head, "You should know by now not to bet against me my love," she smiled secretively.

The Doctor let out a small laugh and turned to Jex, his eyes widening as he saw the Gunslinger FAR too close to the man and waved him over, "Jex, move over the line. Now!"

The Gunslinger had appeared, moving closer until he was right behind Jex, his gun raised. Jex turned to face him, "Make peace with your gods."

"Kahler-Tek, isn't it?" Jex eyed the man, "I remember all your names, even now. Please. I'd never hurt anyone again. I'm even _helping_ people here."

"Last chance," Jex repeated, "Make peace with your gods."

Jex merely closed his eyes as the gun powered up.

"No!" Isaac shouted, rushing forward to push Jex out of the way just as the Gunslinger fired...

But suddenly a golden wall appeared, keeping Isaac back but also protecting Jex from the Gunslinger's shot.

The Gunslinger lowered his gun, seeing Angel with her hand out, her eyes glowing gold as the wall faded. She blinked a few times, the gold in her eyes fading as well, "This has to stop Kahler-Tek," she whispered.

He nodded, "You are right," he turned to the Doctor, "You've got until noon tomorrow. Give him to me, or I'll kill you all," he glanced at Angel, "You won't be able to protect everyone."

And with that, he teleported away.

The Doctor shook his head, ' _You won't be able to protect everyone?_ ' he repeated to Angel, ' _He clearly doesn't know you at all._ '

She blushed slightly at that, at his faith in her, it was...nice to have someone believe in her as wholeheartedly as she did them.

Isaac let out a breath of relief, helping Jex up, brushing off the dirt on the man's clothes, glancing out into the desert where he knew the Gunslinger was waiting, watching. He looked at the Doctor, shaking his head before walking over, handing over his badge, "This…" he shook his head again, "This is so far _beyond_ anything I've dealt with before," he sighed, closing the Doctor's hand around the badge, "A good leader knows when to ask for help. You've _got_ to stay, you've got to look after everyone. Protect Jex. Protect my town, in a way I can't," he reached out and put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder, "You and Jex…you're both good men, you just forget it sometimes."

The Doctor opened his hand to see the marshal's badge in it as Isaac moved back to Jex's side. Angel smiled and walked over, taking the badge and pinning it to his lapel.

The Doctor sighed, how did he always get into situations like this?

' _Because you exude confidence and intelligence,_ ' Angel remarked, hearing his question in his mind, ' _And people naturally think you're in charge._ '

He scoffed, ' _Says the boss._ '

He looked over at the humans, "Take Jex to his cell," he told Isaac, knowing that was the safest place for the man, before looking at the crowd that had gathered around them, "If anything happens to him, you'll have my daughter to answer to," he nodded at Ayla, who crossed her arms and nodded, a serious expression on her face, "And you don't want to underestimate her," he leaned in to whisper loudly, "She's a biter!"

The men and Isaac gathered around Jex and led him back as the Doctor turned to Amy, who gasped, spotting the star now pinned to him, "Oh, my God, you're the marshal."

"Yeah," he let out a breath before kneeling down, "How would you like to be my deputy sweetheart?"

Ayla grinned and tipped her hat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Isaac's alive :) I always felt SO bad for him and, I figured, with Angel there, she might be able to do something ;) I was thinking of Lady Christina, how she took leadership but deferred to the Doctor when it was something she didn't know how to deal with. I could see Isaac, wanting the best for his town, doing what needed to be done to make sure they were all safe, giving the power to the Doctor but offering his support in other ways :) As for the Doctor, poor him, those nightmares must really be bothering him hmm? :)


	13. A Town Called Mercy: The Showdown

That night, Jex stood in his cell as the Doctor sat just outside it, watching him intently, as though expecting the man to attack or something, while Isaac stood beside the cell as though to guard him from the Doctor who was waiting for the attack to come. Rory and Amy sat back by the desk, keeping out of it, while Angel sat on a few crates off to the side, between the two factions, though equal with the Doctor, Ayla was beside her, the girl curled up to her side, starting to doze against her mother's shoulder as it was already night out and it had been an exciting day.

"You can come in," Angel called quietly a moment before a knock just barely sounded, having hoped to prevent him from waking Ayla, though the girl stirred anyway.

They all looked over at the door to see the preacher enter, pulling his hat off in respect, "Isaac..." he greeted, before turning to the Doctor, "Marshal," and nodding at Angel, Ayla, and Amy next, "Ma'ams," then hesitated on Rory, "Fella," before turning to the Doctor, "You need to come outside."

"Why, what's wrong?" he frowned.

"Just...come outside. And you should put that on," he nodded at a holster hanging from a hook.

The Doctor frowned, standing, and looked at the holster before turning to Angel in question. She sighed, offering him only, "Frightened people," as explanation.

He nodded, before sighing and taking the gun, he wouldn't use it, they both knew that, but...frightened people often needed some excuse to hold back. And seeing someone with a weapon, as terrible as it was, was often reason enough not to start firing themselves.

He turned, holding out a hand to her as Angel stepped closer, Ayla getting off her own crate to move to stand with her Aunt Amy and Uncle Rory behind her parents, knowing without having to ask that that was where her parents wanted her, out of the direct fire, still close, but protected. And her Uncle Rory had proven, even before she was born, that he'd protect her.

They followed the preacher out to the porch, Isaac remaining behind with Jex as he was unsure if anyone might try to sneak in while the new marshal was distracted, only to see a group of townsfolk standing there, the bartender and the young man seeming to lead two separate factions of them.

"What's going on?" the Doctor asked.

The young man stepped forward nervously, "He in there?" he glanced at the door to the jail as the Doctor nodded, "Leave the keys and take a walk with the kid and the missus. Time you get back, this'll all be done."

He shook his head, "I promised Isaac I'd protect him, and you'd have to get through him to do it too."

"Protecting him almost got Isaac dead," the boy countered, Ayla not correcting him as she didn't like death as much as her mother did, she didn't want to have to correct him with 'killed' or another terrible world, "Tomorrow it's going to get us all dead. We can deal with Isaac, he can't stop all of us"

"We thought Isaac was right to fight," another man stated, "But it's different now. We've got to say, 'Alright, we lost,' and give that thing what it wants."

The Doctor walked to the edge of the porch with Angel, "What it wants is to kill our friend!" the bartender exclaimed.

"Look," the young man sighed and turned to her, "We don't got ill feelin' toward the doc, we just thinkin' 'bout our families. Hand him over and we all safe again."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but...we can't just hand Jex over," Angel told him gently.

"Then we got us a problem," the boy pushed back his coat to expose his own gun.

The Doctor tensed at the sight, pushing back his own coat to show his gun as well, "Don't play games with me," he told the young man, an edge in his voice, knowing the boy was trying to intimidate not only him but Angel as well.

"Why? Reckon you quicker than me?"

"Almost certainly not," the Doctor admitted, "But this? Lynch mobs, the town turning against itself? This is everything Isaac _didn't_ want you to become. This is what he put me in charge to prevent."

Angel stepped down even as the young man drew his gun, which nearly gave the Doctor dual heart attacks, "How old are you Joseph?" she asked, startling the boy at how she knew his name, it didn't seem like something to randomly come up in conversation with Isaac, who some random little boy was.

He blinked, eyeing her warily the closer she came, the Doctor tensing more and more as the boy _didn't_ lower the gun, yet Angel seemed calm, as though she knew he wouldn't use it and he was trying his level best NOT to react and to trust her on this. He...he really did love when Angel took control, when she...handled things. It was truly an incredible thing to behold.

He'd always...well, he'd always been the one to handle most dangerous situations, the negotiations and the crowds of people, the one to take charge. The first Angel he'd travelled with had been...a bit too innocent to really do that, to try and get through to a frantic crowd, the next her needing a bit of encouragement, like with the Sontarans. The last her...wonderful at coming up with plans like with the Trickster or the 456, it had...slowly tapered off, the quieter and more hurt she'd become because of him. But...this new Angel. She was back! This new Angel seemed even more in tune with what others felt, with their fears, with what needed to be said to calm them down. And...she hadn't been lying (not that she ever really did lie) when she said that she felt stronger, strong enough to face things.

It didn't just mean River, it meant enemies, threats...scared people...as well. So he tried to hold off, wanting to see what she was capable of, because he knew she was capable of SO much and...he really wanted Ayla to see that her mother was truly a miracle worker at times. Angel always claimed she wasn't clever (though he argued against that every time) and, if that were true, (which it wasn't), then their daughter could also see that...it didn't matter how smart you were, you could still change the world by being just...a good person. He loved all his companions dearly, in terms of Human and Time Lord, they weren't as clever as Time Lords, but they were always so outstanding, he took them more for the adventure, had taken them for companionship, but Angel...especially with Rory and Mickey (though she did have an influence on his companions as well) took them for potential. She saw people who didn't think they were clever and she showed them they really were, she showed them their strengths, she showed them their true brilliance.

It always touched him...to see her do that for her companions (and his) and yet still thing she was nothing special, because that was a part of her charm. While he'd love for her to realize how exceptional she was, her modesty and her humility...they made her unique and they made her...a fitting vessel for the Vortex, incorruptible, he knew. He could do with a bit of that, with being humble and modest, perhaps it would have kept the Silence away if he had been.

"Nearly 19, I'd guess," Angel continued, eyeing Joseph, pulling the Doctor's attention back, "That's too young to have fought in the war, which means you've never shot anyone before."

He narrowed his eyes and cocked the hammer, turning his gun on _her_ , "First time for everything."

The Doctor's hearts froze, seeing that, seeing the gun aimed at Angel's face, heard Ayla gasp behind him...but Angel just gave the boy a soft smile.

"I meant that as a compliment," she told him, surprising him, "That's a _good_ thing Joseph. A _very_ good thing. Ayla's great-granddad was much the same, though he DID fight in the war, but he never killed."

' _You do know Ayla's going to want to see Wilf now that you've brought him up,_ ' the Doctor remarked to her quietly.

She gave a small smile, feeling him smile, feeling him calm from how she was handling the boy, how he seemed very nearly about to lower his gun, ' _Which is all the better, I miss Donna._ '

She eyed Joseph carefully, "Having shot someone, Joseph, that's _not_ something to brag about, it's certainly not something to be proud of. Because that means you, using your own power, ended someone's life," Joseph looked down and she continued, "That's what Jex did," Joseph looked up at that, startled, the townspeople hadn't been privy to what had been revealed in the jail house, all they knew was that Jex...was somehow responsible for the Gunslinger, "He took someone, and he turned them into a weapon. Everything the Gunslinger was, he destroyed in order to make the one you think is a monster. Do _you_ want to be like that Joseph? Do you want to become a killer too?" Joseph's eyes actually started to fill with tears as she stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder, lowering the boy's gun with her other hand, "Don't become the monster you're fighting," she whispered to him, before stepping closer and giving him a warm hug, "Violence is _never_ the answer," she whispered to him, but everyone could hear her, "Evil begets evil."

The Doctor smiled softly at that, that was _just_ like Angel, calming, comforting, she truly was the 'woman of peace' that River had once called her. He felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see Ayla had taken it and was smiling with pride at her mother.

' _Mummy's VERY good,_ ' Ayla commented quietly.

He nodded, ' _That she is,_ ' he looked back at the woman, holding the boy as he hugged her tightly back, likely needing just that, just...one comforting, motherly hug to help ease his own fears, ' _She's an angel._ '

Joseph sniffled as he pulled back, the fight in him gone though, "There's kids here," he glanced at Ayla, "YOUR kid's here."

"We know," the Doctor said, squeezing Ayla's hand, "But they are all people we _can_ save, if you'll let us."

Joseph took a breath, "He really worth the risk?"

"I don't know. But you _are_."

Joseph nodded and turned, waving the men off as he led them away, the bartender waiting till they'd gone before her own faction left as well.

"Frightened people," the Doctor sighed, "Give me a Dalek any day."

"Oh hush my love," Angel smiled and walked back to him, putting her arms around his neck, "Frightened people just need to feel safe."

It really...wasn't all that hard at all. At least to her. To calm them down. They were all so...scared, all of them, even the bartender and the women, they were fearful of the same thing. And with all of them being so frightened...it was almost like she could feel it herself. It was like she felt what they were, and she just knew exactly what they were scared of. It wasn't just the Gunslinger, it was...everything, it was learning Jex had done something to make the man, it was what the Gunslinger would do when he entered town tomorrow, it was what would happen to them after Jex was gone, and so many other things. And she'd just...wanted to make them feel better.

He smiled softly back at her, leaning in to give her a kiss, "And they're safest when you're here dear," he gave her a longer kiss, "The guardian angel of the universe you are."

She just smiled and took Ayla's hand, walking with her back into the marshal's office with the Doctor, Amy and Rory remaining outside to make sure the groups wouldn't be coming back for a surprise attack. Not that Rory thought they would, he'd experienced more than enough of Angel's words of comfort over the years, he knew better than anyone once she got to you, your entire outlook changed.

"Everything alright out there?" Isaac asked, concerned.

Angel nodded, "Just fine."

"Mummy sorted it," Ayla added.

"That she did," the Doctor agreed, stepping over to a desk, putting his leg up to take the holster off when the undertaker walked over with a cup of coffee.

"Fresh coffee, marshal," the man offered him the cup, "For what it's worth, I know you're going to save us," he nodded back at Isaac, "Isaac made you marshal for a reason, and if you're good enough for him, you're good enough for me. Reckon you should know that."

He smiled and toasted with the cup, "Thank you," before sipping it, hanging up the holster and putting it on the hook again…when the undertaker started to measure his shoulders once more, "Oi! Get out of it!"

The undertaker held up his hands and left as Angel and Isaac laughed a bit at that.

"Let me guess," Jex sighed, "The good folk of Mercy wanted me to take a little stroll into the desert. You _could_ turn a blind eye. No one would blame you."

"The hell we wouldn't," Isaac grumbled.

"Even you could admit Isaac," Jex countered, "If he had...he'd be a hero."

"But I can't, can I?" the Doctor argued, walking to the cell, "Because that is NOT something I want to teach my daughter about, _murder_ is never the answer."

He knew that better than anyone, he'd destroyed his planet to stop the Daleks, and they just kept coming. There could have been options, there might have been, but he'd been...too devastated, too horrified, to see them. He honestly didn't know what would have happened if he'd tried another option. All he was left with was his family, the TARDIS, a destroyed planet and a burdensome guilt. It was something he would have to live with every single day of his life, the knowledge of what he'd done to Gallifrey for the sake of the Universe. It was something he wanted to spare his daughter ever experiencing. If he could teach her that...that murder wasn't the answer, wasn't any answer, then he hoped he might prevent her making a mistake like he had, if she never even ever considered that as a possibility, she'd never have to experience that guilt.

Angel eyed the man a moment, her head tilted, "Do you want us give you to Tek?" she kept getting flickering sensations from him. At one moment he seemed like he wanted to be safe, to flee, at another it was like his guilt was overwhelming him and he wanted to face his punishment.

"Is that what you want?" the Doctor asked, "Do you even know?!"

"You think I'm unaffected by what I did?" Jex stood up, "That I don't hear them screaming every time I close my eyes?" Angel turned and gestured Ayla over to Amy and Rory as they entered the room, hearing the shouts, hoping the Ponds might distract her so she wouldn't hear Jex talking about that, "It would be so much simpler if I was just one thing, wouldn't it? The mad scientist who made that killing machine, or the physician who has dedicated his life to serving this town. The fact that I'm both bewilders you."

"Doc…" Isaac began.

"Oh, I know exactly what you are," the Doctor cut in, turning back to him, "And I see this reformation for what it really is. You committed an atrocity and _chose_ this as your punishment," he started to pace, "Don't get me wrong, good choice. Civilized hours, lots of adulation, nice weather. But...BUT...justice doesn't work like that. _You_ don't get to _decide_ when and how your debt is paid! That is something only the people you wronged, or the people who you owe a debt to, can decide."

Jex was silent for a moment, "In my culture, we believe that when you die your spirit has to climb a mountain, carrying the souls of everyone you wronged in your lifetime. Imagine the weight _I_ will have to lift," he looked at the Doctor, "The monsters I created, the people they killed," he glanced at Ayla, who was in fact being entertained by Amy and Rory, "The children," the Doctor tensed at that, making his way back to Angel, standing beside her to block the man's view of the girl, "Now their souls will be in _my_ arms. Can you see now why I fear death? You want to hand me over. There's no shame in that. But you won't. We all carry our prisons with us. Mine is my past, yours is your morality," he turned to lie back on the bunk, turning his back to them.

"We all carry our prisons with us," the Doctor scoffed, "Ha..."

"Doctor," Angel called, shaking her head.

He sighed, nodding his head. This was quite the pickle they'd found themselves in. He moved over to the chair he'd been sitting in before, and fell down onto it with a huff, rubbing his face when he felt someone lightly running their fingers through his hair, smiling as he knew it was Angel.

' _Why is this bothering you so much my love?_ ' Angel had to ask.

They had met...as bad as it was to say...worse people in the past, people who had done much more heinous crimes, and he hadn't reacted quite as violently as just now. The nurses on New Earth had experimented on the New-Humans, the Cybermen had tried to control the humans, even the Daleks, who had acted just like Jex, he'd...tried to help at one point or another, had tried to stop but never kill and had forgiven after a time. Yet with Jex he was...it was alarming how quickly he'd snapped, how easily he'd risen to the bait.

He hesitated in speaking, which made her frown, ' _The Gunslinger, Tek, he...he was someone's child,_ ' was all he said.

Angel's frown deepened because...she could sense it...he wasn't telling her everything. She let out a soft breath knowing that...she...she didn't have a right to ask him to speak more on it, to tell her everything. Despite being his Mate...she had done the same to him when he'd been trying to make it up to her after his amnesia. She had kept something rather big from him, quite a few things and...if it was like it had been for her...it would take time before he was willing to talk about it.

She had always been more open than he was. She could only hope it wouldn't take something as extreme as with her for him to let her in and let her know what was wrong.

~8~

The next day, the Doctor stood with Angel in the center of town, right in front of the bank. He cracked his neck as the clock moved nearer to noon, squeezing Angel's hand.

~8~

The preacher knelt before the altar of their small church, a group of parishioners behind him, "Help me. Help me to..." he began, leading them in prayer.

~8~

The bartender wiped down the bar, glancing out the window at the street, waiting.

~8~

"It's almost noon Aunt Amy," Ayla called, standing on her tip-toes to peer out the window at the clock, just able to see her parents standing there, waiting. She wanted to be with them, but she knew they wanted to protect her, so they'd asked Amy to watch her, keep her there, while Rory went out to help them.

Amy nodded and looked at Isaac, "Get ready," she told him, and he picked up a set of keys, waiting as well.

~8~

A loud displacement of air signaled the arrival of the Gunslinger, echoing throughout the town, the man himself stepping over the ring around town just as the bell rang noon. He walked to the center of town, stopping before the Doctor and Angel. He hesitated, seeing the woman there, despite his threat, he truly did _not_ want to take innocent lives.

The Doctor's hand twitched by his holster as the bell finished tolling the hour.

The Gunslinger raised his arm with a grunt, ready to fire, when the Doctor quickly drew his sonic and turned it on above his head, the high-pitched note making the Gunslinger groan in pain as windows around them were blown out.

The cyborg started shooting wildly, Angel grabbing the Doctor's hand, the two of them disappearing in a flash of gold, the Gunslinger looking around for his target once they had disappeared.

The Time Lords reappeared only a few feet away, but covered and out of sight, "Thank you dear," the Doctor kissed her quickly, knowing she was still rather...hesitant to really use the Vortex but he'd talked her into using them for this, because with the Gunslinger reaching his end, it was only a matter of time before he started to take innocent lives, and he knew Angel would never EVER want that to happen if she could stop it.

"I'll be watching," she whispered to him, kissing him once more before disappearing in a flash of gold, leaving him to run off for the saloon.

~8~

"Now!" Amy called to Isaac.

The man rushed over to Jex in his cell, unlocking the door, "You ready for this Doc?" he opened the door and let him out.

"He better be," Amy remarked.

~8~

Rory and Joseph stood by one of the buildings, each with a copy of Jex's tattoo painted on their faces courtesy of the bartender, "Ready?" Rory asked.

Joseph looked a little sick and shook his head.

"Hey," he reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, "Trust me, Angel will be protecting us."

Joseph swallowed and nodded, rushing off around the corner.

~8~

The Gunslinger strode through town, spotting a figure running through the shadows. He zoomed in, seeing the tattoo on its face and raised his gun.

~8~

Jex ran through the back alleys of the town, making his escape. The Doctor and Angel had debated whether the woman should teleport him to his ship…but, in the end, they determined she should stay in town. For their plan to work, the Gunslinger had to think Jex was running around right in front of him, he'd fire at innocent people and neither of them wanted anyone to get hurt just for Jex's sake. So Angel was to be stationed on the roof of a building, using her powers to protect the other targets while he made his escape.

~8~

The Gunslinger zoomed in on a figure as it dodged behind a building, frowning when he realized it was the former marshal and not Jex.

~8~

Jex, on the other hand, ran around a corner, through the back of town.

~8~

The Gunslinger spotted another figure on a balcony, but the scan couldn't match the tattoo…

He grumbled at that, "Disengage. It's a trick."

~8~

A little girl sitting in the church got up and peered out the window as the Gunslinger walked past.

"Save us, oh, Lord," the preacher continued to pray.

The girl backed away into a table, knocking over some books, wincing as the Gunslinger stopped.

The preacher was on his feet and at her side, hugging her protectively, when the Gunslinger blasted down the doors, the women inside screaming...

~8~

The Doctor, sitting in the saloon, getting his own face painted with Jex's tattoo, turned, hearing the explosion and the screams.

' _Angel_! he called, dashing out of the saloon, his hearts pounding, both with fear that she had been there and gotten hurt, or Ayla had, or that someone else had.

' _Already on it,_ ' she replied, telling him that she was alright and that so would the others be as well.

~8~

Jex stopped, and turned around, hearing the children screaming, reminding him so much of the test subjects, their screams, remembering they WERE the children of his people, their sons and daughters, that HE'D harmed...

~8~

The Gunslinger stepped into the church, lifting his gun, ready to threaten them to tell him where Jex was…when there was a flash of gold and Angel appeared before him.

~8~

Jex hesitated, when the Doctor ran into him on his way to the church to help, "Go!" he urged the man, "Just GO! We can't save them while you're here!" he turned and ran as Jex headed to the desert.

~8~

"He's not here," Angel stated, her hand up, a golden wall between her and the Gunslinger, protecting the others.

The Gunslinger took a scan of the faces before him, not seeing any with a tattoo and headed out, Angel slowly lowering her hand before she disappeared.

~8~

Jex ran through the desert, to his pod, pulling off the tarp and jumping into it, hurriedly pressing the keys, "Nine, eight, seven...self-destruct overridden."

~8~

"Deactivate automatic targeting," the Gunslinger commanded as he made his way through town, on a warpath, "Switch to manual," he zoomed in on the Doctor's heat signature as the man ran into the open, worried for his Mate, and walked to him, his gun raised.

The Doctor raised his hands in surrender, when a golden swirl surrounded him. He looked over to see Angel standing beside the clock tower of the bank, watching over the town.

' _Thanks dear,_ ' he smiled at her.

"Where is he?" the Gunslinger demanded, lowering his weapon, knowing the shield was impenetrable.

"He's gone."

"WHERE?! ANSWER ME!"

The Doctor took a step back, further into the street, "Away from here. Look up. Any second now you'll see the vapor trail of his ship. This is their home, not the backdrop for your revenge! Look up. Go after him, take this battle away from..."

There was a loud radio feedback as Jex's voice came over the speakers, "Kahler-Tek. Kahler-Tek."

"Jex..." the Gunslinger spun around, "Coward! Where are you?!"

"I'm in my ship."

The Doctor frowned, "Jex, what are you doing? Just GO!"

Angel closed her eyes, realizing what was about to happen, recalling her vision, and shook her head before teleporting out.

"Where are you from?" Jex continued, "Where on Kahler?"

"Now?" the Doctor cried, not even noticing the golden swirl disappear, "You're asking him this NOW?!"

"Gabrean," the Gunslinger stated.

"I know it," Jex sighed, "It's beautiful there. When this is over, will you go back?"

"How can I? I am a _monster_ now."

"So am I."

"Just go!" the Doctor shouted, "Finish this!"

"I will find you," the Gunslinger threatened, "If I have to tear this Universe apart, I _will_ find you."

"I don't doubt that," Jex agreed, "You'll chase me to another planet...and another race will be caught in the crossfire."

"THEN FACE ME!"

~8~

Jex closed his eyes, pushing a button on his ship, "Countdown to self-destruct resumed," the computer announced.

He winced as the Gunslinger shouted through his comms., "FACE ME!"

"No," he swallowed hard, "You've killed enough. I'm ending the war for you too."

"Countdown to self-destruct resumed."

"What's going on?" the Doctor called, "That countdown! What's going ON?! JEX!"

"Thank you, Doctor," Jex offered a small smile, "But I have to face the souls of those I wronged. Perhaps they will be kind."

"Three, two, one. Zero…"

Jex closed his eyes tightly…and a brilliant blast of gold appeared behind his eyelids as the ship exploded…

And then…

He opened his eyes, stunned. He looked over to see the ship torn to pieces, but that _he_ was alive…a swirl of gold had surrounded him. He gasped as it faded to reveal Angel standing there, her hand out, golden winds gently flowing around her till it faded.

She smiled.

~8~

The Doctor and the Gunslinger looked back, hearing the explosion, spotting smoke rising above the buildings from the desert. Ayla, Rory, and Amy ran out along with a few other townspeople seeing it a well.

The Gunslinger sighed and bowed his head, "He behaved with honor at the end. Maybe more than me."

"We could take you back to your world," the Doctor offered as Ayla moved over to his side, looking between her father and the Gunslinger, "You could help with the reconstruction."

The Gunslinger simply started to walk away, "I will walk into the desert and self-destruct. I am a creature of war. I have no role to play during peace."

Ayla frowned, watching the man walking away and looked at her father, seeing the badge on his lapel sparkle in the sun...and tugged on the edge of his coat.

"What is it sweetheart?" he looked at her.

She rolled her eyes, tugging on his coat more, "Kneel down daddy," she gave a small huff, her father was a bit slow sometimes.

He gave her a small confused look and knelt down, watching as she quickly managed to get the badge off him and turned to run after the Gunslinger, "Mr. Tek!" she called, the large man stopping short at hearing his name being called...hearing it being called with such...and innocent quality to it, "Mr. Tek wait!" he looked down as Ayla ran up to him, "Don't go Mr. Tek, Mercy needs you."

He blinked and looked at her, "Mercy does not need me."

"Yes it does," she insisted, holding up the badge to him, the 'marshal' glinting in the sun, "You'd be the best marshal," she told him, leaning in to whisper, "Maybe better than Isaac," she added, which made the townspeople glance at each other, not quite sure about that.

"Why do you think that?" he frowned at her, utterly confused. Here was a child, in a town full of people he'd just threatened to kill the entirety of...and she was telling him he'd be a good marshal for them.

"Because you'd protect them other things, like you tried to from Jex," she said simply.

The Doctor frowned, not quite sure about that either, "What do you mean sweetheart?"

Ayla rolled her eyes, "If he was a bad man...like with the dinosaurs, he would have gotten Jex already," she explained, "If he _really_ did it because of the thingy on his arm, he wouldn't have waited," she looked at her father, inadvertently telling him that she had worked out what happened to the Gunslinger, what Jex had done, even if she didn't know all of the details of how bad it had been, "He didn't want to hurt anyone. If he didn't want to hurt anyone, and the only one he did was Jex...doesn't that mean he wanted to protect them from Jex?"

The Doctor blinked...that...made sense. If the Gunslinger had truly been bent on revenge...he wouldn't have let anything stop him, nothing at all would have kept him from Jex, from seeing his revenge seen. The fact that he didn't want to hurt anyone...it meant he still cared, it meant he was...trying to protect them from the crossfire. Perhpas...perhaps the Gunslinger hadn't been after Jex for revenge on what he'd done to HIM...but as a way to protect the people of Mercy from Jex doing what he believed the man would do, to protect them from Jex harming THEM like the man had him.

He let out a soft laugh, his daughter was...insightful. Remarkable really. Sometimes...children could see what adults missed. Angel often saw more than he did even if she didn't realize it. It seemed his daughter was exactly the same, but in a different sense.

"He just thought Jex was going to hurt you," Ayla looked at the townspeople, "He was a doctor on Kahler too. He was supposed to help, but he hurt Mr. Tek instead. He was afraid Jex would do it to you too," she turned to the Gunslinger, "He won't do that to anyone ever again though," she crossed her hearts, "I promise," before she looked at her father, "He just wanted to protect them...isn't that what a marshal does?"

"Yeah it is, Deputy," Isaac nodded, smiling.

"Then protect the peace, while he protects their health," Angel's voice said. They looked over to see her standing there...with Jex, having appeared in a flash of gold. She walked over to the Gunslinger, who seemed stunned to see Jex alive, "As Isaac said," she reached out and put a hand on the man's heart, still human, still pumping blood, still beating, "You're both good me. You just forget that sometimes," she looked down at Ayla, reaching out to run a hand down her hair, "And sometimes you just need someone to remind you of that."

Ayla beamed at that and stepped closer to the Gunslinger, tugging on the edge of his black shirt. He looked down at her but didn't move...till she rolled her eyes again and just beckoned him down with a finger, she was starting to think that maybe it was just boys who were slow at times.

The Gunslinger hesitated a moment, before he knelt down, Ayla reaching out to pin the marshal's badge to his front, smiling, "Black and silver go really well together," she told him, smiling, she liked...matching things, colors especially.

The Gunslinger looked down at the badge attached to his front now, reaching up a gentle hand to touch it, feeling the cool metal against his fingers. He looked up, however, when Jex slowly approached, standing, cautious around the man who had hurt him so terribly yet...truly and deeply was repentant about it.

"I AM sorry," Jex whispered, tears in his eyes that the Gunslinger could see, "So, so sorry. And I will NEVER ever hurt anyone again," he held out a hand to the cyborg who eyed it.

He'd wanted Jex dead for so long, but…when he'd thought the man had died, he'd realized all that his mission had done was turn _him_ into a monster just like he'd viewed Jex to be. This town, Mercy, it was offering them _both_ a second chance, a chance to be better men than they had been in the past.

He...found himself looking over at Ayla, at the little girl who had...had faith in him first, to see her beaming, positively beaming, at him, and nodding her head, excited.

The Doctor smiled as he watched the Gunslinger reach out and shake Jex's hand.

His girls were amazing.

~8~

The Doctor burst out of the saloon with Angel, Ayla swinging in their arms between them as Amy and Rory followed, the TARDIS now parked before them in the middle of the street.

"Ok, so, our next trip," the Doctor began, "You know all the monkeys and dogs they sent into space in the '50s and '60s?" he tickled Ayla's stomach, "You'll _never_ guess what really happened to them!"

"Er...could we leave it a while?" Amy asked, "Our friends will start noticing that we're aging faster than them."

"Another time!" the Doctor nodded, clapping his hands, actually...ok with that, this had...actually really meant to be just a...one adventure trip, really. He'd just gotten a bit caught up in it at the end there, seeing Ayla so excited, Angel beaming, the Gunslinger and Jex resolved, he'd been a bit...overexcited, "No worries!"

Amy and Rory waved goodbye to the townspeople as they headed into the TARDIS, the Time Lords hesitating in the doorway. Joseph and the Doctor shared a small smile and laugh, before playfully 'drawing' on each other, the Doctor getting him with his air gun. Joseph straightened and tipped his hat at them, Angel nodding as Ayla tipped her own hat back, the Doctor saluting before they entered the TARDIS and disappeared.

~8~

" _By the time the Gunslinger arrived, the people of Mercy were used to the strange and the impossible. Where he came from didn't matter. As a man once said, 'America is a land of second chances.'_ "

~8~

The little girl from the church waved at Jex as she stepped out across the boundary around Mercy, into the desert, knowing she was protected both in the town, with the Deputy watching out for them, and in the sand with the Marshal overlooking the entire town.

~8~

" _Do I believe the story? I don't know. My great-grandmother must have been a little girl when he and the doctor arrived._ "

~8~

She smiled, seeing the Gunslinger standing on a ridge, watching over the town.

~8~

" _But next time you're in Mercy, ask someone why they only got a Deputy and don't have a Marshall or a Sheriff or policeman there. Why no disease seems to touch them and the children look forward to a trip to the doctor's. 'We got our own arrangement,' they'll say. Then they'll smile, like they got a secret. Like they got their own special angels watchin' out for them. Their very own angels who fell from the stars._ "

~8~

The Gunslinger smiled, the marshal's badge glinting in the light.

~8~

"Mummy?" Ayla asked as Angel tucked her in, "Will you tell me a story?"

"Of course," Angel laughed, kneeling beside Ayla's bed, resting her arms on the edges of it, resting her chin on them, "What do you want to hear about tonight?"

It was...fun, how different their stories were. The Doctor loved reading Ayla actual stories, he love doing all the little voices and acting out the scenes for her, sometimes he'd give her a tale of his own, when it was an adventure that was more amusing than dangerous...which weren't many. She, on the other hand, loved to tell Ayla stories about her adventures with the Doctor, her life on Gallifrey, her family.

"Will you tell me about Sir Uncle?"

Angel smiled at that, 'Sir Uncle,' while it would make sense for it to be the Brigadier, was actually Ayla's special name for the Corsair. She didn't know why her daughter called him that, she thought, perhaps, it was because 'Sair' sounded a little like 'sir' if said right, but she honestly wasn't sure. She found it amusing though.

She nodded, "Hmm..." she hummed thinking of one as Ayla laid down to listen, "Alright...one time, on Gallifrey, I was working away in a TARDIS, just...repairing it. The Time Lord who owned it was having issues with it, the steering seemed to be off and it kept landing by...crashing into walls and trees and things like that. Turns out," she leaned in to whisper, "The steering was just fine, but the Time Lord was a bit cross-eyed which threw off his piloting quite a bit," Ayla giggled at that, "So I was trying to rewire the steering so that it would land just a bit to the side...when someone started to knock on the doors."

"They didn't open?" Ayla asked, the TARDIS always opened for her and her mother.

"The TARDISes are very protective of us," Angel reminded her, "All of them were," she got a bit sad before shaking her head, "They never let anyone in when I was in them, not even their pilots at times."

"They liked you best," Ayla smiled.

"I think they liked that I talked to them, like you do your Auntie," she nodded, "But anyway, I asked the TARDIS to open the doors and...in walks the Corsair. More like he ran in. Didn't even give me a chance to greet him before he grabbed me. He literally picked me up over his shoulder and ran out of the TARDIS, carried me all the way through the fields and back to my house, set me down on a chair and threatened to glue me to it if I tried to get up."

"Why'd he do that?" Ayla frowned.

"Because he wanted to give me something," she told her, "A box."

"What was in it?"

"A book," she smiled, remembering it, "He'd been knocking around the Universe, exploring, like your dad. But...causing a bit more chaos, if you can imagine that," she laughed, "But...he was on Earth and he saw something that he wanted to give me. It was a book, like a journal, but with pictures in it, different pictures and notes and bits of things. A 'scrapbook' he called it. And inside that book were pictures of me, of me working in TARDISes and with my mum, your grandmum, my family, with him too. And, just after I'd looked through it...my sister and my father walked it, with a little cake that he'd seen on Earth as well. Turns out," she smiled, "It was my birthday and I'd completely forgotten."

"Mummy that's silly!" Ayla giggled, her parents always remembered HER birthday.

"I was a very silly girl," she shrugged, "I still am."

"Do you still have the book?"

"No," Angel's smile turned sad, "I don't," she couldn't bear to add that it was because the book had been in her home on Gallifrey, that everything she had had been left there when she'd ended up with the Dalek, everything except the Dampening Bracelet really, "But it's alright," she nodded, "It's all in here," she tapped her head.

"Can...can we make a scrapbook one day mummy?" Ayla asked, sensing it was both a sad and very happy memory for her.

"I think that is a brilliant idea," Angel smiled, "But not right now because someone," she gave Ayla a pointed look, "Is supposed to go to sleep."

Ayla rolled her eyes at that but snuggled into her bed, cuddling 'Aslan' to her as Angel pulled the duvet up a bit more, smiling as she headed for the door, turning on the star projection before she shut the door a crack and stepped out into the hall.

"And you say I'M brilliant with her?" a voice said from behind her.

She smiled, not even jumping at the Doctor's voice as she turned to face him, "We'll, she's as curious as her father, makes it very easy," she mimicked the words he'd said to her.

He laughed, reaching out a hand to take hers, the two of them walking not to their room but to the library, not exactly needing sleep right just then. They found the same plush chair they'd sat in ages ago, before the fireplace, the fires springing to life as they sat. The Doctor smiled, winding an arm around her shoulders as they sat, Angel taking his hand as it danged over her shoulder, snuggling into him as he pulled a small blanket over them, making them all the more cozy.

"Do you miss him?" the Doctor asked.

"The Corsair?" she wanted to clarify as he nodded, "At times yes," she nodded.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, even though the Corsair had been lost on House, he still felt like it was his fault. They didn't know why he had been there. It likely had nothing to do with him, but...he just...couldn't help it.

"I miss him more because...I can't help but wonder..." she trailed off, trying to work out how to phrase it.

"What?" he looked at her.

She looked up at him, "How he'd react to this," she squeezed his hand, "To us, as Mates. He was...a little protective of me."

He smiled, "I think he would have rather liked me. He did like me in quite a few incarnations."

"Really?" she smirked playfully, "He never mentioned you."

"Oi!" he laughed, poking her, making her laugh as well, "He never mentioned you either!"

She smiled at that though, "He knew I didn't like him talking about me."

"And he probably knew if he told you even one thing about me...you'd go running for the hills if you ever saw me."

Angel shook her head, "No...I think..." she blinked, because...it WAS a little odd that the man had known the both of them and yet never mentioned one to the other in all that time, "I think he wanted me to make my own opinion of you. I...trusted his opinion. If he told me you were the most remarkable man ever, I'd have believed it," she reached up and gently traced his cheek, "I like the fact that I got to discover that for myself."

His gaze softened as he leaned in and kissed her, he was glad he'd gotten to learn how wonderful she was for himself as well.

One of the most remarkable and treasured discoveries of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww :) I actually ended up feeling bad for Jex in the end, that he really would rather no one get hurt again because of him and did what he did. I feel like, even though he did horrible things, he sort of redeemed himself and that, if he'd had the chance, he would have gone one to redeem himself and help the people of Mercy, and now he has the chance to prove himself :) I hope you liked Ayla's own interpretation of the Gunslinger, I think she sees more good in people than even Angel does :)
> 
> Lol, I hope you liked the little story about the Corsair :) I wanted to give a little more of a look to Angel's life :) I'm actually thinking there's a reason the Corsair never said a word about either of them to the other, but there's a few things I need to look into and see what happens to see if it would work out first ;)
> 
> Just for a reminder, next chapter will be a nightmare ;)


	14. According to Plan

The Doctor stood on at a lake side, on a red and white checkered picnic blanket in Utah, the Ponds and River behind him, an older Canton farther back by an old car. He stood there…staring at a spacesuit, a NASA Astronaut suit to be exact as it walked out of the lake.

"Just…stay back," he muttered to the Ponds, glancing at them a moment, his gaze not even drifting over to River before he walked towards the suit.

He had been…lucky. So lucky, that he'd gone back to the TARDIS when Angel had tried to drop him off at the museum. Something hadn't…felt completely right with Angel's parting words to him. They had seemed too final. So he'd gone back, wanting to explore the museum together instead of wandering himself in a bid to trick her and not let her find him.

Really? What had he been thinking agreeing to that in the first place? As though he'd ever want Angel not to find him. As though he'd ever want to be parted from her. He'd gone back…just as the TARDIS had started to disappear and ran for the doors, managing to make it inside just as the box left. He'd been…rather furious to find her at the console…an image of her on the monitor, dressed like she was now, with a 'death date' below her, a fixed point in time apparently. He'd been fuming to find that she'd known, all that time, she'd known that her death was coming, and she hadn't said.

But, as angry as he was that she'd kept something like that from him…he'd been scared. Terrified really, to find that Angel had to die it seemed. Permanently. Why else would River be in prison for it? He'd realized that his hopes for Berlin, his hopes that, because River HAD killed Angel for a moment or two, that it would be enough to condemn her to Stormcage.

He'd been wrong.

He realized it now. He realized that River hadn't committed her true crime yet, she hadn't killed Angel. And he was scared because they regenerated, that was the point of their dying, to regenerate. And if River was in prison for murder…the murder had to be completed, the person had to truly be dead. The Universe would recognize Angel as still living if she regenerated, so…the only thing to be concluded was that…Angel was going to truly and permanently die.

No regeneration.

Well, he wasn't about to let that happen. And so…he'd done a rather…underhanded thing, one he'd sworn never to do to her again. He'd made her go to sleep. He'd done what he had in the Library and made her sleep, he'd kissed her, looked into her mind and saw all that she had learned about her death date, about the Silence, about everything…and made her sleep.

He'd gone to track a Dalek, to meet the Teselecta, to find Gantok and Dorium and all of the little bits that Angel had yet to find about her death. And he'd made a choice. He would stop it. He didn't know how. He didn't know how he'd do it. His mind was too jumbled, too much in shock, he'd given the Teselecta the blue envelopes Angel had taken from Craig to deliver and walked away, his mind racing, trying to think of a way to alter the fixed point, to…to do something to save Angel. To do anything he could think of…

And only one thing came to mind.

He had to take her place. He didn't care what it meant, timelines be damned, fixed point be damned, HE would be the one at that lake. HE would be the one River killed and if she refused he'd just force her hand. She would have to kill him, because he wouldn't let her kill Angel. He'd found the Dampening Bracelet on River, in the hospital after Berlin, had found that the woman had tried to steal it away and took it back. He'd slipped it onto Angel before he left, kissing her forehead before he stepped out of the TARDIS and into the desert, just as a yellow school bus had dropped off Amy and Rory.

He'd met them, and River unfortunately. It had taken all his self control, what little there was after having known Angel, to not strangle the woman upon sight. Her smirk grated his nerves, her veiled slights against Angel set him in a rage that had him squeezing his drink too tight and shattering the glass when she'd mentioned that Angel had 'brought a plague' upon a peoples. He knew it had been River that had done it and he hated hearing the woman talking about Angel like that. It made him sick to think of how he'd just let her continue to do that when he'd forgotten Angel, how he hadn't stopped her. He should have realized, should have heard her, but he hadn't.

He'd led them to the lake, and just…waited. And soon enough, the astronaut was there, and his time had come. River had tried to stop him, a crack in her mask appearing, revealing that she knew what was going to happen, that she knew who the true target of the fixed point was. But he'd shaken her off, told her it was her fault, before turning to head to the lake.

"I know it's you River," he said as he came face-to-helmet with the astronaut, a bite to his words, River's name coming out more like a vile curse than anything, "No point in hiding. If you're going to do this, you face me, you _watch_ ," but the astronaut just stood there, "Well? What are you waiting for? Can't face me?"

Slowly the astronaut lifted its hand, raised the visor…

And his hearts stopped.

It wasn't River in the suit…

It was Ayla.

"What…" he breathed, his eyes wide as he stared at the face of his daughter, he KNEW it was her, she looked like his last self and Angel far too much to be anyone else, "No…" he shook his head, seeing her blank expression, the bags under her eyes, her pale face, the…pain in her eyes…oh dear God no.

This couldn't be happening!

Angel had said that Ayla escaped Kovarian! Which meant…the Silence had found her first. They'd gotten her back, they'd completed her training…no wonder why River hadn't been hunted down by the Silence. He'd listened vaguely as River told Amy and Rory that she'd gone to Luna University for archaeology on the way to the diner, truly that should have been a clue that River hadn't been locked away for killing Angel.

"Ayla…" he breathed, "No…"

Ayla just stared at him, impassive, not a shred of emotion on her face…before she raised her blaster arm and fired, not even hesitating, the Time Lord too startled and shocked to do anything to defend himself…

Until River shoved him out of the way…and a bright white light encompassed them…

~8~

The Doctor strode through the Great Pyramid, having just arrived there on the Orient Express. He didn't bother to stop and talk to Rory, barely listened to Amy from the moment he'd woken up. It was a mess, all of it, all of time was falling apart because River had tried to rescue him. And it disgusted him to know that, had it been Angel standing there before…before Ayla…that River would have likely just stood there, smirking her bloody smirk, as Angel was shot by their…their daughter.

And now it was all just a complete and utter splattering mess on the carpet of the Universe. All of time was happening at once, the past, the present, the future, everything. There were cars being moved about by balloons, the War of the Roses still going on, with Charles Dickens writing his classics. Churchill was the Holy Roman Emperor, had a Silurian doctor and his own personal Wooly Mammoth! It was all falling to pieces and, of course, he'd tried to fix it, to get someone to realize it was wrong…and been thrown in jail for it.

He had no idea what to do. Angel was trapped in the TARDIS, the TARDIS was…somewhere he didn't know, Ayla had disappeared before his very eyes because of River, Amy and Rory were wearing eye patches like Kovarian did, and the Silence had attacked! He'd been shot at by Amy, held hostage on a train, and now they kept trying to hold him back from getting where he needed to go. He was NOT about to let them stop him, he wasn't going to answer any questions about the Silence, not till he got answers himself.

No…he was on a mission.

Which Amy, thankfully, seemed to realize quite quickly and had rushed to take the lead, heading further into the pyramid…till they entered the King's Chamber, the control center it appeared. And he stopped dead. Because there…in the center of the room…was Ayla.

His little girl wasn't quite so little anymore.

She was older now, as though a teenager, like Jenny was. And she was standing there in a black outfit, a black shirt, black pants, black shoes, black everywhere…a color that was so dark he'd never wanted to see that much of it on his daughter unless they were playing spy. But he knew they weren't. She was standing there…with an eye patch on, her face blank, her hands cuffed before her. Kovarian was in a chair beside her, her arms tied behind her, smirking widely as she saw him enter, saw his gaze land on Ayla. Not even River, who had been working at a computer off to the side with a scientist could pull his gaze away even as she walked into the center of the room, nearly blocking his path of vision.

"Doctor…" River began.

But the Doctor just shook his head, stepping past her, his gaze locked on Ayla, "Ayla…" he whispered, before leaping forward to hug her tightly, wincing as he felt her stiffen…and then grunted when he fell back against the ground from the knee that had just been rammed into his gut…by his daughter.

Kovarian's smirk widened considerably, seeing the devastated look on his face at how his daughter had reacted to him, how she'd physically hurt him to shove him away, not wanting him to touch her, "Do you like her Doctor?" she asked, "It took us quite a while, she had quite the spirit, but I think she turned out rather well, don't you?"

The Doctor looked at Kovarian for only a moment, before her words registered, the hidden meaning in them clear and he leapt to his feet, lunching for Kovarian, grabbing the lapels of her black dress, "What did you do to her?!"

He knew, he KNEW what she'd done. He'd seen it in the plans Rory had found, in the tests the Silence had run on Ayla and Angel. They had already begun drawing up a training program, creating an obedience system, a method of punishment for when Ayla grew too old to be controlled and they needed a way to control her.

"Oh Doctor," Kovarian laughed, "If we told you…it would break your hearts. And you thought we were harsh with Melody's training?"

The Doctor stumbled back, shaking, looking between the stoic Ayla and…a River who actually appeared guilty as she looked down. He knew that River's training had been harsher than Ayla's was meant to be. When Ayla had escaped, River's training had to be harder, longer, more deep conditioning, to ensure that River wouldn't do the same. And with Kovarian being human, she knew the limits of the human body, she knew how far to push River…something they hadn't known with Ayla, something they'd tried to be careful with at first.

And now it seemed that, in River failing to kill him (or Angel) in Berlin…the Silence had doubled their efforts to find their prime test subject…and they'd found her. And they'd been…harder on her than River. Seeing her in that suit, KNOWING it was his daughter…he recognized her now. SHE had been the little girl in the warehouse and in the orphanage, it had been Ayla all along. And he hadn't even realized. He SHOULD have, he'd felt…something, when he'd seen her in the warehouse, Angel had too. The two of them had stared at the girl, feeling something different about her but hadn't known what. Neither had expected her to be their daughter, neither had expected her to be Time Lord, they hadn't made the connection that what they felt wasn't just the familial bonds but…the sense of a Time Lord as well.

And now she was there, she was back, she was standing in front of him…and had never been so far away. He shuddered, feeling tears in his eyes as he looked at his daughter, his little girl, his baby girl, the one he'd failed to protect, just like he'd failed her mother. He couldn't even die properly and spare Angel the danger of being hunted down. If he died at the lake, they'd think Angel had died as well. He'd left her with a psychic message for when she awoke, asked her to go find Ayla, to keep the bracelet on, for him. And now to see Ayla there…it all just hit him.

It was all his fault.

Everything was his fault.

If he'd just been stronger, beaten the Silent's command in the TARDIS, he would have remembered Angel. He NEVER would have allowed her to wander on her own, to be captured by the Silent in the bathroom of the White House. She wouldn't have been taken, Ayla wouldn't have been taken, she wouldn't have had to wander the streets as a lost child, she wouldn't have been captured once more and turned into…this. If he hadn't spent so long fretting over Amy, if he'd just NOTICED that Angel was the one who was pregnant, he'd have done whatever he could to get her back. He would have moved faster, thought harder, found her sooner. Ayla would have been with them, she would have been safe. If he'd just STAYED with Angel in the hanger of Demons Run, with her and Ayla, the Monks wouldn't have gotten close enough to grab Ayla. He would have fought them tooth and nail to protect her. He'd fought off a Sycorax with a sword, a Headless Monk would be nothing in defense of his family.

But he hadn't.

He hadn't remembered. He hadn't noticed Angel. He hadn't protected her. He hadn't been there to keep Ayla safe. And because of him…his daughter was standing before him an emotionless shell essentially programmed to do the bidding of the Silence, to obey their commands.

He could recognize the signs in her face and her stance, the conditioning behind it. Whatever the Silence had done…it had made her obedient. She didn't care if he was her father, she didn't care if killing him would mean killing her mother as well, she didn't care if the Silence would likely kill her after her mission was successful, unwilling to risk another Time Lord losing control. All she cared was doing as the Silence bid and following her orders.

Her orders to kill Angel.

To kill HIM.

"It's a pity you had to see this, isn't it?" Kovarian continued, not sounding sorry at all, "Just think…if you'd just died at the lake, we wouldn't be here."

"I was there," he looked at her, his voice quiet, far more quiet and defeated than Amy had ever heard it, worrying her, "I was willing. But your resident psychopath disrupted your plans."

"You see now why she was the failed test subject," Kovarian sighed as River winced at that.

All her life she'd been compared to Ayla, she'd been raised living in the shadow of a missing prime subject. Everything she did was compared to the estimates of what AYLA could have done. Every achievement was reminded that Ayla would have done it faster, done it better because she was smarter and faster and stronger than HER. She had striven to be better than the girl and yet…in the end…her humanity had been her undoing. It made sense now why they had wanted an alien to kill an alien. Humans…felt too much. She had fallen in love with the Doctor…she hadn't been able to kill him.

And as a result she was deemed a 'failed experiment' and left alone while they redoubled their efforts to find their first subject.

"It was such a basic mistake, wasn't it, Madame Kovarian?" River looked at her trying to defend herself, "Take a child, raise her into a perfect psychopath, introduce her to the Doctor. Who else was I going to fall in love with?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Kovarian shook her head, "Ayla," she glanced at the girl, making the Doctor look at her as well, "What are your thoughts on love?" she sneered the word as though it were a disease.

"Love is a weakness," Ayla said.

The Doctor's hearts broke all the more, Ayla…she sounded just like Angel, like her first self had. To hear that voice, his Mate's voice, to hear it saying those words, to know his own daughter, a girl conceived in the most encompassing love among their people…felt that way…it was…it killed him inside.

It hurt worse because he knew what had to be done to make someone say that and truly believe it. The hell that his little girl had had to endure to actually say those words without a shred of emotion, to say them and believe them to be true. He looked at her eyes, her grey eyes, Angel's eyes…and he saw it. There, lurking in the dark, was…pain. It was unimaginable pain, and for a moment he thought he was actually looking at Angel, at the girl that had looked at him just after they'd taken Amy aboard, when he'd said they were only friends and she'd broken before him.

She was suffering, even now, she was in pain and she was hurt and…

Oh God, it was JUST like Angel.

Those eyes…they were full of death. They were full of a longing for the suffering to end.

He felt tears coming to his eyes, pricking the corners, threatening to spill at that realization. His daughter, his baby…she wanted to die. Like Angel had. Like Angel might still feel. Like he knew she'd feel again when he was gone, when Ayla was gone because he knew that the Silence would kill her as soon as they thought both him and Angel were dead.

And it was all his fault.

The pain both his daughter and Mate had suffered were on him.

And now there was only one thing he could do…he could end it, he could stop their suffering.

He looked at River, "River give me your hand."

But River shook her head, her eyes wide as she stepped back, "No," she knew what that meant, what touching him would mean…and she couldn't! She'd risked her life to SAVE him not let him die!

"Reality is fatally compromised," he muttered, not having the heart to truly care about that, "Now give me your hand."

"Doctor what's wrong?" Amy frowned, not sure why he kept asking that.

"As long I'm alive, time is dying," he said softly, "Because River stopped us at the lake."

"It's not my fault!" River defended, "Doctor this would have happened even if I hadn't, it's not meant to be YOU at the lake, but Angel! The only thing that would have happened was time falling apart and YOU dead!"

"Good."

The room fell quiet at that, Kovarian smirking as she realized…she'd won. The Doctor, the almighty Doctor, the man who continuously fled from death… _wanted_ _to die_. Oh it had taken them AGES to get to this point, infinite planning, intricate plots, but they'd done it. They'd managed to break the Time Lords, all three of them, to the point where the fight left them, where they wouldn't run, where they wouldn't fight, where they'd let it happen. Dear God it had taken forever for their plans to come to a head! But they'd done it. The Doctor would fall, he would stand there, unmoving as his own daughter shot him. His Mate, despite it being a fixed point, despite HER being the intended target, the fixed point would actually maintain itself as Angel WOULD die when the Doctor did, so, in a way, the fixed point would still happen. And then Ayla would activate her self-destruct button on her astronaut suit and that would be the end of the Time Lords, the end of the threat they posed to the Universe.

Oh she couldn't wait.

"Doctor…" Amy breathed, shaking her head, hearing a hollow quality to his voice.

But the Doctor just looked at River, "Did you ever consider, River, that I WANT to die?" River started shaking her head, "Or that I would rather I die than have seen this?" he gestured at Ayla, still remaining stoic, "To see my daughter turned into this?" his voice broke at that and the tears started to fall, "I would rather die a thousand times over than to have let this happen," he shook his head, "I wish you HAD killed ME in Berlin," he took a breath, "Now give me your hand."

"I can't," River shook her head.

"Why does he keep asking that?" Amy asked River quietly.

"It's the only way," the Doctor answered instead, "We're the opposite poles of the disruption. If we touch, we short out the differential. Time can begin again."

"And you'll be by a lakeside about to be killed!" River shouted.

"Yes," he nodded, "And that's good."

"Please Doctor," River took a step closer to him, "There are so many people out there who love you, who wouldn't want you to die, who NEED you," she shook her head, "Like me. Please…" she whispered.

The Doctor looked at her and she gasped, seeing the same dead look in his eyes as in Ayla's, "What about what I need?" he countered, "All I need…is my family. My daughter, and my Mate."

"And Angel will die too though," Amy tried to argue with him, "You do this, Angel will die Doctor!"

"And so will your precious daughter," Kovarian laughed.

The Doctor looked at Ayla a moment before walking over to her, standing before her and staring her in her empty eyes, "I'm sorry…" he whispered to her, reaching out with both hands to touch her face, "I'm so sorry," he hesitated a moment before kissing her forehead, pulling back quickly to make sure she wouldn't head-butt him or something, " _I truly am so sorry Kitta,_ " he whispered to her in Gallifreyan, not even sure if she'd recognize the language.

He didn't know his daughter at all. He'd missed so much of her life, he'd missed everything. And worse yet…he couldn't protect her, he hadn't protected her. But…he could protect her now. She had been hurt, so terribly hurt, as had Angel, and now…him as well. There was nothing that would be able to heal them from this. Nothing at all. All he could do…was ensure nothing hurt them again.

…was this what Angel had felt when she'd started to wonder how long it would take him to remember? Was this…hopelessness…what she'd felt? That moment when you started to think that it would be better to not be in the world any longer than to keep with it and feel nothing but pain and despair.

Probably.

She'd probably felt worse.

Which only served to make HIM feel worse as well.

 _Everything was his fault_.

"What is that?" Amy frowned.

The Doctor stepped back and looked over to see Amy touching her head, looking up…where water was leaking through the ceiling.

"What's happening?" River stared.

"The Silence are escaping," the Doctor said, turning to walk to River, "We have moments," he told her, "We need to do this now!"

"They're out!" Rory shouted as he ran into the room, "All of them."

"River," the Doctor held out his hand, "A fixed point has been altered. Time is disintegrating. And I…can't _do_ this anymore," he admitted to her quietly, his voice so…broken and tired that it brought tears to her eyes, "I cannot bear the thought that my family is suffering…because of ME," his face hardened, "So you either take my hand…or I take yours off your arm."

River swallowed hard, seeing it in his eyes, the Oncoming Storm rising, the threat, the darkness…the promise. He really would tear her arm off if he had to, anything to set time moving once more.

"I am… _suffering_ River," he added, "More than you can possibly understand. So please… _help me_."

River looked down at his hand and then up at his eyes…seeing the honesty in them, the pain…the torment…he truly was in an unendurable hell dealing with the knowledge of all that had happened because of him. Because he hadn't been strong enough or fast enough or smart enough to protect his own family.

She took a breath and grabbed his hand…

~8~

The Doctor opened his eyes to find himself at the lake once more, standing across from Ayla, her arm raised.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her once more, "I'm so sorry Kitta."

Ayla just powered up her weapon, holding it right at his forehead, "Make peace with your gods," she said, her voice cold and emotionless.

He frowned at that, at those familiar words…

When she fired…

~8~

The Doctor half-jumped up and onto his side in bed, shaking uncontrollably as he panted, looking at the floor of the bedroom he and Angel shared. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, before shaking his head and scrambling out of the bed, his leg getting caught in the sheets a moment before he tugged it out. He stumbled back, his shoulder hitting the wall, before he glanced at Angel, lying on her side, facing his side of the bed, her head half buried in her arms and pillow, sleeping. He let out a breath, thankful he hadn't woken her, not wanting to explain why he was so shaken, before he turned and, as quietly as he could, made his way out of the room, needing to check on Ayla, needing to make sure she was…still a little girl and sleeping alright.

The moment the door closed behind him, Angel's eyes slowly opened. She eyed the door, frowning, "Oh Theta," she whispered to the empty room.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does Angel know that he's having nightmares? Hmm…we'll find out exactly what she knows at the start of the next chapter ;) I can say this'll probably be one of the shorter original chapters, mostly because I really wanted the impact of the Doctor's nightmare to be condensed and really come through. It's mere moments in the show, but really is getting to him on a very deep level :)
> 
> Poor Ayla :( She sort of reminds me of 10th Proffy there, but a bit more...non-human :( I sort of wanted the Gunslinger to spark this dream, how he'd been taken away from his family, turned into a weapon, forced to kill and complete his missions...I think the Doctor, especially seeing Ayla see something in the man that he'd missed, would be especially affected by it.


	15. The Power of Three: Real Life

" _Life in the TARDIS was like this…excitement everywhere, running around, facing enemies, rescuing planets, saving civilizations! Real life was like this…_ "

~8~

Amy and Rory stood in their kitchen one July morning, sifting through their things, through all the things that they'd let go and left unattended from the last time they'd run off with the Time Lords. It was getting a bit...annoying, to have to sort through their refrigerator each time, to throw out all those groceries. Luckily they hadn't been in the process of cooking anything yet and left the stove on or something. Their answer phone was in the process of playing all 59 messages that had been left during their last trip, some of them had to be important they knew, and they'd missed it.

Rory sighed as he sifted through the clothes in their suitcases, tossing them into the washing machine while Amy checked the items in the fridge.

"It's Lane's Opticians," the next message played, "Just reminding you your reading glasses are ready for collection. Bye!"

"Milk two months out of date," Amy tossed it in the garbage, "Yogurt…" she opened it and let out a little scream at what was growing inside it before dropping it into the bin as well, "Eek! Don't ask."

"We've run out of washing tablets," Rory called with a sigh, rubbing his head.

~8~

Sitting out in their back garden a few months after returning to Earth would find the Ponds enjoying a cup of tea, Amy and Rory just discussing how their lives were going, how it was getting more and more difficult to keep them both up. It was hard, to just...say goodbye. They could understand why the other companions were almost glad that the Doctor had just...dropped them off and left. It was hard, it was a shock, it was trying to get back to life on Earth without all the adventure and danger and excitement...but at least they knew that they could go throughout their day without the Doctor popping back in and wanting to whisk them off. They KNEW that the next day they'd be on Earth and the next, unlike for them.

All the past companions had said how hard it was to adjust to that sudden departure. They were encouraging of the Ponds and the breaks between adventures the Doctor was trying to give, clearly weaning them off the TARDIS life. But...they'd almost rather he'd just dropped them off. Because...each time, they weren't sure if the next day would be the day he popped in again. They never knew when they'd be coming back. What they'd be missing. It was even harder to give it up, because...giving up TARDIS life, meant giving up the Time Lords untill holidays. And they weren't sure they were ready for that.

Rory especially, how could he just abandon his niece?

Amy smiled as she sipped her tea, thinking on that, it was such a...change, such a reversal of how it had been. At first SHE had been the one excited for the TARDIS noise, for the adventures and the wonders of the Universe, having to practically drag Rory along, the man preferring Earth to the TARDIS. But slowly they'd both grown in opposite directions from what they once were. Now it was RORY who eagerly listened for the TARDIS's wheeze, because it meant spending time with Ayla and SHE was the one who was starting to want just the Earth life, to start a family with her husband and really...finish building the life they'd started to create and had to keep putting off because of the adventures.

"We have two lives," Rory said, "Real life and TARDIS life. Except real life doesn't get much of a look in."

"What do we do?" Amy frowned.

Rory sighed and shrugged, "Choose?"

He didn't want to. He _really_ didn't. Choose real life and have a chance to start a family with Amy, a nice safe, peaceful life. But…then he'd see Ayla less than they already did. And he _loved_ that little girl, she was his niece in every way that counted. He'd been there from the start, since Angel had learned of her pregnancy, been there when they'd gone to rescue the girl, helped deliver her, been there for Angel when she'd been taken, he just had such a special connection to the little girl. To lose that…he wasn't sure he was ready to give that up, he wasn't entirely sure Amy was ready to start a family either.

But then…they heard the sound of the TARDIS materializing.

"Not today, though," Amy said quickly.

"Nah, not today," he grinned and they set down their cups, running for the blue box.

"Uncle Rory!"

He smiled, hearing that little voice shout out, excited, when he opened the doors to the box.

No, not today.

~8~

" _Every time we flew away with those Time Lords, we'd just become part of their lives. But they never stood still long enough to become part of ours. Except once. The year of the slow invasion. The time the Time Family came to stay._ "

~8~

As Amy and Rory slept soundly one night in their home on Earth, a black box appeared out of thin air, floating around a moment before it settled itself on a shelf.

~8~

"I just don't know what to do Jack," Angel sighed as she stood before the monitor of the TARDIS console, speaking to Jack on the video.

"What exactly is wrong with him Ang?" Jack frowned, all he'd really gotten out of Angel calling him up was that there was something going on with the Doctor and it was starting to worry her, but she hadn't said exactly what that 'something' was.

"I don't know," she admitted.

"YOU don't know?" he gave her a disbelieving look.

She sighed, "I think he's having nightmares."

He shook his head, still a bit confused, "You think?" she was his Mate, she had that direct link to his mind, how did she not know?

She shrugged, "It's like...he's blocking me, even in his sleep there's something there, in his head, he doesn't want me to know about."

Whatever it was...it had to be serious for him to be able to block her even asleep. There was something rooted so deeply that even his subconscious was keeping her from seeing it. She'd felt him wake up the other night, well a few other nights ago...the last time they'd slept really, and she'd felt he was alarmed and worried and...sad. SO sad. But she hadn't known why. The fact he'd been asleep moments before made her think it was a nightmare but...she hadn't seen it, at all. She hadn't sensed it coming or glimpsed it or been able to spot or find it in his mind. It was like there was a door that he was keeping firmly shut and locked, but against HER.

"I don't think it's the first time either," she murmured, "And...he's hiding it from me Jack."

Jack let out a breath, "I hate to say it Angie, I do but..."

"I did the same to him," she cut in, nodding, "I know, I have no right to ask him about it and ask him to tell me when I didn't tell him everything either. I'd be a hypocrite."

She HAD kept a lot from him after he'd remembered, so many things that had been bothering her, so many fears and concerns and, of course, the largest being her death date and plan for it. She had hidden so much it was like...now it was her turn to have things hidden from her. She truly hoped she hadn't hurt the Doctor half as much as she was hurting right at that moment to know he wasn't telling her everything.

It hurt so much to know he was in pain, he was scared, and he was having nightmares and...she didn't know how to help because she didn't know what was wrong or what they were about.

"Just a little," Jack had to be honest. It was true, Angel had hidden some really important things from the Doc in the past, and now he was returning the favor, though he was sure it wasn't like that at all. Knowing the Doctor it was either something he was trying to protect Angel from, or something he wasn't talking about because he felt like he deserved to have nightmares, in this case probably both.

He'd talked to the man, about the Time War, when he'd travelled with him the first time. He'd walked into the console room to see the man wake but clearly tired and had asked. The Doctor would just say he couldn't sleep, but he'd recognized the signs of a nightmare anyway. He'd been able to gleam enough to know that the Doctor felt like he'd deserved those terrors of the War replaying itself in his dreams, because it had been his fault. He couldn't say if this was exactly the same, not knowing what the nightmares were about, but...he got the feeling it might be close.

"What should I do Jack?" Angel asked him, completely lost for the first time in a long time.

"I can't tell you Ang," he sighed, "It's different for everyone. Whenever Ianto has a nightmare and wakes up, I don't really ask unless he's willing to tell me. Though sometimes I can persuade him to give some details by..."

"Jack," Angel cut in with a small smile, "I don't need to know."

He let out a laugh, "I was going to say bribing him with food in bed," he told her.

"I'm sure you were," she smirked, "You can't lie to a psychic Jack."

He chuckled a little more, "All I can say Angie is to just be patient. The Doc'll come around, you know he can't keep anything from you for long. He just needs to brood and be all dramatic first."

Angel nodded a bit, "I hope so."

"And if he doesn't, I'll just rough it out of him next time I see you both," Jack winked.

Angel laughed at that, "Ayla will bite you," she warned him.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," he rolled his eyes, "I've still got the scars from last time!"

"You called her A," Angel reminded him, knowing full well he had no such scars, "Only Rory can call her that. Like," she added when she saw him open his mouth to argue, "You are the only one who calls me Angie."

He pouted, having to concede to that point. He opened his mouth to speak again when Gray's voice called from somewhere to the side, "Jack come on! Trickster's Brigade!" he reminded his brother of their latest enemy that had popped up.

"Sorry Ang," Jack turned back to her, "I gotta go."

"It's ok Jack," Angel nodded, "Thank you."

"Any time," he grinned before turning off the monitor...only for Angel to frown seeing a scan pop up on it in his place, like a beacon of sorts...many, many flashing lights...and all of them from Earth.

"Doctor?!" she called, turning to rush into the TARDIS to find them, Ayla was currently playing dress up in the wardrobe with him, but...though she hated to do it...she'd have to cut it short.

For so many signals to appear so suddenly...it was NOT good.

~8~

Brian stood at the front door of his son's home, ringing the doorbell repeatedly. He looked up when he heard a window on the second floor open to see his son and daughter-in-law look down through it, "Dad, it's half past six in the morning," Rory complained.

"What are you doing lying around?" he called up to them, "Haven't you _seen_ them?" he held up one of the black boxes, watching as Amy and Rory looked out at the street to see they were scattered around everywhere, as though they were like a single layer of large, black, square snowflakes.

They quickly closed the window and made their way downstairs and outside, "What are they?" Rory asked, taking the box from his father.

"Nobody knows. They're everywhere!"

"Well, where have they come from?" Amy shook her head, before something caught her eye, "Wait…" she stepped out onto the sidewalk, "Doctor?!"

There, across the street, sitting on the top of a child's climbing frame in the park, examining a black box, was the Doctor, "Invasion of the very small cubes," he smiled, "That's new."

Angel laughed, standing at the bottom of the slide that was attached to the frame as Ayla slid down it, right into her mother's arms as she scooped her up, "Daddy's curious Ayla."

Ayla giggled and beamed, "Fantastic!"

She was curious too.

~8~

Matthew Amroliwala of BBC news was broadcast on the telly as Angel watched on the TARDIS monitor, the Doctor beside her with a small controller, Ayla playing a stacking game with Brian with a few cubes they'd brought in, "World leaders are appealing for calm."

Joanna Gosling popped up as well, "The global appearance of millions of small cubes. Despite official warnings, people have been taking the cubes from the streets into offices and homes."

"What are they?"

"Where do they come from?"

"And why are they here?"

The footage cut to Professor Brian Cox holding up a cube, "Well, they're certainly not random space debris. They're too perfectly formed for that. Are they extra-terrestrial in origin? Well, you'll have to ask a better man than me."

Angel smiled, turning off the feed and turning to the Doctor, holding a cube up in her hand, "Are they extra-terrestrial in origin?" she asked with a small smirk.

He grinned widely at that and nabbed the cube out of her hand but held it up to her, "What do you think dear?"

"I'm not a 'better man' my love," she laughed.

He just leaned in and kissed her quickly, cutting off her laugh, "You're better than me," he whispered to her.

She smiled softly, "That's still only one half of the equation," she reminded him, taking a magnifying glass out of his pocket and holding it up to him too, "YOU, on the other hand are both better and a man."

He laughed at that as well and gave her another peck before spinning around as he took the glass from her in the process, and started to examine the one in his hand, Angel moving to lean against the console to watch, absently picking up another one to fiddle with, "All absolutely identical," the Doctor stated, "Not a single molecule's difference between them. No blemishes, imperfections, individualities…"

"What if they're bombs?" Brian asked, drawing all their attention to him sitting on the floor with three in his hand, Ayla beside him, making a small tower with her cubes, "Billions of tiny bombs? Or transport capsules maybe, with a mini robot inside. Or deadly hard drives. Or alien eggs? Or messages needing decoding. Or they're all parts of a bigger whole. Jigsaw puzzles that need fitting together..."

"Very thorough, Brian," the Doctor smiled, "Very, very thorough. Well done."

"I see where Rory gets his brilliance from," Angel remarked, making Rory blush and Brian beam, "But they're not bombs, per say," she murmured, staring at one, "Not now. Or transport. Not eggs, or hard drives, or a message…there's more to them than we think though…"

"What do you think they are dear?" the Doctor asked, walking to her side.

She frowned, "I'm not sure…they're just…there. At least for now."

He nodded, taking comfort in the fact that whatever the cubes were, they wouldn't be a threat for quite some time. Angel's gifts were remarkable, but as she often said her sight was limited, she couldn't see everything, usually either events that were very close to them personally, or events that were close temporally. For now, the cubes were safe enough, but he still wanted to know what they were.

He frowned though, seeing her face scrunching as she glanced back at the monitor again, "What is it?" he asked, knowing that look.

"It's just...did that report say the humans were taking the cubes from the streets into offices and homes?" she looked at him, concerned.

"Yes," he nodded.

She looked down at the cube till the Doctor put his hand over it, ' _What is it Nella?_ ' he asked her silently, being sure not even Ayla could hear them.

' _Do you remember the ghosts?_ ' she asked him, ' _With Torchwood? The Cybermen?_ '

He nodded, ' _What about them?_ '

' _When that was happening, when Jackie was telling us about them..._ ' she hesitated, ' _I couldn't help but think that the ghosts being 'there' wasn't a good thing. That the humans would take them in and sort of adopt them if they were there long enough and just passive,_ ' she looked at the cube again, ' _I felt like...they didn't see the danger in a slow invasion._ '

The Doctor looked down at the cube as well, he remembered that, he remembered her thoughts as they'd sat in the Powell Estate with Rose and her mother, Angel...she HAD likened the Cybermen-ghosts to a slow invasion, saw the danger in the humans getting too comfortable around them. And she wa completely right, humans never saw a slow invasion coming. And if the cubes were like the Cybers, which Angel clearly feared they were...

He needed to know what as in them, now.

"Stay here Brian," he called, "Watch these," he handed him the cubes he and Angel had been holding, "Yell if anything happens," before heading to the door with his girls, "Come along sweetheart," he called to Ayla as he took her hand.

"Doctor, is this an alien invasion?" Amy asked, following with Rory, "Because that's what it feels like."

"There couldn't be life-forms in _every_ cube, could there?" Rory frowned.

"It's happened to him before," Angel remarked, recalling the stories he'd told her of the spiders on Platform One with Jabe and Cassandra and Rose.

"I don't know," the Doctor sighed, "And I really don't like not knowing," he pulled open the doors and stepped out into the lounge of the Pond house, before heading to the kitchen, "Right, I need to use your kitchen as a lab. Cook up some cubes. See what happens."

"Right," Rory nodded, looking at his watch, "I'm due at work."

"What?" the Doctor turned to him, "You've got a _job_?"

"Of course I've got a job. What do you think we do when we're not with you?"

Ayla giggled, "Daddy thinks you and Aunt Amy kiss a lot."

Amy smiled at the girl, "I write travel articles for magazines and Rory heals the sick just like your parents."

"My shift starts in an hour," Rory added, "Do you know where my scrubs are?"

"In the lounge," both Amy and Angel said, making the other laugh.

"Where you left them," Amy added as Rory headed out after his uniform.

~8~

In an alleyway nearby a group of military men in black uniforms with red caps piled out of black cars, "Approaching site," one soldier called, "Quite strong likeness detected. Target unconfirmed. May be hostile."

"Approaching source now," another further ahead reported, "Area will be secure in sixty seconds. Ultimate force available."

The men ran towards a lovely blue house with a dark blue front door.

~8~

Ayla sat on the kitchen counter, swinging her legs as she watched her father assemble some sort of device, her mother handing him different components of it before he asked, her father giving her mother a kiss each time as her Aunt Amy playfully rolled her eyes at them being so sweet.

"All the Ponds," the Doctor commented, "With their house and their jobs and their everyday lives. The journalist and the nurse. Long way from Leadworth," he soniced the device.

"We think it's been ten years," Amy said quietly, "Not for you or Earth, but for us. Ten years older. Ten years of you, on and off."

"Three and a half total," Angel corrected, "If you add up the adventures."

"Feels like ten," Amy sighed, "And still...that's a long time for adventures."

"Look at you now," the Doctor smiled, "All grown up."

"My love," Angel called, stiffening, "You may want to consider turning in your papers at UNIT."

He frowned, looking at her, knowing he was still technically listed as working for them, "Why?"

She just pointed to the doors as the front one was smashed down, men in black rushing in, "Clear!" one shouted, "Trap One, kitchen secured."

"Trap Three, back garden secured," another called from behind them.

The Doctor had immediately gone to Ayla, picking her up off the counter and holding her close, realizing that this was UNIT, that they wouldn't hurt them, but none too comfortable with all the guns the soldiers were carrying around his daughter and Mate.

Seriously, what was with humans and guns?!

And the uniforms...if their caps were black instead of red he might have mistaken them for the army Amy had gathered in the aborted timeline, in the Great Pyramid. He closed his eyes tightly, his mind immediately going to his latest nightmare, to Ayla, the first Ayla, older and empty, shooting him. He let out a breath and opened his eyes, his grip on Ayla tightening slightly, keeping her all the closer as he tried his best not to glare at the men. It wasn't their fault and even in the other timeline, the men in black had been on THEIR side, not the Silence. But he couldn't help but associate the sight of them with the dream, with the men in the pyramid, with the people and creatures they were guarding, with the fate Ayla had endured.

"There are soldiers all over my house," Rory grumbled as he was led in by the men, only the top half of his uniform on, "And I'm in my pants."

Ayla giggled at the sight, turning to bury her face in her father's shoulders, trying not to laugh. The Doctor turned and kissed her head, trying to reassure himself his daughter was still there, she was fine and alive and safe, her second incarnation, yes, but still with them and still their daughter.

"My whole life I've dreamed of saying that, and I miss it by being someone else," Amy smirked at her husband.

"All these muscles, and they still don't know how to knock," a woman with a deep voice called. They looked up to see a woman with short blonde hair step into the room, "Sorry about the raucous entrance. Spike in Artron Energy reading at this address. In the light of the last twenty four hours, we had to check it out," she glanced at a soldier, "And the dogs do love a run out. Hello," she smiled, putting a hand to herself to introduce herself, "Kate Stewart, head of scientific research at UNIT. And with dress sense like that..." she held out a scanner to the Doctor, seeing two hearts in his chest, "You must be the Doctor..." and then her eyes widened, seeing that the girl in his arms also had two hearts as did the woman beside him, "Oh," she blinked, before eyeing the woman, "Are you…the Angel?"

"Yes," Angel nodded, perfectly calm despite the soldiers around them, "Nice to meet you Kate."

Kate nodded as well, "Must update those files," she muttered before smiling apologetically, "Sorry, we hadn't realized you'd regenerated," and then her glance was pulled towards the little girl, "And had a child. Is she…" she gestured between the two Time Lords who nodded, "Hmm…" she hummed, "I'll have to speak with our team about that. Very out of date it seems…" she eyed the girl who had to be at the very least 8 years old.

"Time travel," Angel called, sensing where the woman's thoughts had gone, and even with time travel, Kate would never guess how old Ayla _really_ was. Despite looking like a child, she was likely older than the woman herself was.

"Ah, yes," she nodded, with those two whizzing about in their TARDIS it was hard to keep track of just when the child had been born. For all she knew, the girl could have been born on Earth last month and then, with the travelling, popped in a month later as a child. Oh time travel certainly was hard to keep straight.

"Tell me, since when did _science_ run the military, Kate?" the Doctor asked, wanting to get the topic _away_ from their files.

He glanced at Angel who nodded, they'd have to take care of that. They hadn't spent nearly a century flying through the Universe erasing themselves just for Earth to be the only one with a file on them. And they certainly weren't going to risk any of their enemies learning that their daughter was alive and with them or that Angel was alive. No, they'd have to keep a close eye on the UNIT files and have the TARDIS hack in to erase them later.

He was not about to let the Silence especially find out about Ayla, he would NOT let them do to her what they had in his dream. They would NOT take his daughter away from him, no. They'd have to pry her from his cold lifeless fingers before he let anyone harm his daughter. That dream...it had been terrible, truly heartsbreaking to see Ayla there and so...not her.

"Since her," Angel nodded at Kate.

"UNIT's been adapting," Kate agreed, smiling, the files were certainly right about that at least, the psychic Time Lady, "Well, I dragged them along, kicking and screaming, which…which made it sound like more fun than it actually was."

"What do we know about these cubes?" the Doctor continued.

Kate sighed, "Far less than we need to. We've been freighting them in from around the world for testing. So far, we've subjected them to temperatures of plus and minus two hundred Celsius, simulated a water depth of five miles, dropped one out of a helicopter at ten thousand feet and rolled our best tank over it. Always intact."

"Wow," Ayla blinked.

The Doctor nodded, "That's impressive," before tickling Ayla's stomach, "But we don't want them to be impressive do we sweetheart?" she shook her head, squirming as he put her down, "We want them vulnerable with a nice Achilles heel."

"We don't know how they got here, what they're made of, or why they're here," Kate shook her head.

"And with everyone everywhere bringing them home, around their families and children," Angel glanced at Ayla, letting her sentence trail, not wanting to think about what the cubes could mean.

"Like iPads have dropped out of the sky. Taking them to work, taking pictures, making films, posting them on Flickr and YouTube. Within three hours, the cubes had a thousand separate Twitter accounts."

"Twitter?" the Doctor scoffed.

"I've recommended we treat this as a hostile incursion. Gather them all up and lock them in a secure facility. But that would take massive international agreement and co-operation."

"We need evidence. The cubes arrived in plain sight, in vast quantities, as the sun rose. So, what does that tell us?"

"They want people to notice them," Angel stated.

"Or more than that, they want to be observed. So we observe them. Stay with them round the clock. Watch the cubes, day and night. Record absolutely everything about them. Team cube, in it together!" he turned and high-fived Ayla, making her giggle and Angel smile.

~8~

The Doctor sat upside down on the sofa, between Amy and Rory, Ayla dozing in her Uncle Rory's lap, curled up to his chest as Angel slept on a smaller armchair to the side, " _Four days_ ," the Doctor muttered, "Nothing! _Nothing_! Not a single change in any cube anywhere in the world. Four days, and I am _still_ in your lounge!"

" _You_ were the one who wanted to observe them," Amy muttered.

"Yes, well, I thought they'd _do_ something, didn't I? Not just sit there while everyone eats endless cereal!"

"You said we had to be patient," Rory added.

"Yes, you!" he sat up, hissing quietly so as not to wake the others, "You, not me! I hate being patient. Patience is for wimps. I can't live like this. Don't make me. I need to be busy."

"Doctor are you alright?" Rory frowned at him, he was...agitated, far more...all over the place...than he normally was, and THAT was saying something. It was like his mind was jumbled and...he could actually see bags under the Doctor's eyes starting to form, "Why don't you take a rest then?"

"No!" the Doctor shouted for a moment, before falling completely quiet, hoping he hadn't woken Angel or Ayla, but the girls slept on, both seemed to be equally deep sleepers. He sighed, "No," he rubbed his head, "I'm fine Rory, I'm fine..."

It was a blatant lie. He was NOT fine. He...had been trying not to sleep recently. The nightmares were starting to get to him. It was becoming a problem because, in a way he didn't want to sleep and risk having another one, they were scattered and so he rarely ever knew when they were coming, after what adventure they'd appear. But in another way...he...almost welcomed them.

Oh there was something seriously wrong with him if he WANTED to have nightmares, wasn't there?

"Are you sure?" Rory had to ask, concerned, "You look about ready to keel over..."

"I'm fine Rory," the Doctor insisted, "Just...bored. Bored, bored, bored! There's nothing to do! This is almost as bad as Dream-Leadworth! I need to do something! Anything! I need to be busy!"

"Fine!" Amy whisper-shouted, "Be busy! We'll watch the cubes."

The Doctor grinned and jumped off the sofa, rushing out of the room, it was more than just wanting to be busy...being busy meant being distracted. Being distracted meant not thinking about the nightmares.

~8~

The Doctor got right to work painting the garden fence white, before playing a little football, mowing the lawn, working on the car…

He played keep-away with the ground, not letting the football fall as he kicked it, "Ninety eight, ninety nine, one hundred. Angel!"

He also vacuumed the house, having soniced the device to operate silently as Angel and Ayla were still sleeping. It seemed Ayla had inherited her mother's ability to not get annoyed when things were boring...but just fall asleep.

Before getting back to his football round, "…four million nine hundred ninety nine, five million…" he grinned, catching the football.

And plopped back on the sofa, "That's better. Nothing like a bit of activity to pass the time. How long was I gone?"

"An hour," Angel told him, putting down a cup of tea Amy had made for her and Ayla once they'd woken.

"I can't do it. No!" he got up and hopped over the sofa again, heading for the TARDIS, "Come along Ayla!"

Angel laughed, getting up and following him with their daughter.

"Where are you going?" Amy called, her and Rory going with them.

"Brian, you're still here," the Doctor called, seeing the man sitting on the jump seat.

"You told me to watch the cubes."

"Four days ago."

"Ah," he smiled, "Doesn't time fly when you're alone with your thoughts?"

"You can't just leave, Doctor," Rory called.

"Yes, of course I can," the Doctor nodded, "Quick jaunt, restore sanity. Ooh, hey, come if you like."

"They can't just go off like that," Brian shook his head.

"Can't they?" he looked at them, "Can't you? That's how it goes, isn't it?"

"I've got my job," Rory reminded him.

"Oh yes, Rory. The Universe is awaiting, but you have a little job to…"

"It's not little my love," Angel cut in, taking his hand, "And it's clearly very important to Rory."

"What you do isn't all there is," Rory agreed.

He sighed, "I never said it was. Alright. Fine. We'll be back soon."

"Can you keep an eye on the cubes for us Brian?" Angel asked, knowing that the man was retired, he'd have more time on his hands than Amy or Rory.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed, "Monitor the cubes. Call us."

"I'll have Sissy keep an eye on the news stations too," Angel added, stroking the rotor of the TARDIS before getting to work on bringing up the monitor, wanting to contact Mickey and Donna and Sarah Jane and Jack and warn them about the cubes, ask them to run some tests and see what they thought.

"Bye Uncle Rory," Ayla hugged him, before moving to hug Amy as well, "Aunt Amy," and Brian, "Granddad."

The Ponds smiled, hugging her as well before heading out.

~8~

"At the end of a week of cubic questions and theories, but no answers," Joanna spoke on the BBC new station as the Ponds watched, "Could this be the greatest stealth marketing campaign in business history? And if it is, will those behind it ever come forward and explain exactly what it's for?"

~8~

Amy stood outside a party one October night with one of her friends, "I'm so pleased for you two. It's about time you made an honest woman of her."

"Amy, about bridesmaids," her friend began hesitantly, "You've missed quite a few things the last year or two…"

"I'm _so_ totally there," she promised, "Whatever you need."

~8~

"Everyone here _loves_ you," one of Rory's coworkers said as they walked through the hospital, "The nurses, the doctors. You're a life-saver, mate, literally."

"Ah, well, thanks," Rory smiled.

It was probably because he kept so calm when everything seemed to fall apart. One good thing about travelling with the Doctor, you got so used to dangerous and high-risk situations that you were able to keep a cool head elsewhere. After staring down a Dalek, what else was there to be worried about? What else couldn't you handle? And there was Angel, she always made them feel so safe and reassured during it, he'd calmed down so much from the nervous wreck he'd been when he'd first started travelling with the Time Lords because of her. He liked to do the same for others, calm them down, reassure them, and they seemed to love him for it.

"But there are months when we don't see you. And we can't do without you. I want you to go full time."

"Full time?" Rory's eyes widened, "Blimey. Er…"

~8~

"...I said yes," Rory shook his head as he and Amy sat up late that night, in bed, "I _committed_."

"And I committed to being a bridesmaid," she added, " _Months_ in advance. Like I know I'm going to be here."

"You will be," Rory nodded, he just knew that Angel would likely sense Amy's plans and manage to land them AFTER the wedding was over this time, "So the Doctor's God knows where with Angel and Ayla, the cubes aren't doing anything at all. Did real life just get started?"

"I like it," Amy smiled.

As did he, "So do I," they clinked their tea cups together and took a sip.

~8~

Brian sat in the lounge of his home, a video camera set up before him, "Brian's Log, day sixty seven…"

"You, er, you can't call it that," Rory commented from off to the side, having visited his father, "Brian's Log?"

Brian just continued, "Brian's Log, day sixty seven. Cube was quiet all night, once again. Cube was quiet all day, as per previously. No movement. No change in measurements. End of entry."

Rory frowned as he turned the camera off, "You stay up and watch it all the time?"

"I film it while I'm asleep. When I wake up, I watch the footage on fast forward. I email the result to UNIT. My middle name is diligence."

"Wow. I can't wait to see day sixty eight."

"Don't mock my log. I'm doing what Angel asked."

Rory had to smile at that, he'd have done the same if she'd asked it of him.

~8~

That December Rory stepped out into the waiting room of the hospital, decorated for the holidays, Noddy Holder singing 'Merry Christmas Everybody' over the speakers, "That's it. Er, Mr. Ryan, please…" he looked over to see a young man with his foot stuck in a toilet bowl, "Again?" he sighed and wheeled the man away.

A young girl sat there stoically, her eyes flashing blue, as did the cube in her hands.

~8~

An old man was lying on a bed in another wing of the hospital, reading a paperback book, when a male nurse entered, a mask over his mouth, pulling the curtain closed around the bed.

"I'm fine," the man waved him off, "I've been done."

"What seems to be the matter?" the orderly asked.

"I'm just waiting for a prescription."

"Where does it hurt?"

The man frowned as a second, _identical_ , orderly entered too, "I said I'm fine. Will you tell your colleague here that I…stop!" he cried as the men swarmed him and started to push him down on the bed. He pulled one of their masks to see they had snouts with grills across it in a square pattern instead of a mouth or nose.

The cube by his bedside glowed red as he screamed.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm...this wasn't exactly my favorite episode, mostly because it focused on the Ponds, though I love them and seeing their life, it felt a little...slow. Not sure about this chapter :/ I tried to add in more of the Time Lords though :)
> 
> Poor Doctor, still being affected by his dreams. But what's this? He might actually want to have nightmares? Strange...I can say we'll find out why within a few episodes :) But as for Angel, I hope you liked that little bit of Jack in there ;) I think, if the Doctor's mind or subconscious is aware of the nightmares and how much he DOESN'T want Angel to know, it might block it from her even without him realizing }:) She WILL find out what he's dreaming about eventually, I won't say when though. But she is aware that he's having nightmares :) Lol, even Rory's noticing something's off :)


	16. The Power of Three: The Cubes

All across the world the cubes were becoming commonplace, sitting in offices, being used as paperweights, post-it note locations, targets for other playful shenanigans, piles of them even sitting in waste bins. No one giving them a moment's notice any longer.

Except for a few select humans who were more wary of the cubes than anyone had right to be. Cardiff was completely empty of the cubes, due in large part to the collective efforts of Torchwood, going on a sensation and warning from Angel to remove the cubes. They had been rounded up throughout the course of nearly a year and locked away in a secret location. A few remained with the team however, being subjected to tests and observation. So far, nothing.

One Sarah Jane Smith had refused to allow the cubes anywhere near her or her home and family the moment she saw them. She'd had FAR too much experience with aliens to know that they couldn't be good. She had warned Clyde and Rani and had Luke warn Maria as well to get rid of the cubes. She'd even managed to convince the head teacher of the local school to have the cubes banned from the premises so at least she knew Sky and the other children were safe. She had, under the advice of the Doctor who had called to check in, had Mr. Smith run scans of the boxes before removing them, had even sent out a call to all the companions she could find to warn them not to collect the cubes either.

Donna and Martha and Mickey had already known of course. Donna had sensed something off about the cubes and ordered Shawn to remove them, had gotten her gramps to get rid of his as well, even her mother had listened to her which was a blessing. Last Sarah Jane had heard, Donna was working with Mickey and Martha to try and work out what the cubes could be. Martha and Mickey had been the first that Angel had checked into, the girl wanting to make sure her first ever companion was safe...only to find out Mickey had, upon sight of the cubes, managed to not only get them away from his home but convince everyone on their street to do the same, which had impressed the Doctor quite a bit and just made Angel smile, proud, Martha beaming beside him to see her husband puffing out his chest at the praise and also knowing that the Time Lords really did still care about them that they were willing to check in on them.

Apparently, they'd tried to check in with Amy and Rory too at one point but ended up there a few months too early, the Doctor running into the Ponds in their bedroom or something. Ayla had delighted to tell them ALL that story as her father blushed and rolled his eyes playfully. Angel was just happy that the companions, the family, were all ok and taking precautions.

Now they just had to work out what those cubes were...

~8~

Amy smiled at her friends and family as she held her phone to her ear, standing in her back yard that June as she and Rory hosted a barbeque, "Hey!" she called, surprised that the answer phone had picked up. Actually, surprised it had even rung at all, usually Angel would answer before the first ring could even finish, "It's me. Hello. So, the UN classified the cubes as provisionally safe, whatever that means, and Banksy and Damien Hirst put out statements saying the cubes are _nothing_ to do with them. And the cubes, well, they're just...here. Still. What's it been, nine months? People are just taking them for granted. Maybe we'll never know why they came. But anyway. I got to Laura's wedding. It was great. She's here tonight, being as it's our _wedding_ anniversary. We thought you might have dropped by. I left you messages…"

"We know!" the Doctor called from behind her. She spun around to see a large bouquet of flowers in her face instead of the madman in the bowtie, before they were dropped to reveal Angel and Ayla standing with the Doctor, Ayla with a little daisy behind her ear.

"Happy anniversary Amy," Angel hugged her.

Ayla rushed right over to her Uncle Rory, hugging him quickly before taking his hand, "Come on!" she tugged him off, "Come on Uncle Rory! Come on!"

Angel laughed at her daughter's excitement, she was SO much like the Doctor at times in her curiosity and her excitement that it was almost scary. Ayla and the Doctor had started one of their 'special father-daughter projects,' coming up with the perfect anniversary gift for the two Ponds and Ayla was very proud of herself for having been the one to think this one up. She had wanted to give her Uncle and Aunt a treat and had spent the better part of a week thinking on what would be a good gift. She'd finally decided on an adventure that was a getaway but also just an anniversary thing, custom made for the Ponds.

The Doctor was very proud as well, it was just perfect and he knew, because Angel had sensed it, that they'd love the adventure.

"Go on Amy," Angel nodded the ginger on as the girl took the bouquet of flowers out of the Doctor's hands, "You won't want to miss this."

Amy gave her a look but headed after her husband, taking the flowers with her, only for the Doctor to reach out and snatch a lily as Amy passed. He smiled at it before he turned, holding it up to Angel, "A flower for the lady?"

She let out a soft laugh at that, "Why thank you, my lord," she joked, taking the flower and sniffing it, the Doctor just smiling as he watched her smiling, seeming so...pleased that she was happy, "What is it?" she asked, seeing an almost...gratefulness, a relief, that she was happy in his eyes.

"Nothing," he shook his head, before reaching out to take the flower.

"You cannot lie to me my love," she reminded him.

"I'm not," he crossed his hearts, "It's just...I think the flower would look better somewhere else," he remarked, and it was true, he really DID think that...even if what he really had been thinking was that he was so thankful that Angel was alive and there and that he remembered her and knew her to be his Mate, with their daughter with them and happy as well.

"And where should I put it?" she asked.

He grinned, leaning in, "I think..." he murmured before pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. He lifted his free hand to touch her cheek, pulling her closer gently, deepening the kiss as his other hand lifted to her hair, moving his fingers through it, tangling in them, before pulling away slightly to look at her, "There."

She blinked before she saw it in his mind, her, standing before him, with a flower tucked behind her ear, much like Ayla's was, but a bigger flower that actually contrasted her hair quite nicely with its pink quality.

"Beautiful," he breathed.

"It is," she nodded, reaching up to gently touch the petal of the lily.

"I wasn't talking about the flower dear," he gave a soft chuckle, leaning in to kiss her again...

"Oi!" they heard Amy call and looked over to see her hanging out the doorway of the TARDIS, "You coming or not? We DO have guests to entertain you know, we need to be back _soon_ this time."

The Doctor sighed, he was starting to get the feeling that the times he _really_ wanted to kiss Angel, well...more than most other times...well, actually just randomly if he was being honest because he always wanted to kiss her, someone always seemed to interrupt. Well that wouldn't do at all.

"Yes, yes," he waved her off, "Give us a mo," he told her, waiting till Amy had disappeared back into the TARDIS before grinning and turning to kiss Angel once more, they only had a 'moment' after all.

~8~

The Doctor threw open the doors to the TARDIS, stepping out into the Savoy hotel with Angel and Ayla behind him. Angel was dressed in a lovely evening gown. It was black, embroidered in golden floral patterns, corseted on the top, with a flowing skirt, and tight sleeves that went to her elbow but with a golden cloth draped on her shoulders, flowing down them. Ayla, was wearing the cutest little light blue dress, similarly tight on the top, with a flowing skirt, but with two puffs on the shoulders and no sleeves. She was adorable.

"It's the 26th of June, 1890," Angel explained to Amy and Rory as they stepped out, dressed for the period as well.

"The recently opened Savoy Hotel," the Doctor held out his arms, "Dinner, bed and breakfast for two," he nodded at the maids and chef bringing in food, "Bonjour, bonjour. Merci, Auguste."

"Do you like it?" Ayla looked up at her Aunt and Uncle, taking each of their hands, bouncing in excitement, this had been the gift she picked out. Humans seemed to like vacations, staying in hotels and things, and this was the best hotel on Earth in her opinion, "Do you?"

"We love it," Amy told her, kneeling down to kiss the girl's cheek and hug her.

"We'll get you back in just a minute after leaving," Angel promised them.

"They won't even notice you went," the Doctor agreed, "No complications, I promise," he crossed his hearts.

Rory walked over and kissed each of the Doctor's cheeks in thanks, making the man laugh before the Time Lords headed into the TARDIS to give the Ponds some time alone...only to see one of the alarms going off by the monitor, alien technology detected in a time there weren't many aliens to speak of.

~8~

Still dressed for 1890, Amy and Rory sat in the snow, out on the street outside the hotel, wrapped in blankets, looking a bit singed. Angel and the Doctor sat under one blanket between them, Ayla in their lap.

"Bit of a shock," the Doctor muttered, "Zygon ship under the Savoy, half the staff impostors. Still, it's all fixed now, eh?" he smiled.

Ayla turned on their laps to tug the Doctor's lapel, "Daddy, I think we need a new gift," Ayla whispered to him.

He smiled at her, "I think we do too," he agreed in a whisper.

Angel could only shake her head, she had a feeling she knew what was coming next.

~8~

"Gentlemen, open the doors!" King Henry VIII ordered as the Time Lords and Amy and Rory scrambled to find a place to hide in the room they'd run into.

"I thought we were going home?" Amy hissed.

"You can't miss a good wedding," the Doctor argued, "Under the bed. Under the bed!"

They all scrambled under the bed, Ayla giggling behind her hand at how the adults were acting so childishly.

"Shh sweetheart," Angel held a finger to her lips as Ayla quieted.

"It wasn't my fault!" Amy snapped quietly.

"It was totally your fault!" Rory pointed at her.

"Somebody was talking, and I just said yes."

"To wedding vows! You just married Henry VIII on our anniversary."

"And because of that he spotted Angel!" the Doctor added in a loud whisper.

They'd been trying to head back to the TARDIS when they realized they were back in Henry VIII's time, given what had happened or nearly happened last time, they had wanted to make a hasty retreat. Unfortunately Amy had ended up running right into the middle of the wedding ceremony, said yes to vows, and then old Henry saw Angel and thought he was seeing a ghost. Apparently it was just before he'd married Katherine Howard. The Doctor knew that Henry had likely just seen Angel and wondered what 'Anne' was doing there, but he wasn't going to risk the man wanting to 'marry' her again so they'd run.

The doors were thrown open, cutting off the Doctor's thoughts as a man entered, all of them falling quiet.

The Doctor moved to open his mouth, about to sneeze…when Angel put a finger under his nose, stopping him.

' _Thanks dear,_ ' he smiled at her, kissing her hand as she pulled it away, ' _My psychic._ '

' _My thief,_ ' she smiled back.

~8~

Back at the Ponds' lounge, that June at night, Amy and Rory were standing before their friends, cutting up a cake to distribute. True to her word, Angel had gotten them back within a minute of them leaving and they'd been able to meet and mingle with their friends again with renewed gusto having been away for so long.

Brian frowned, eyeing their clothes, different than earlier, before walking over to the Doctor, Angel, and Ayla as they stood off to the side of the room, watching, "How long were they away?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Brian," the Doctor replied, trying to seem innocent.

"Because they're wearing totally different clothes from earlier."

"Seven weeks," Angel told him.

Ayla tugged on his pants to get him to look down, "Daddy got side-tracked, granddad," she whispered to the man as though sharing a secret, as though she were being quiet enough for the Doctor not to hear despite being right next to him, "Daddy does that _a lot_."

"Oi!" the Doctor laughed, running a hand down Ayla's hair.

"What happened to the other people who travel with you?" Brian asked them after a moment.

He didn't like the fact that his son could just disappear for weeks with him not even realizing it. What if something had happened during those weeks and, for him, it was only a few minutes? What if Rory went to get milk or the post one day and just...never came back because of that? What if he spent the rest of his life thinking it was just the Doctor getting the timing wrong when really it was that something had happened to his son?!

Angel took the Doctor's hand, squeezing it as she turned to Brian, knowing he hated talking about it, about the time before he'd found her, before she started travelling with him, keeping not just him but their friends safe, "Some decided to leave," she told the man, "Others he had to leave instead. Some," she sighed, "Some…did die."

"Not many," the Doctor added quickly, "None since I found Angel," he smiled at her, unable to help but think of the many people they'd met on adventures that most likely would have died if she hadn't been there, if her gifts hadn't been what they were, "And not them," he nodded at the Ponds, "Not them, Brian. Never them."

"Mummy's very good at protecting people," Ayla told her Granddad Brian, "Daddy says she's a _real_ angel."

"That she is," the Doctor nodded, kissing Angel's temple as she smiled, "My guardian angel."

"I promise you Brian," Angel reached out to squeeze the man's hand, "Rory and Amy…they'll live to a ripe old age, together, and happy, I _promise_."

She would see to that too. She had promised Rory that once, and now she had promised his father the same thing. She didn't like breaking promises, it made her feel like she'd lied to someone to do that and she didn't lie. She would protect the Ponds, with everything she had, she would do her best and then some to make sure they'd be alright in the end.

But...she couldn't help but frown as she thought on that, she felt like she would have Rory and Amy live out their entire lives, that they'd die as little old people and just have a magnificent and full life...so why did she feel so _sad_ about that?

~8~

"Can we stay here?" the Doctor asked Amy as they stood in the back garden that night after the party. Angel and Ayla were standing in the yard with Rory, Ayla excitedly pointing out the stars that they could see, eager to share her lessons with her uncle, adding in some stories of the stars she'd actually gotten to go to as well, "With you and Rory, for a bit? Keep an eye on the cubes. However long that takes."

"I thought it would drive you mad," Amy said quietly.

"No, no, no. I mean, I'll be better at it this time," he promised, Brian's words getting to him, "We miss you."

Amy smiled and nodded, heading over to tell Rory as the Doctor watched, his small smile fading. It was more than just that. He was...starting to see a pattern in his nightmares. Often the really bad ones seemed to have something to do with a particular adventure, usually the ones they shared with the Ponds. It was like they were...triggered...by something that happened. Like Darla forgetting her entire life or the Silurians or how Jex had turned the Gunslinger into what he was. Everything seemed to have been some effect of a dangerous adventure and...maybe he just needed peace.

Maybe that was what he needed, just a quiet adventure, a normal day, some sort of...calmness.

What could a cube possibly make him dream about?

~8~

"Brian's Log," Brian began, sitting in his lounge at the start of July, "Day 361. 8:50pm. No movement. And I am cream crackered," he yawned and leaned back, slowly drifting off as the cube sat before him, the camera recording it.

~8~

The Doctor sat in the middle of the Ponds' sofa, Ayla in his lap, the girl holding a bowl of custard that he, Amy, and Rory were dipping their fish fingers into, the girl happily munching on her own as Angel sat on the floor before them, her back resting against the Doctor's legs, all of them watching Lord Sugar on the telly.

"I sent you out to sell as many cubes as you could in 24 hours. And look at you, you've made a right hash of it, haven't you? Well, Craig, you're fired."

The Doctor smiled, licking his fingers, "If I had a restaurant, this'd be all I'd serve."

"Yeah, right," Amy laughed, "You running a restaurant."

"I've run restaurants," he defended.

"He accidently invented Yorkshire pudding," Angel added.

"He didn't," Rory's eyes widened.

"Pudding, yet savory," the Doctor grinned, "Sound familiar?"

"He was trying to make me a sandwich," Ayla told her Uncle, making the humans laugh.

Only the Doctor could start making a sandwich and end up inventing Yorkshire pudding.

~8~

Brian was dozing away when the cube jolted a little, waking him. He looked around a moment, blinking blearily, before falling asleep again…only to jump awake when it rattled and started to spin.

"Do it again," he whispered to the cube, grabbing the camera, ready for it.

~8~

Amy smiled as she stepped over to Rory, who was washing the dishes, winding her arms around him from behind, "Good job, mister. Civilizations saved, surfaces wiped. What more could any woman ask for?"

"Ha, ha," he smiled.

"I _mean_ it," she told him sincerely, kissing him.

"Where're the others?"

"On the Wii again," Amy laughed, "Ayla's playing tennis. I'm going for a bath," she turned and headed out, past a cube on the table.

The cube, though, opened its lid and snapped it shut again, making Rory look over.

~8~

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor cheered as he and Angel watched Ayla playing the Wii and winning her round, "Second set, Kitta!" he whooped, getting up to hug her, spinning her around as he lifted her into the air, "Ha ha! Oh," he tapped her nose, "If Fred Perry could see you, eh?"

"He'd want you to return his pants," Angel laughed, clapping, just so happy with her small family.

The Doctor laughed and looked at Angel, 'What do you think?' he asked, ''The Athlete?'' he nodded at Ayla.

Angel gave him a fond smile but shook her head, 'I don't think so my love.'

He pouted but set Ayla down, he had developed a sort of habit lately, whenever Ayla displayed some sort of quality that might hint at a possible title or name, he'd ask Angel her thoughts, see if she might be getting a feeling about it. So far, no luck.

~8~

Amy had just turned the water on for her bath...when she spotted the cube in her bedroom glowing. She frowned, walking over to it, about to pick it up when she pulled her hand away with a gasp, having gotten stuck with something. She looked at the box to see 25 small needles sticking out of it, and then at her hand, the same cube-like pattern pricked into her palm.

"Ow," she muttered, rubbing her hand, when the needles disappeared back into the cube and a heartbeat line appeared in the middle of it.

~8~

Rory knelt by the table, watching the cube, when it suddenly opened and closed again. He rushed to try and see what was inside it but it had closed too quickly.

~8~

"Third set decider," the Doctor set Ayla down, "Come on, then sweetheart, you show them who's…"

"Doctor," Angel stiffened, quickly getting up off the sofa, "Go, _now_!" she grabbed Ayla's hand and pulled her out of the room, the Doctor rushing with them, trusting that something was likely coming for Angel to react like that, the three ducking around the corner to the room when they saw the cube within start to rise off a small side table, hovering in the air before flying through the room.

The Doctor motioned for the girls to stay back as he stepped cautiously into the room, the cube turning on him, as Angel watched him closely, ready to bring up a shield if necessary, "Whatever you are," he began, "This planet, these people, are precious to us. And we _will_ defend them to our last breaths," he frowned when the cube just hovered there, "Is that all you can do, hover? I had a metal dog could do that…" he eyed it as it opened, a sort of tube pointed at him, "Ooh, ooh, that's clever. What's that?"

"Get down!" Angel shouted, dashing in and tackling him to the floor as the cube fired at them.

"Mummy!" Ayla yelled from the hallway, knowing not to rush into the room, her parents silently shouting at her to stay back, "Daddy!"

The Doctor pulled Angel behind the sofa, ducking down as the cube followed them. He knelt up, peering over the back of the sofa when the cube fired again…only for a bolt of golden light to fly at it, destroying it.

The Doctor let out a breath of relief and rested his head against Angel's a moment, squeezing her tighter when he felt her shaking in his arms, "Thanks dear."

She nodded, when Ayla ran into the room and threw herself at them, hugging them tightly, "There there," she hugged their daughter close, "We're fine sweetheart."

The Doctor stood, helping Angel, with Ayla still in her arms, to her feet as they stepped out of the room.

"Doctor?" Rory called as he dashed in from the kitchen, "Hi. Er, the cube in there, it…it just opened."

"The cube upstairs just spiked me and took my pulse!" Amy shouted as she ran down the stairs.

"Ha!" the Doctor laughed, rubbing Ayla's back, trying to make her feel better, "Really? Ours fired laser bolts!" he turned to Ayla, "No match for your mum though eh?"

Ayla sniffled but started to smile, nodding, her mummy took care of everyone and everything. She hoped that, one day she would be as strong as her mother was. It was really...amazing to see her mother in action. She was often so calm and trusting in her father that it wasn't often her mother got to be the 'star' so to speak. Her father was brilliant and just had an air about him that he was meant to be respected and listened to and that he knew what he was doing...even though she knew he really only made it up as he went, even if he was brilliant at doing it. He was always very take charge and making sure that people did as he said. But her mother was very calm and had a quiet authority to her, she managed to get people to listen not by being impressive or intimidating but by being understanding. She got people to do things by simply asking them to, explaining things to them, and she always kept them safe.

Her mother's abilities were just incredible, the Vortex that she had inside her, which she knew SHE also had inside her though nowhere NEAR as strong as her mother's at the moment. Her visions which she knew were progressing not just to dreams and visions of the future but also of the past too. Her intuition, that was the only thing she and her mother shared at the moment in terms of abilities. She seemed to know, sometimes at least, what someone was feeling or thinking or if they were lying. Sometimes she got sensations like her mother had, like on the Silurian Ark with the 'bad man' but they were still very weak and very scattered. She knew that one day she would be as amazing as her mother, but it would take a while, but that was alright. She was a Time Lord, they had all the time in the world.

"You're never going to believe this," the front door opened and Brian rushed in, "My cube just moved. It _rattled_."

Rory rolled his eyes as his mobile rang, answering it quickly, "Hello?"

"Rory, mate," one of his co-workers called, "I'm desperate for help. People are saying they've been attacked by the cubes. It's going to be a long night."

"Ok, I'm on my way," he clicked the phone closed.

~8~

Back in the hospital, the little girl with the cube remained calm, sitting there with the cube in her lap.

~8~

"I have to get to work," Rory turned to Amy, "They need all the help they can get."

"Let me come, help out," Brian offered, it had been a while since he'd practiced medicine actively, but he would still be able to help in an emergency. Even if he couldn't tend to the patients he could still gather supplies and prepare things to be used, help organize things.

"Take your dad to work night, brilliant!" Rory smiled, before looking at Amy, "Ok, are you going to be alright here?" he laughed to himself, kissing her, "Course you will," he pointed at Angel, "Keep an eye out?"

Angel nodded, "Of course."

"Keep away from the cubes," Amy warned him as he grabbed his keys.

"Right," he nodded.

"Rory!" Angel called as they reached the door, "Watch out for the lift too, ok?"

He nodded, the stairs it would be, the lift was probably shut down for the emergency. He and Brian headed out as the Doctor pulled out his psychic paper.

"What are you grinning about?" Amy asked, seeing a wide smile blooming on his face.

"We're wanted at the Tower of London," he waved the paper at them.

"Still can't see it my love," Angel remarked as Amy took it to look closer.

~8~

A car pulled up to the Tower of London, the Doctor, Angel, Ayla, and Amy stepping out to see Kate waiting for them, "Every cube across the whole world activated at the same moment," she began, the matter urgent.

"Now we're in business," the Doctor grinned as he and Angel each took on of Ayla's hands, swinging her between them as they walked, "You sent us a message to my psychic paper. You know what? I'm almost impressed."

"Secret base beneath the Tower?" Amy guessed as they entered, "Hope we're not here because we know too much."

"Yes," Kate nodded, "I've got officers trained in beheading. Also...ravens of death."

"I like her."

Kate gestured them on, leading them to an area with quite a few individual booths with cubes inside them, seemingly very thick and very padded, "There are fifty being monitored, and more coming in all the time. I don't know how useful it is. Every cube is behaving individually. There's no meaningful pattern. Some respond to proximity. Some create mood swings…" she gestured at a woman sitting in a booth, weeping.

Angel frowned and looked at one cubicle, reaching out to rest a hand on it...the cube inside it shooting flames out of it.

Ayla tilted her head and rushed over to another booth that had no windows, just heavily armored, "What's this one?"

"Try the door," Kate nodded at it. Amy walked over and opened it for Ayla, 'The Birdie Song' starting to play loudly, making the girl giggle, "On a loop!" Kate shouted above it as Amy quickly shut the door, "This is the latest," she led them over to a large computer station.

"Oh dear," the Doctor frowned, seeing the information on the various screens, "Systems breach at the Pentagon, China, every African nation, the Middle East…"

"I've got governments screaming for explanations and no idea what to tell them. I'm lost, Doctor. We all are."

"Have faith Kate," Angel smiled, putting a hand to the woman's shoulder, "Your father always did," Kate stared at her, wide-eyed, as the Doctor smiled behind her, "Kate Stewart? Taking over UNIT, showing them how to run things, with science instead of violence? Who else could you be but the Brigadier's daughter?"

"Great-Uncle Al?" Ayla's eyes widened as she stared at the woman who was now another Auntie of hers in her mind.

Angel nodded, kneeling down beside Ayla, "Say hello to Aunt Kate sweetheart."

"Hello Aunt Kate!" Ayla smiled, rushing forward to hug the still slightly stunned woman, but one who did hug her back, smiling softly at the notion that she was as much a part of the Time Lords' family as her father had been.

"Why did you drop Lethbridge?" the Doctor asked her.

"I didn't want any favors," Kate explained, "Though he guided me, even to the end. 'Science leads,' he always told me. Said he'd learned that from an old friend."

The Doctor smiled, "We don't let him down. We don't let this planet down."

"We have faith," Angel nudged him.

"That we do," he agreed, he really loved this new her, how confident she was, how sure of things working out, of her faith in not only him but herself.

"They've stopped," a male researcher in glasses called, "The cubes, across the world, they just shut down."

Kate frowned, "Active for 47 minutes, and then they just die?"

"They're not dead," Angel replied instantly, shaking her head, "They're...dormant."

"Then why shut down?" Amy asked.

The Doctor sighed and rubbed his head, "I don't know. I don't know. I need to think. I need some air, come along sweetheart," he took Ayla's hand turning to head out of the room, "Who has an underground base? Terrible ventilation!"

Angel laughed as she and Amy rushed after him.

~8~

The small group was sitting by the bank of the Thames, Ayla between her parents, Amy on the other side of the Doctor, the Time Ladies just looking at the beauty of the stars while the Doctor looked at the magnificence of the humans' ingenuity in the structures up and down the bank.

"The moment they arrived," he sighed, "I should have made sure they were collected and burned. That is what I should have done."

"How?" Amy scoffed.

"No one ever listens to the mad old soothsayer my love," Angel reminded him, knowing that first hand.

"They should have though," Ayla stated firmly, "Daddy's always right."

The Doctor smiled at that, dropping a kiss onto the top of her hair at her faith in him, in the end he was usually right, took him a while to get to it though at times. Took him a bit less with Angel there to sort of nudge him in the right direction with her comments and sensations.

Angel looked over at Amy thoughtfully, "Amy..." she began after a moment, "You and Rory...have you decided if you want to stop travelling with us?"

Amy glanced at her, a bit startled that Angel knew that she and Rory were discussing that even though they hadn't exactly flat out said it yet, but knowing she shouldn't have been so surprised, "No," she said quickly before sighing, "I mean, no, we haven't made a decision."

"You're still considering it."

"Maybe. I don't know. _We_ don't know. Well, our lives have changed so much. But there was a time, there were _years_ , when I couldn't live without you both. When just the whole everyday thing would drive me crazy. But since you dropped us back here, since you gave us this house, you know, we've built a life. I don't know if I can have both."

"Why?" the Doctor frowned.

"Because they pull at each other. Because they pull at me, and because the travelling is starting to feel like running away."

"That's not what it is."

"Oh, come on," Amy smiled, "Look at you, four days in a lounge and you go crazy."

"I'm not running away. But this is one corner of one country in one continent on one planet that's a corner of a galaxy that's a corner of a Universe that is forever growing and shrinking and creating and destroying and never remaining the same for a single millisecond," he put his arm around Ayla as she looked up at him in wonderment, everything he was describing sounding so beautiful, "And there is so much, _so much_ to see, Amy. Because it goes so fast. I'm not running away from things, I am running to them before they flare and fade forever."

"And it's perfectly ok if you do want to stop," Angel added, wanting to reassure her that, no matter what, they would all still be family to her, to Ayla, even to the Doctor, "Life in the TARDIS, life on Earth, they both run at different rates. And we know that going between them can be...taxing. One day, maybe sooner than we know, you're both going to…stop. I've sensed that for a while now."

"Me too," Ayla said sadly.

She _loved_ her Uncle Rory and Aunt Amy _so much_ , she didn't want to lose them. With everything there was to see in the Universe she didn't get to see her aunties and uncles as often as she'd like. It could be years for them, decades even before they came back to Earth to find it was only a month since they'd left. That's decades without seeing her family...and then to find out, to them, they'd only seen her a short while ago. With her Aunt Amy and Uncle Rory, she saw them more and...she didn't want to give up her Uncle Rory, he was her favorite uncle in the whole world!

"Then why do you keep coming back for us?" Amy eyed them.

"Because time is precious," Angel explained, "Human lives are so incredible, because you only have one of them. You live them to the fullest and that is an _incredible_ thing to witness," she reached out and put a hand on Amy's arm, "We don't want to miss a minute because we know, better than most, how fast that time can go and how little of it can be left."

"And because you were the first," the Doctor nodded, "One of the first faces this face saw. And you're seared onto my hearts, Amelia Pond. You always will be. I'm running to you, and Rory, before you fade from me."

"And because we love you," Ayla told her, crawling over her father's legs to curl up by her Aunt Amy and hug her.

Amy smiled at her, running a hand down Ayla's hair before moving her arm around the girl's shoulders, "Don't be nice to me," she looked at the girl's parents, "I don't want you to be nice to me."

"Yes you do," Angel smiled knowingly.

"And you always get what you want," the Doctor nodded...before something dawned on him, "They got what they wanted."

"What?" Amy frowned, "Who did?"

"The cubes. _That's_ why they stopped. Come on!" he helped Angel up as Amy and Ayla ran after them back to the Tower, "Kate?" he called, dashing down the stairs, "Before they shut down, they scanned everything, from your medical limits to your military response patterns. They made a complete assessment of Planet Earth and its inhabitants. That's what the surge of activity was…" they looked up as the power cut off, the Doctor flashing around with his sonic, "Problem with the power?"

"Not possible," Kate shook her head, "We've got backups."

Angel closed her fist, making it glow before throwing it up into the air, a ball of light, like a miniature sun, hovering in the air above them, giving them light.

"Doctor?" Amy called, noticing something, "Look."

They turned to see all the cubes now had a blue '7' glowing on them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter :)


	17. The Power of Three: The Shakri

The Doctor frowned at the sight of the number, his stomach immediately dropping, knowing that any sort of number randomly appearing on anything was NOT a good sign, and he didn't have to be Angel to tell that, "What?" he muttered, whipping out the sonic and flashing it at the box.

"Why do they all say seven?" Kate asked, looking around at all the cubes flashing the same number.

"Seven. Seven, what's important about seven?" he looked at Angel

"Seven wonders of the world," Ayla answered first though, saying the first thing that popped into her head.

He nodded at her, smiling, "What at trip that was eh?" he winked, they'd taken her to all the wonders of the ancient world when they hadn't been quite so...ancient, "Seven streams of the River Ota," he added.

Angel eyed the cube, tilting her head...

... _a lid popped open on a black cube sitting on a table_...

'... _daddy what's wrong with them?!_...'

'... _we have to find the wormhole, but the attacks could still happen_...'

Angel blinked, "...seven sides of a cube."

"A cube has _six_ sides," Amy frowned.

Angel looked over at her before turning to the Doctor, "There's always the inSIDE," she reminded him meaningfully.

He stiffened at that and, a moment later, there was a clunk as the numbers on all the cubes dropped to '6,' "It has to be a countdown," he determined.

"Not in minutes," Kate argued.

"Why would it be minutes?"

"Kate," Angel turned to her, feeling a pit forming in her stomach, that vision...what she'd heard, whatever was in the cubes, it wasn't anything good, "Is there anything we can do to get the humans away from the cubes? Or get the cubes away from them?"

"Why?" her eyes widened.

"There's something _in_ them…" she frowned and shook her head, frustrated at how her visions were so...spotty at times. Sometimes she saw things clearly, solid visions of what danger was coming, other times she only heard or saw vague hints of what it could be. She wasn't sure if she'd ever have enough control over them to, as she had them, make them clearer, hold onto them and follow them more, but for now...this was all she could do, "But…not quite…look, that's not important, what's important is that we get the word out any way you can. You need to warn them that the cubes are dangerous."

"Ok," Amy cut in, "But why is this starting _now_? I mean, the cubes arrived months ago. Why wait this long?"

"Because they're clever," the Doctor realized, "Allow people enough time to collect them, take them into their homes, their lives."

"It's like when the Cybermen invaded," Angel added to Kate, knowing she would remember best what had happened with that, "The 'ghosts' and Torchwood, they were around for MONTHS and people got so used to them they didn't even worry about them."

"Till they attacked," Kate nodded.

"Humans, the great early adopters," the Doctor sighed, "The cubes followed the same principle, a slow invasion and then, wham! Profile every inch of Earth's existence."

"Discover how best to attack us!" Kate gasped.

"Get that information out any way you can. Go!"

"Right," Kate rushed off.

Ayla looked at her father and tugged on his coat till he looked down, "Is this also like the bees with Aunt Donna?" she asked, recalling a story her Auntie had told her, about how, slowly, the bees had disappeared and no one really thought much on hit, chalking it up to some sort of environmental thing, "The bees all went somewhere and you were able to track it daddy."

The Doctor blinked and beamed, "Oh my little genius!" he cheered, scooping her up and spinning her around as Ayla giggled, before he settled her in his arms, braced on his side, and turned to the researcher at the computer before them, "Every cube was activated. There must be _signals_ , energy fluctuations on a colossal scale, there must be some trace. There can't not be. We need to think of all the variables, all the possibilities, ok? Go, go, go, go, go!"

"Please," Ayla added, patting the man's semi-poofy hair, which made Angel laugh.

~8~

"This is a national security alert," a BBC new station reporter began, "The Government advises that members of the public dispose of all cubes. If there are cubes inside your house, remove them _immediately_."

~8

Rory looked at the cube in his hand as it dropped from '5' to '4' before handing it to a nurse with a basket full of them, others rushing around to collect more of them, "Get them _out_ of the building. Away from here, as far as you can, and get back here before it hits zero," he paused, spotting his father checking a saline drip, "Dad, could you go and get me a box of tape for dressings? It's just the cupboard round the corner."

Brian smirked, "Yes, boss," and rushed off around the corner, stepping into a long hallway. He looked over, jumping back as twin orderlies rushed by, pushing a trolley, nearly running into him, "Sorry. Er, excuse me?" he called as they stopped, "I'm looking for the supplies cupboard," it had been ages since he'd been there for work, they'd changed some rooms up since then and he wasn't quite sure. But...the orderlies didn't move, "I said, I'm looking for the supplies cupboard…"

They slowly turned around and advanced on him, with syringes.

~8~

The little girl continued to sit stoically in the waiting room, her cube in her hand.

~8~

Rory rushed over to a nurse, "Have you seen my dad?"

"No, sorry," she replied.

He looked around before heading to the corridor he'd pointed to earlier, stepping into it...just in time to see the two orderlies pushing his father, unconscious on the trolley, down the hall, "Hey. Dad! Hey! Hey!" he ran after them as they entered a goods lift at the end of the hall, 'Do not use' tape all over it.

The door shut before he could reach it and he quickly pushed the button. The doors opened but there was no one inside. He frowned and stepped in, pushing the floor buttons but they didn't work either, but the doors closed. He looked around, starting to feel the walls...when one wibbled. He reached out and touched it, making it wibble more before stepping _through_ it and into a spaceship, Earth visible just outside the window.

~8~

"Doctor, please," Amy began, "You _don't_ have to do this."

"She's right," Kate agreed, "You don't have to be in there."

"Angel tell him," Amy turned to Angel,, who was standing with her arms around Ayla beside the Doctor, who was standing at the door to one of the booths that held a cube.

"Everything will be ok Amy," Angel nodded, sounding more like she was trying to reassure herself than anyone else, not...entirely happy with this decision he'd made, "Trust me, there's nothing in there that I can't handle or protect him from."

"We can do this remotely though," Kate tried again.

"Remotely isn't my style," the Doctor shook his head.

"Good luck daddy," Ayla hugged him as he kissed her head.

"Thanks sweetheart," he whispered, standing to kiss Angel quickly, "See you after," he gave her another kiss...or two (three).

Angel nodded and took a breath before opening the door to the cubicle for him. The Doctor paused in entering to turn to her and kiss her one final time, winking and pointing at her before stepping back in and shutting the door, the number on the cube sitting on a small table changing from '2' to '1' as he made his way to a chair set up before it.

He sat down casually, waiting, watching is it moved to 0 before switching off and the lid popped open, "Geronimo," he smirked.

"What's happening?" Kate called as they watched from the other side of the window.

"Well?" Amy asked, "What's in there?"

"What is it daddy?" Ayla stood on her toes, trying to peer into the room till Angel picked her up.

The Doctor glanced at Angel, "Like you said dear, there is nothing in here."

"Er, well, that's good," Amy frowned, seeing the Doctor starting to pout, "It's not...it's not bombs, it's not aliens."

"Why?" he stood, "Why is there _nothing_ inside? Why? It doesn't make any sense," he moved to the door and stepped out, heading over to the researcher at the computer again, "Glasses, is..."

"Clark," Angel cut in as she and the other women joined him, Ayla still in her arms.

"Clark is it the same?" the Doctor amended, "Is it the same all around the world?"

"They're empty," Kate shook her head, "We're safe, right?"

"They're not exactly empty," Angel shook her head, unable to shake that feeling.

"But there's nothing in there, you said it yourself," Amy argued.

"Nothing you can _see_ ," Angel corrected.

The Doctor groaned at that, the last few times Angel had said something to that effect, bad things happened. Why did it always have to be something they couldn't see that was after them? He winced at that thought, his mind falling back to the last dream he'd had, yes the Silence could be seen...but the fact that they couldn't be remembered afterwards by most was the same as saying they were unseen most of the time. He couldn't help but glance back at Ayla, just...wanting to make sure that she was still there, that she was ok and still...still his little girl. He felt a smile come to his face as he saw her there in Angel's arms, resting her head on Angel's shoulder, smiling, she was always smiling, she was always happy and that meant the world to him, to know that he must be doing something right that she was always smiling. It...it meant that his dream had just been a nightmare, his little girl wouldn't ever look that expressionless, not ever.

"No," he agreed, getting back to point, "We are very far from safe. All along, every action has been deliberate. Why draw attention to the cubes if they don't contain anything?"

"Daddy what's wrong with them?" Ayla called, pointing to a screen where people had begun clutching their chests in pain and falling to the ground around the cubes.

"They're CCTV feeds from across the world," Clark stated, "They're showing the same."

"People are dying!" Kate's eyes widened.

"What?" the Doctor scoffed, not seeing Angel set Ayla on the ground as she stared at the people falling like flies, "They can't be dying. How? How are they dying?"

"I want information on how people are being affected," Kate ordered Clark.

"The cubes brought people close together. They opened and then argh…" the Doctor suddenly doubled over, clutching his chest exactly like the various people had, before falling back into a chair.

"Daddy!" Ayla cried, frightened.

"Doctor, what's the matter?" Amy gasped.

"Argh," the Doctor winced as Angel knelt before him, his hand immediately taking hers, clutching it as waves of pain hit him, "Ah, I don't know!"

"Hospitals are logging a global surge in heart failures," Clark called, "Cardiac arrests."

"That's it," he pointed, "Oh! Oh! Oh! Only one heart," he looked at Angel, alarmed, her eyes widening at his declaration, "Other one's not working."

"Ok, I'm going to get you to the hospital!" Amy moved to step closer, fully intent to grab his chair and wheel him out.

"Oh, no, no, no, no," he tried to wave his other hand at her, only to clutch his chest again, "Just a short circuit," he struggled to get that out, looking over at Ayla, "Stay with her," he nodded at his daughter, knowing that, with how tightly he was clutching Angel's hand and how he couldn't seem to make himself let go, she couldn't comfort their daughter the way she needed to be. Amy nodded and rushed to Ayla, who seemed to have tears in her eyes at the sight of her father in such pain, and hugged her close. He closed his eyes, grunting a moment, before turning to Clark, "Tell me, show me. Ten seconds after the cubes opened, show me the patterns in their electrical currents," a heartbeat appeared on screen, "See?"

"No!" Kate gasped.

"Yes, the power cut. They zapped the power and then argh!" he winced as a pain struck him, Angel squeezing his hand tightly, "They're signal boxes. People leaning in, wham. Pure electrical surge out of the cube targeted at the nearest human heart. The heart, an organ powered by electrical currents, short-circuited. How to destroy a human? Go for the heart," he breathed as Angel reached out and placed her hand on his chest, rubbing it slightly, trying to help as her mind raced at trying to think of something to do, feeling panic setting in already, making her slower than normal, "Ow. Crikey Moses."

"Doctor, the scan you set running," Kate called, pulling his attention back, "The transmitter locations. It's found them."

"And look at them all," he stared at the screen, at the Earth with lines of energy connecting it to something in space by seven strands, "Pulsing bold as brass. Seven of them, all across the world," he beat his chest seven times, "Ow! Seven stations, seven minutes," he looked at Angel, "Why is that important? Argh!" before another pain hit him, "Ow, ow," he glanced at Amy, "How do you people manage? One heart, it is _pitiful_."

Angel just gave him a strained smile, knowing he was trying to joke to make Ayla feel better, "Let me my love," she reached out and placed a hand over his left heart.

He watched her closely as her eyes faintly began to glow with the energy of the Vortex before a spark travelled from her hand to his chest, no, not a spark, a jolt...a rather painful, rather large jolt, one that actually had him wincing. He sucked in a large gulp of air and jumped up, "Whoo! Ooh. Ooh!" he did a little dance, pointing at Ayla, doing it more for her benefit than because he felt that good, that really hurt! "Welcome back, lefty!" he smiled when he saw Ayla start to giggle, happy her father was alright, "Woohoo! Two hearts! Woo! Back in the game. Ah," he spun to Angel and pointed at her, "That hurt!"

"Well it was that or let you wander through the streets of London in pain with one heart failing in front of our daughter!" Angel snapped.

...which made the Doctor blink and stare at her, she didn't really...snap at him much. Granted she'd snapped and gotten snarky a little bit during her pregnancy (which he'd been unaware of), and when she'd been dying, but right now she was neither of them, "Angel...are you alright?" he frowned, he'd been sort of joking a bit...but she'd just gotten all shouty at him...and then he saw it, tears in her eyes, "Angel..."

" _Don't do that,_ " she whispered, and he knew it was bad because she'd done so in Gallifreyan, " _Please don't do that again._ "

He blinked again and glanced at Kate, "Just a mo..." he murmured, taking Angel's hand and pulling her to the side, yes, he knew the humans lives were at stake, he knew that they had to get out of there quickly and get to one of the wormholes, but...this was ANGEL, this was his Mate, and she was upset and...he couldn't. He just couldn't bring himself to worry about others before her. He'd done that too many times before and she'd suffered for it, she'd been dissected for...he winced, shaking his head, no. No she HADN'T been dissected, that had been a dream, a terrible dream, it hadn't happened...but he could admit there were too many times he'd put the humans first and she'd suffered, even when SHE had been the one to insist he focus on them. He just...couldn't anymore.

They were humans.

Angel was his MATE.

"Aunt Amy?" Ayla tugged on her aunt's arm as she looked down from watching the Doctor pull Angel off, worried for the woman as well, "Why's mummy shouting at daddy? Are...are they _fighting_?" she whispered quietly at that, knowing that when parents fought it wasn't good.

"I don't think so," Amy smiled at her reassuringly, "I think your mum's just worried."

Ayla frowned, confused, "But why was she yelling?"

Amy gave a soft laugh, "Sometimes when people, girls usually, get _really_ worried about something we get a bit loud, because we're upset that someone did something to make us that worried. They scared us and we don't like it."

"Oh..." Ayla nodded, that made sense, her mummy was very protective, she WOULD worry more, and she knew her mummy always worried about her father.

Just a few feet away, the Doctor was asking nearly the same thing as his daughter, "Angel...what's wrong?" he whispered, reaching out to touch her face, stroking her cheek with the back of a finger.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, tilting her head to lean into his touch as he opened his palm to rest it on her cheek entirely, "I just..." she closed her eyes, "An enemy I can see...I'll stand beside you as you face them, an attack, I'll be there and face it too. But that..." she glanced at the cubicles, "I...couldn't see it, there was something invisible, hurting you. It wasn't something I could protect you from or try to stop before it happened, it was something _inside_ you that was hurting you Theta. It wasn't something I could see and...that scared me," she looked at him, "It struck your heart," she reached up to place her hand on his chest, over his left heart, "I was...scared."

He smiled softly at that, "And yet you still saved me in the end," he reminded her, "Im fine now, because of you. My guardian angel. Lighting my way."

She smiled as well, "Just...please don't do that again," she pleaded.

He nodded, he understood the notion of something you couldn't see or control hurting you and attacking you, his...nightmares seemed to be doing the same. It wasn't something he could control or stop, they just...happened and he couldn't see them or ward against them. He didn't want to put her through that, he didn't want to do something that would give HER nightmares, she'd already lived through one because of him and his amnesia, "I promise," he crossed his hearts.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He just leaned in and kissed her in reassurance, pouring his promise into it, he wouldn't go off and do something like that again. If her visions couldn't see what was coming, he wouldn't put himself in a situation like that either. Oddly enough, Isaac's words came back to him, reminding him he...he was a father, if anything happened to him, if Angel managed to get the bracelet in time...he'd be leaving Ayla fatherless...and he couldn't do that, he wouldn't ever do that.

"Come on," he murmured, pulling away, resting his forehead to hers a moment, before pulling back entirely, taking her hand and leading her back to Clark and Kate, Amy and Ayla, "A wormhole," he began again, "Bridging two dimensions. Seven of them hitched onto this planet, but where's the closest one? Clark, zoom in."

" _Please_ ," Ayla called, pointing at her father, "Manners daddy!"

"Sorry sweetheart," he chuckled.

"No need," Angel smiled at them before she turned and hurriedly led him out, Kate and Amy, with Ayla in her arms, following.

"Where are we going?" Amy called, as they reached the car Kate had sent for them in.

"Rory's work," Angel replied...and Amy dashed ahead of them.

~8~

Rory crept through the spaceship as quietly as he could, till he entered a room with a circle of men and women lying on slabs, spotting his father on a portable one, "Dad," he gasped, rushing forward, "Dad!" but then the two orderlies appeared, "Just get away from him," he threatened.

But the orderlies simply drew their syringes and advanced.

~8~

"How many deaths have been recorded?" the Doctor asked Kate as they quickly made their way through the hospital, Angel in the lead, Ayla jogging beside Amy as the two followed them.

"We don't know," Kate shook her head.

"About a third of the population," Angel answered, before rubbing her head, "Just like the Sycorax."

"Oh best day of my life!" the Doctor cheered, to which Kate looked at him as though he'd gone mad.

"If the reports are correct..." Kate frowned, "Didn't you nearly crash the TARDIS into a building before fall into a post-regenerative coma that nearly killed you, become hunted by robotic pilot fish, then become prisoner of a species that threatened to have all the A-positives jump off buildings before dueling them in a sword fight, having your hand cut off, and then watching as Torchwood blew up their ship?"

"Your reports are amazingly accurate Kate," Angel remarked.

"How was THAT the best day of your life?" Amy shook her head, completely at a loss for that.

Ayla just giggled, "That was the day mummy said yes," she told her aunt.

"Yes to what?"

"To being my Mate," the Doctor positively beamed at Angel, love and adoration shining in his eyes, it was the day that had started it all and was the reason why it was only slightly (very, VERY slightly) more important than the day Ayla was born, because without it their little girl wouldn't be there.

"As much as I love knowing that was the best day of your life my love, the humans?" Angel gestured around at the various humans on the ground, clutching their hearts, and those were the lucky ones, the ones who hadn't been close enough to the cubes to be fully affected.

"Right, yes," the Doctor spun around and stopped, looking at Kate, "Kate, we have to find the wormhole, but the attacks could still happen. Tell the world. Tell them how to deal with this. The world needs your leadership right now."

"I'll do my best," Kate nodded.

"Of course you will. Good luck, Kate," he called as she dashed off, "Now," he clapped his hands, turning to Angel as he pulled out his sonic, wanting to help her find it, "We need to locate the wormhole portal…" he trailed off as the sonic picked up something else, "Hello. Hello!" he turned it to a little girl that was just standing there with a cube in her hands, a blank expression on her face, "You are giving off some very strange signals," he brought the sonic closer and her face glowed blue.

"Oh, my God," Amy gasped.

"Outlier droid," he muttered, "Which…" he pointed to Ayla.

"Monitors everything," the girl replied promptly.

"Exactly," he grinned as she beamed at getting the question right, "If I shut her down, I can…" he flashed the sonic on the girl again and she collapsed, "It's alright, it's alright," he lowered her down, effectively cutting off the surveillance to the ship.

"Come on," Angel called, taking his hand and they were off again, her leading them down the corridor, around a corner, and right to…a goods lift. She paused, staring at it, "I _did_ warn him," she murmured, before she pushed the button and the bell dinged.

"Ah, portal to another dimension...in a goods lift?" Amy eyed it warily.

"The energy signals converge here," the Doctor agreed, seeing the readings on the sonic as the doors opened, "Does seem a bit cramped though," he muttered as they stepped in.

Angel just reached out and touched the back wall, making it wibble.

The Doctor grinned and looked down at Ayla, holding out his hand, "Through the looking glass, sweetheart?"

Ayla grinned and took his hand, the four of them stepping through it and into the ship Rory had found himself on earlier.

"Where are we?" Amy looked around as they saw a light in another room and made their way to it.

"We're in orbit," the Doctor explained as they entered the room with the slabs, glancing out the window of it, "One dimension to the left."

"Rory!" Amy gasped, rushing towards him.

"Ah," he tossed her a vial, "Soborian smelling salts. Outlawed in seven galaxies."

Amy waved it under Rory's nose and he jolted up quickly, only for a golden shield to erect around them, someone firing at them.

"Whoa!" the Doctor ducked down, "Whoa! What kind of a welcome do you call _that_?" he looked over to see an old man with a pale, worn face standing there, dressed in black, he turned to Amy and Rory, handing Amy Ayla, "Get them out of here," he told them, "You too. Now!"

Rory quickly woke his father with the salts, "What are you going to do?" Amy called, pulling Ayla closer.

"Absolutely no idea," he called.

"Get to the portal!" Angel shouted and they watched in awe as the shield split in two, one surrounding them as they wheeled Brian away, the other remaining on the Time Lords as the alien shot at them again, Angel doing her best to keep her focus on both of them, on maintaining the golden walls.

It was...hard...she could feel the Vortex raging through her, trying to take out what was shooting at them but, at the same time, knowing that they were only being fired at because Amy and Rory, humans, were there and not subjects that had been taken. As soon as they were out of there with Brian, she knew that the firing would stop.

"So many of them," the man stated, glaring as the Humans...and Ayla...left, "Crawling the planet, seeping into every corner," he disappeared, the lasers stopping as he reappeared by a bank of monitors in the shape of seven hexagons.

"The Shakri," Angel breathed, the golden shield fading as the firing stopped, just as she thought it would.

"It's not possible," the Doctor shook his head, taking Angel's hand as the stepped closer, now realizing why she had wanted Ayla out of the room, that was NOT a story they wanted their daughter to know about, she had enough nightmares about the Silence and the dark as it was, they did NOT want to add the Shakri to that, "I thought the Shakri were a myth. A myth to keep the young of Gallifrey in their place."

"The Shakri exist in all of time and none," the man stated, "We travel alone and together. The Seven."

"The Shakri craft, connected to Earth, through seven portals and seven minutes. Ah, but why?"

"Because of the Tally," Angel whispered, recalling that tale from Gallifrey, she'd always been better at remembering stories than lessons, the man nodded.

"Why the cubes?" the Doctor looked at her, "Why Earth?"

"Not Earth," she shook her head, "The Humans."

"The Shakri will halt the human plague before the spread!" the Shakri stated.

The Doctor nodded, working it out, "Erase humanity before it colonizes space. We thought the cubes were an invasion. The start of _war_."

"The human contagion _only_ must be eliminated."

"Who are you calling a contagion?" Amy demanded as she and Rory walked back in, Ayla safely left with Brian, the man, of course, _refusing_ to let the little girl into the room he'd been shot at before.

"Oi!" the Doctor turned, "Didn't we tell you two to go?"

"You should have learned by now," Rory remarked.

Angel smiled, "Well, _I_ knew you'd be back."

"Psychic," the Doctor poked her in the ribs.

"Thief," she countered, flicking his bowtie.

"Oi," he laughed, smiling at her and tweaking his bowtie to straighten it.

"What is this Tally anyway?" Amy asked, getting back to point.

"Some people call it Judgment Day, or the Reckoning," the Doctor sighed.

"Don't you know?"

"I've never wanted to find out."

"Before the Closure, there is the Tally," the Shakri replied, "The Shakri _serves_ the Tally."

"The pest controllers of the Universe, that's how the tales went, isn't it?"

"Wow," Amy shook her head, "That's some _seriously_ weird bedtime story."

"You can talk. Wolf in your grandmother's nightdress?" he turned back to the Shakri, "So, here you are, depositing slug pellets all over the Earth, made attractive so humans will collect them, hoping to find something beautiful inside. Because that's what _they_ are. Not pests or plague, creatures of hope, forever building and reaching. Making mistakes, of course, every life form does. But... _but_ they _learn_. And they strive for greater, and they _achieve_ it. You want a tally. Put their achievements against their failings through the whole of time, we," he took Angel's hand, "Will back humanity against the Shakri every time."

"The Tally must be met," the Shakri stated, "The second wave will be released."

"What does that mean?" Amy asked, concerned.

And the pit in Angel's stomach dropped, "They're going to open more cubes," she glanced at Amy, "They're going to open the cubes again and try to hurt more people."

~8~

"Tell the Secretary General it's _not_ just hospitals and equipment, it's _people_ ," Kate called as she ordered her men around in the hospital, "Our best hope now is each other."

"Aunt Kate!" Ayla shouted, rushing over to her down the hall, poor Brian panting as he struggled to keep up with the little ball of energy as she half-flew at Kate, hugging her tightly.

"Oh hello dear," she picked the girl up, "Where are your parents?"

Ayla just shook her head and hugged Kate more, she knew what it meant when her parents kept her away, it was _really_ dangerous. And when it was THAT dangerous...it was a situation where even her parents were concerned about getting themselves out alive.

And that worried HER.

~8~

"The human plague breeding and fighting," the Shakri wheezed, "And when cornered, their rage to destroy. You're too late, Doctor, Angel. The Tally shall be met."

And with that, it vanished.

"He's gone?" Amy looked around.

"I don't think he was actually here," Angel shook her head, "He's like the TARDIS's voice interface, a projection."

The Doctor nodded, "Like a talking propaganda poster," he ran around to the other side of the monitors, "I can stop the second wave," he soniced it, "I can disconnect all the Shakri craft from their portals, leave them drifting in the dark space."

"Good," Angel nodded, looking at the monitors and the codes he was putting in, she had...no idea what he was doing. The controls and codes...she'd never been in a ship like the Shakri's, she had been lucky enough just to realize that the projection was just an interface.

"Ah..." the Doctor frowned, "But all those people who were near the cubes, so many of them will have died..."

Amy turned to Angel, "You restarted one of the Doctor's hearts…"

"You'd need _mass_ defibrillation," Rory shook his head, "Could you do that?"

Angel hesitated only a single moment, not...entirely sure if she'd be able to control that much of the Vortex given what had happened in the Asylum, she was...afraid that maybe she could use the power for little things, teleports or walls but...to use too much of it might make her lose control of it. But...she reminded herself, the humans were in danger, they were in pain and they were hurt and...if she could help the Doctor help them...it would have to be worth it, she would have to try.

She nodded, "Leave it to me," before closing her eyes and touching the edge of the screens, the edges starting to glow golden as a pulse went out through the system, following the Doctor's commands to go along the access points, splitting and amplifying as the cubes had the original pulse.

"Thirty seconds," the Doctor beamed as Angel opened her eyes, the pulse having been sent, "But…oh dear. All those cubes. There's going to be a terrible wave of energy ricocheting around here any second, now twice as powerful because of the Vortex...run!" he grabbed Angel's hand and off they went.

"I'm going to miss this," Rory laughed as they dashed after the Time Lords, jumping through the wibbly wall and into the lift just as the Vortex energy returned back to the ship, blowing it up.

~8~

All around the world there was a flash of golden light as people started to pick themselves up again, looking around, thoroughly confused by what had happened but infinitely thankful they were alive.

~8~

"Emergency hospitals and field units are working at full capacity around the world, as millions of survivors of cardiac arrests are nursed back to health after an unprecedented night across the globe…" a news reporter announced.

~8~

"You, er, you really _are_ as remarkable as dad said," Kate smiled at the Doctor as she stood before the small Time Family outside the Tower. She looked at Angel, "And you…the files don't do you justice."

"I'm sure they made me out to be better than I am," Angel smiled modestly.

"Other way around dear," the Doctor whispered, kissing her temple.

"Thank you," Angel nodded at the woman, "For taking care of Ayla while we dealt with the Shakri."

"No," Kate leaned in and hugged Angel before kissing the Doctor's cheek, not seeming to notice him tense at it, "Thank you both."

"My!" the Doctor gave a small laugh, feeling himself relax as Kate pulled away. Even though he knew the kiss was platonic...a kiss was far too intimate for him to feel comfortable with anyone besides Angel or Ayla giving him one. Though, he hadn't exactly seemed to tense when Rory had kissed his cheeks earlier, probably because he was just Angel's brother and Kate was, well, a companion's daughter...which he could feel his mind connecting her to another daughter of a companion, one he was FAR less comfortable around, "A kiss from a Lethbridge-Stewart! That is new," he looked at his watch, "Oh dear, we're late for dinner."

"Bye Aunt Kate," Ayla hugged the woman.

"Goodbye dear," Kate smiled, hugging her back before the Time Lords walked over to the car, the Doctor saluting her before they piled in.

~8~

Ayla sat on her Uncle Rory's lap as he sat beside his wife, the Doctor and Angel across from them, Brian at the end of the table, in the kitchen, eating Chinese with chopsticks, Ayla not quite managing to use them till Amy had tied one end together with a rubber band to help.

"Dear me," the Doctor smiled, clapping his hands, "We'd better get going. Things to do, worlds to save, swings to…swing on," he got up, helping Angel up as well as Ayla gave Rory and Amy a quick hug before hopping off of Rory to walk with them.

Angel paused and turned back, moving to kneel beside Rory to look at Amy and him, "Rory, Amy...I just want you to know that we DO understand that you have amazing lives here. The most fantastic human lives that are just getting started. And it's important to you, your jobs, your home, your time with each other, we understand. That's something we're trying to give you too, it's not something we want you to give up just to travel with us."

"Actually, it's _you_ they can't give up," Brian called, "The three of you. Not a day goes by Amy doesn't mention you Doctor, or Rory talks about you Angel, or the two of them think about Ayla…they can't give you up. And...I don't think they should," he smiled at his son, "Go with them. Go...save every world you can find. Who else has that chance? Life will still be here."

Angel smiled at him, "Would you like to come too, Brian?"

He shook his head, "Somebody's got to water the plants. Just bring them back safe."

Angel nodded and stood, walking back to her family, the Doctor having adopted her typical stance with Ayla for a moment, the girl resting against him with his arms locked around her, Ayla gripping his arms with her hand, before they headed to the TARDIS, Amy and Rory hugging Brian goodbye before following.

~8~

" _So that was the year of the slow invasion, when the Earth got cubed, and the Time Family came to stay. It was also when we realized something the Shakri never understood. What cubed actually means. The power of three._ "

~8~

Amy paused at the door to her house, her and Rory looking at the three Time Lords waiting for them before the doors to the TARDIS, the most unbeatable team they'd ever met.

"Come on Uncle Rory!" Ayla cheered, pushing the doors to the magic box open, "Hurry Aunt Amy!" before she ran inside, shouting to her Aunt Idris about their new 'more permanent' guests.

The humans laughed and followed the Time Lords into the blue box which disappeared moments later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	18. The Pandorica Closes

The Doctor grinned as he danced with Amy, inventing a funny old dance of his own, just wanting to make her wedding more lively, especially when Rory seemed to have gone surprisingly serious since he'd arrived. It had been…quite the adventure, what with the Pandorica opening and the TARDIS exploding and time collapsing and him having to reboot the entire Universe. But it was all in a day's work really.

He'd woken up in the TARDIS just after it had all been over, the box humming frantically at him, what he felt might be anger or concern but really, he thought it was probably excitement to be back. He could hear Amy's voice projecting over the speakers, her talking about the story he'd told her, of the old blue, brand new stolen box, how she was essentially remembering him into existence once more.

And he realized that for her to be thinking of old-new-borrowed-blue she HAD to be at her wedding…and he was NOT dressed for such an occasion. He'd run off to get changed and popped out the door to see her staring at him. It had been wonderful to see her again, Rory though had been a bit more frowny which didn't suit a man on his wedding down. He looked confused, like there was something he'd forgotten and was struggling to remember, but it couldn't be that important if Amy hadn't remembered it either, Amy was the one who had remembered him back after all. But Rory had just gotten all quiet, not even Amy could seem to get him to engage in the party after he'd appeared.

He glanced around for the wayward groom, but Rory was nowhere to be seen, "Where's Mr. Pond got to?" he called to Amy over the loud music.

"He wanted to go to the TARDIS," Amy told him, trying to speak through her laughter at his moves.

"The TARDIS?" the Doctor frowned, not sure what Rory could need in there, he'd only set it down just outside, "What's he need in there?"

"I don't know," Amy rolled her eyes, "He just asked for the key, said he had to check something."

"What?"

Amy opened her mouth to speak when she caught sight of something out the corner of her eye, "Ask him yourself," she jerked a thumb to the side where Rory was entering the room, a deep frown on his face.

"Ah, Rory!" the Doctor cheered, grinning as he walked over to the man, putting an arm around his shoulder, "Now…"

"Don't touch me," Rory snapped, yanking the Doctor's arm away.

"Oi," Amy made her way over, seeing the action, the hurt look on the Doctor's face, the rather…angry expression on her husband's, "What's the matter with you?" Rory just shook his head and Amy frowned, seeing…tears in his eyes, "Rory?"

Rory swallowed hard, "You both need to come with me. This is your fault," he told them, turning without another word to head out of the room.

Amy and the Doctor exchanged a glance before rushing after him, leaving the guests to the party. They followed Rory out of the room, down the halls, and outside, back to the TARDIS which seemed to be…glaring at them…which was daft because it was a box and boxes couldn't glare.

"Rory what's wrong?" Amy ran up to him as he shoved the doors opened, leading them into the TARDIS.

"You forgot her Amy," Rory turned to throw a glare at HER over his shoulder, "THAT's what's wrong. YOU were the one who could bring her back and you didn't!"

"Bring who back?" Amy shook her head, not understanding at all who he was talking about.

Rory just made his way up to the monitor, the duo following him, coming on either side of him to see that the screen was broken up into four boxes, Jack and Torchwood in one, Sarah Jane Smith and her family in another, with Martha and Mickey in one on the bottom, and Donna and Wilf in the last one on the right.

"How did you DO that?!" the Doctor looked at Rory, alarmed he'd been able to turn the monitor on and put out a call, HE hadn't taught the man to do it.

"Seriously?" Rory scoffed, "Your past companions are on-screen, glaring at you, and THAT'S what you worry about?!"

The Doctor blinked and looked at the monitor again to see that…the companions WERE glaring at him, Jack even had his arms crossed and Gray looked positively murderous. Martha seemed disappointed, Sarah Jane in tears, and Donna…well…her lips were pursed and he knew from experience that that was the WORST sign ever.

"Hello everyone," he tried to laugh, but it came out a more nervous chuckle than anything, "How are we all doing?"

"Doc…" Jack began, a tremble in his voice that could not be mistaken for anything BUT barely contained anger, "Where the hell is Angie?!"

The Doctor blinked, "Who?"

The companions stared at him.

"Angie," Jack repeated, "Angie Harkness."

"Angela Jones?" Martha tried.

"The Angel!" Donna shouted.

"I have no idea who you're talk…" he began.

"You _Mate_ , Doctor," Sarah Jane cut in, "Your Mate, Angel, a Time Lady."

"MY Pilot," Rory ground out.

"Oi!" Mickey called, "She was mine first!"

"Well she's MY sister," Jack argued.

"And MINE," Donna cut in, "So don't you dare try to pull that one BoeBoy."

Amy frowned as the companions started to argue amongst themselves over that, when she glanced at the Doctor to see him staring at the with his eyes wide and mouth open, looking completely shocked, "Oi!" she snapped at them, making them fall quiet, "What are you talking about?!"

"…Mate?" the Doctor breathed, shaking his head, blinking rapidly, "I…I don't…I don't have a Mate," he argued weakly, though something inside him stirred uncomfortably at that declaration. He glanced up as the TARDIS herself hummed in what could be nothing but anger, "I'm the only one left…"

"Doctor…what happened?" Gray asked, "We…we couldn't remember her for a minute, and then…slowly it came back to us. But…she's not there."

"We were calling the TARDIS," Sarah Jane explained, "Rory finally answered."

"I didn't know who they were talking about either," Rory admitted, "Till Jack called me his brother, said that Angel told him about me…and I remembered," he looked at the Doctor and Amy, "But Angel's not here. She's not anywhere."

"Angel?" Amy shook her head, the name…sounded familiar…

"My Pilot Amy," Rory looked at her, his voice pleading, "A Time Lady, please you HAVE to remember her."

He could only guess that Amy hadn't…remembered enough of Angel to bring her back, but she HAD to. He _needed_ her to. Angel was… _so_ important to him and…she was pregnant. It wasn't just Angel that would be lost but that little baby and he had promised, he'd sworn to Angel that he'd protect them both. Because clearly the Doctor was failing to do that.

"I…I think I do," Amy nodded, thinking on it hard, "Black hair…" she began, "Grey eyes…"

"Blue dress," Jack called.

"Black cowboy boots," Martha added.

"Black belt," Sarah Jane nodded.

"Not anymore though," Donna remarked with a knowing look at Rory.

"Yeah," Amy breathed, "I DO remember her…"

And as soon as the words were out of her mouth, the Doctor fell to the ground with a grunt, a hand to the side of his head, landing hard on his knees, bracing himself on the console with his other hand as he let out a strangled scream.

"Doctor!" Amy gasped, rushing to his side, "What's wrong?"

But Rory knew exactly what was wrong. He was remembering Angel, he was…likely remembering EVERYTHING. He had worked it out, the moment he had remembered Angel himself. Seeing that even the other companions had forgotten her. Angel had once asked him what he'd do if the person he loved forgot who he was to them. He wasn't as stupid as the Doctor sometimes made him feel. He was as clever as Angel believed him to be, he'd worked it out.

Something, maybe to do with the Pandorica, he didn't know nor did he care exactly what it was, had made the Doctor forget Angel even before the rest of them had. The man had forgotten Angel was his Mate, as Jack had briefly explained to him when he'd asked why the Doctor wasn't there freaking out when he said Angel wasn't there. And now…he could tell, the man was remembering everything, every single thing he'd forgotten about her.

And now…he was honestly afraid of what would be coming, because he'd seen the Doctor worried for Angel before…and that was only seeing her as a Time Lady.

"Doctor what's wrong?" Amy put her hand on his back, looking at Rory, "Rory what's happening?!"

But before Rory could even answer, the Doctor's hand fell away from his head, his eyes wide, tears in them, "Angel…" he breathed, shaking his head, "No…no, no, no, no, no…" he leapt to his feet and ran to the monitor, "Sorry!" he shouted at them, ending the connections as he frantically tried to search for something on the datacores, on the trackers and tracers and all the other scans he could find.

Amy frowned, seeing him wincing and flinching with each mistake he made, assuming that he was making mistakes as some symbols she couldn't read were removed as he typed, before going on again, "Doctor what are you doing?"

"Finding her," he muttered, feeling his chest constrict painfully…he'd been hit with…memory after memory, so many things, so many he'd…forgotten, and following that was a crippling guilt. All his mind could see was all the things he'd done, that he'd let Angel do, that had put her in a danger he NEVER would have let her be in before. The Daleks, the Weeping Angels, the Silurians and the Krafayis and the time loops and...

And now…one of them was coming back to haunt him.

The Pandorica.

He'd let her in the Pandorica (after she'd been in an exploding TARDIS nearly six billion times and then gotten shot by a Dalek…which made him ill to think about). He'd let her go with him into the heart of the explosion…and now, because of that…she was gone. She'd been forgotten even more deeply than he had.

Amy had remembered HIM, her Raggedy Doctor, but forgotten Angel. Oh she knew of the girl now but vaguely…which he knew meant…Angel was out there, somewhere, but he didn't know where and he HAD to find her! Amy had no idea of how Angel had come to be a part of his life, Amy didn't know her well enough to bring her back entirely, to bring her back to THAT particular point…and he was terrified of where she might be in her timeline now.

He had to find her, he had to find her and get her back! He frantically input commands into the TARDIS, praying to every star he could think of that the old box would still be able to pick up a trace of Angel. If HE was back then there was a chance that the connection Angel had, the bond to the TARDIS as a designated Pilot, might have stuck. He hoped beyond hope that it had.

"Yes!" he cheered, when a small dot popped up on the monitor…and then his hearts stopped seeing the coordinates, "No…"

Van Statten's Museum.

~8~

The TARDIS set down on the same floor it had ages ago, so many years ago when the Doctor had first found Angel. He ran out of the TARDIS, looking around to see that the museum…was NOT filled with concrete, but it _was_ deserted. He knew what had happened, why it was still there.

Amy didn't know about this adventure, not fully. She hadn't known and so, it was impossible for her to remember. So the museum was there, it was as if he had never gone there, it was as if he'd never been there, because Amy didn't remember him being there. But…he HAD been there, so when she'd remembered him back the timelines got all wonky. It was like…a mixture of his presence there, that the museum was abandoned like it ought to have been because of him and a result of his appearance. But…everything hadn't happened the same, this was the result of him being there in one timeline but an echo and alteration of it to adapt to what Amy knew of it in this timeline…

And Angel was _still there_.

"Where are we Doctor?" Amy asked as she and Rory stepped out after him.

"Oh my God," Rory breathed, his eyes widening, "Is this Van Statten's museum?!" he turned to the Doctor, alarmed.

"Who's what?" Amy gave Rory a look.

"Angel told me about it," Rory explained, seeing the Doctor flinch at that, knowing the man was realizing just HOW much Angel had come to rely on HIM and not the Time Lord himself, that she'd told him intimate details of her life and bonded with him.

"And what's Van Statten's Museum?" Amy looked at Rory.

"It's where I rescued her," the Doctor muttered, before stalking off down the dark halls, all of the displays were empty, which he should have found odd, that all that alien tech had been taken by someone, but he didn't care, he truly didn't, he just…he had to get to Angel, she was STILL there...and he was honestly afraid of what he'd find when he reached her.

He led them to a lift, sonicing it open and the power on enough to get them to the floor that the Cage was on, knowing that Angel was close to it. He barely waited for the doors to open before he was half running out of the lift and down the halls. He passed the Cage, not even wanting to know if the Dalek was still in there, for all he knew, it could be and he was NOT going to make the mistake of baiting it again, or of letting Amy or Rory touch it and restore it like Rose had.

He reached a heavy thick door and put a hand on it, just…knowing Angel was behind it even if the sonic hadn't led them there. He frowned, closing his eyes as he realized something…terrible. He couldn't feel Angel, he couldn't hear her in his mind or in his hearts and…he knew it was one of two things.

He knew she likely still had that bloody mental dampener on that Van Statten had forced on her, but…he should have been able to feel her. Which meant…she must have had a Dampening Bracelet with her…which killed him to know she had one in her possession, to know she could have, at any time since he'd forgotten, put it on and he wouldn't have realized it. Or…and this was the part that truly terrified him…or they…weren't Mated any longer.

He had insisted SO much to Amy that Angel was just a friend, a mate and not a Mate and…if Amy remembered Angel, but remembered her as just a friend and not his Mate…he was disturbed to think that it might mean that the Mating had been forgotten along with everything.

It would break his hearts if that were true.

He pulled his hand away and flashed the door, unlocking it…the three of them stepping in, only to stop short at the sight before them. He…hadn't known what Angel had been restrained like before, he'd assumed she'd been in a cell, left there, unchained, but in a small cell, with a cot to sleep on or something…some sort of comfort.

He'd been wrong.

He had access to that memory in Angel's mind but had shied away from it, not wanting to intrude and study memories she herself didn't want to remember.

He should have.

He would have been more prepared in that case.

Because Angel was still there, the first her he'd ever met, the one with the dark, dirty hair, the dark eyes, the pale face and chapped lips and bags under her eyes. The weak woman who had been neglected for so long and forgotten about unless she was needed. The one who had been forced to listen to the screams of the Dalek as it was tortured.

She was there, chained to a harness, to an examination board like he had been, like the one Van Statten had strapped him to to scan his hearts. Her arms were out on either side of her and up slightly above her head, by chains around her wrists. Her legs were strapped to the bottom of the board, slightly apart, her ankles bowed by metal clamps that reminded him a little too much like the ones the Silurians had used. Her head was bowed, her hair falling before her as she slumped as much off the board as she could. He could see the metal band around her head, a monitor beside her with some sort of recording still powered up, monitoring her brainwaves. There was only one blip on it, from what he could see, that had spiked only moments before the TARDIS had appeared.

"Angel," he breathed, his eyes filled with tears.

"Don't stand there!" Rory shouted, shoving him forward as he ran for the board as well, "Get her out!"

The Doctor snapped himself out of his shock and ran over to Angel with the human, flashing the sonic everywhere he could to try and unlock the restraints…managing to do it as Angel fell forward with a gasp, her body unused to moving having been stationary so long. The Doctor nearly felt his hearts shatter when Angel fell more towards Rory and into his arms than his own. He reached out, seeing her panting, her eyes closed, and ripped the mental dampener off her head…

Angel screamed and started to scramble back from him, from all of them, staring at them with wide, fearful eyes, shaking. She swallowed hard, as though trying to speak but unable to after so long alone.

"Angel!" the Doctor tried to move towards her, but she flinched back, pushing herself further into the wall, making him stop and stare at her heartsbroken at the move…she was scared of him.

Amy gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, tears in her eyes to see Angel in such a state.

"It's ok," Rory said, holding up his hands, crouching before her, shooting a glare at the Doctor for scaring her, "We're nice…" he began, turning back to her but not making a move to get closer.

Angel looked between them, her eyes darting around, as though a frightened animal that was being cornered, "W…who…" she tried to get out, struggling, her voice so unused, "Are…you?" she managed to rasp out, panting, trying to gain her breath, eyeing them distrustfully.

Rory swallowed hard, feeling tears in his eyes at that, hearing the Doctor stumble back at that, his back hitting the other wall as he slid down it, in utter shock, devastated his Mate had forgotten him. The Doctor closed his eyes, no…Angel hadn't forgotten him, this Angel had never met him before. His hearts hurt so badly, it felt like they were being torn apart, seeing the distrust in her eyes, the fear, the way she didn't want to get close to him…knowing she didn't know who he was…if this was even a fraction of what Angel felt…he couldn't bear to think of how much he'd hurt her.

"I'm Rory," Rory tried again, seeing the Doctor was too shocked at the moment, "Rory Williams, I'm…well, I was…your companion."

Angel shook her head.

"It's true," Amy moved to kneel by Rory, feeling tears threatening to fall at how Angel shied back further as more people got in front of her, "In…in another timeline. Which sounds crazy but it's true. I'm Amy…I'm your friend," some friend she was if, in forgetting Angel, she'd been the one to condemn her to this fate, "And that…" she glanced back at the Doctor who was staring at Angel with a hollow look, utterly killed at how this had happened, "That man, the Doctor…is your Mate."

"I…don't…have…a Mate," Angel insisted.

The Doctor closed his eyes at that, feeling a tear fall from his eyes, hearing her say that. He'd said it SO many times, and it was killing him now to hear her insist so. He couldn't imagine what she'd felt when HE had done it.

There was only one thing he could think of that might convince her, " _I'm sorry,_ " he whispered, in Gallifreyan, making her head snap over at him, " _I'm so sorry Nella._ "

Angel let out a breath, blinking at that before shaking her head. No…no this couldn't be right, it couldn't be. That man…he couldn't be her Mate. She didn't have one! She'd been left on Earth, hearing her people die in the War, she'd been poked and prodded and cut into by humans, she'd been left alone in an abandoned museum for too long and…

Why?

If she'd had a Mate, if she'd had a man who was supposed to love her more than anything…why had he abandoned her there?

The Doctor winced, hearing that in her mind. She was right. From her perspective, she'd been alone and his claims of being her Mate…he'd failed her. He'd failed her in forgetting her, he'd failed her in not remembering her when the Pandorica had happened, he'd failed her in leaving her there for even a single moment. How could he claim to be her Mate, to love her that much, if he really had abandoned her? Not in the way she saw it but in a different way. To her he'd never been there, to him…he HAD and he'd left her which was worse.

Rory shook his head, this wasn't the time for all that, whatever the Doctor had said to her…Angel as FAR too thin and weak, she needed help or none of them would have a Time Lady much longer, "Can we help you?" Rory asked, reaching out to her, "Can we take you to the TARDIS and get you better?"

Angel just flinched back, closing her eyes, "Don't!" she gasped, "Don't…hurt me…"

"We wouldn't ever," Amy shook her head, feeling her own heart break at that, at how…scared Angel was of them.

"Always…do," Angel shook her head, glaring at them, "Humans…lie…"

The Doctor squeezed his eyes closed, seeing in her mind what had happened. Without him there in some sort of skewed timeline…they'd grown tired of the Dalek…Van Statten had ordered the scientists to move onto Angel…she'd been cut into and studied as Malokeh had done to Mo.

"I don't," Rory promised her, "Angel…look at me," he pleaded, feeling tears in his eyes as she cast a hesitant glance at him, "I care about you. You're my Pilot, and I promised I'd take care of you and…" he cut himself off, clearly she wasn't pregnant any longer, "…and I just want to help. Please."

Angel looked between them, the Doctor starting to feel hopeful that she might see their intentions were good…only for Angel to look at Rory, "I…trust YOU," she told him.

And his hearts broke all over again, shattered. Angel didn't trust him, he let out a scoffing laugh at that, because she had every right not to. He'd betrayed her in more ways than one. It was his own fault. HE had forgotten her, HE hadn't tried to help Amy and Angel have a closer relationship, he'd just focused too much on his companion, on a human, once more and now his Mate was suffering for it once more.

Rory though just nodded, "We need to get you out of here," he moved closer to her, holding out a hand to her, letting HER make the choice to accept his help.

Angel stared at his hand and then him, keeping her eyes firmly off the Doctor. The man had claimed he was her Mate, had known her name, but…where had HE been? If he was truly her Mate, she should have felt safe with him, should trust him, but that was the farthest thing she felt. She could see him flinch and knew he might know what she was thinking, and she was…happy he was. He needed to know that just because he said he was someone to be trusted, people shouldn't do it just because he said so.

The man though…Rory, he'd said…him she DID trust. He didn't try to force her, he didn't get too close too fast, he just…was patient, he was kind, she could tell that…she could trust _him_. Even if he was human, she could trust that HE wouldn't hurt her, not like the other two.

She hesitantly reached out and took Rory's hand, the man smiling as he moved to slowly help her up, considerate of her weakness. They'd just turned to head out, the ginger girl having gone to drag the Doctor to his feet…

When there was a blast at the wall that sent them flying back.

"Exterminate!" a Dalek shouted as it rolled through the debris of the fallen wall.

The Doctor stared at it in horror, how had it been powered up!? It had been nearly dead when Rose had restored it, it should have been even lower on power than that! It should have been powered down completely! And there it was firing the most powerful blasts he'd seen a Dalek do.

"Run!" he cried, turning to whip out the sonic, trying to something, anything, to give them the time to flee, to give Rory time to get Angel out of there…

But just as he turned, just as he'd flicked the sonic on…the Dalek sent a blast at Angel and Rory, at Rory specifically…probably seeing a target that he needed to eliminate to get a clear shot at Angel but…

Oh he should have known that Angel, in any incarnation, was the same genuinely carrying person…

She shoved Rory away with what little strength she had left…sending him falling to the ground as she took the blast right to the chest…flying backwards into the back wall and sinking down.

The Doctor stared in horror as he saw the blast hit her, "NO!" he screamed, but it was too late, the blast…it was too powerful, it was too direct…it had killed her before she could even begin to regenerate, she'd been too weak before, she hadn't been able to survive that blast, "Angel!" he ran to her side, ignoring the cries of the humans behind him as Amy scrambled to Rory's side, helping the stunned and clearly traumatized man to his feet, calling for him to run…but all he saw was Angel on the ground.

He'd abandoned his Mate once…he couldn't do it again. He didn't know if he was still fully Mated to her or not…he had heard her in his mind even when the mental dampener had been removed, something that hadn't happened last time, he'd felt her emotions but…he didn't feel himself dying with her.

And he ought to have.

Because he wanted to.

"Angel, no…" he breathed, gathering her in his arms, his back to the Dalek, just…cradling her, praying for a regeneration he knew wouldn't come.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, though he barely heard her, the world was going deaf around him.

"Exterminate!"

He DID hear that one, he could hear the whir of the Dalek's laser powering up, and…smiled, closing his eyes…welcoming the blast that struck him in the back and sent him into darkness…

~8~

Angel hummed lightly to herself as she stood in the bathroom of hers and the Doctor's bedroom, having just come from a lovely shower, a white towel wrapped around her as she began to brush her hair…only to jump when she spotted the Doctor's reflection in the mirror. That was…odd in itself, it was surprisingly hard to sneak up on her, but…he was also standing there in his pajamas, just…hanging half in the doorway, staring at her.

She would have been flattered…if it wasn't for the absolutely terrified expression that had been on his face for a single moment before it morphed into relief, the man even letting out a breath of it as she turned to him, a concerned look on her face, "Are you alright my love?"

"What?" he looked at her, before nodding, "Oh, yes. Yes, yes, I'm…I'm fine."

Angel tilted her head, "Theta…"

"I'm fine Nella," he smiled at her, stepping into the bathroom and just…walking to her and taking her in his arms, holding her close, his chin resting against her still damp hair.

She blinked, but hugged him back, not…quite believing him, but…not wanting to push him either. She could tell, as she'd left him sleeping like a log on their bed to get ready for the day, not having the hearts to wake him when she knew he'd been having difficulty sleeping and staying asleep, that he'd likely had a nightmare again. She trusted Jack's opinion on this, sometimes…it took time for another person to tell you what was plaguing their subconscious as it was far more personal a fear usually.

She hadn't told the Doctor what had been bothering her for…quite a while, till she'd felt comfortable and, though it killed her to know he didn't seem at that point yet, she had to respect that as he had respected her. So all she could do, for the moment, was try to be as much of a comfort as she could be, to let him know in as many ways as she could that she was there for him when he was ready.

She felt him relax in her arms as she hugged him back, felt him breathing easier it appeared. She offered him a smile as he pulled away and began to lightly touch her cheek, cupping it with his hand, his thumb stroking her cheek, tracing just below her eyes with a look in his own that told her he was searching for something or checking for something. She didn't know what it could be, there was nothing under her eyes.

She watched his expression carefully, the gentle smile on his face, as he moved to brush a damp strand of her hair behind her ear, taking a moment to twirl it around his finger in the process, looking very much as though he were studying the color of it. And then his hand was back on her cheek, gently tracing over her lips with his thumb before he leaned in and kissed her.

She wound her arms around him, returning the kiss as deeply as it was given, but feeling an almost…desperation seeping off of him. She could sense that he…truly needed this moment, this intimate moment between them of her in his arms and returning his affections tenfold, "What was that for?" she murmured as he pulled away, resting his forehead to hers.

"Just…because I love you," he told her, opening his eyes to look into hers, smiling softly at her, "And because I'm so…thankful that I found you when I did, that I have you with me, and that…I can't imagine my life without you," he whispered, "If I'd never met you Angel…" he couldn't even finish. He knew why he'd had this nightmare, the cubes, the little boxes no one could break into, like little prisons, like smaller, darker Pandoricas.

"Well," she cut in, with a gentle smile, "It's a good thing you did," she reminded him, tapping his nose, making him laugh and smile in a way only she could, with the simplest of gestures and words, "I'm rather glad you found me too."

He nodded, "Most important day of my life."

She gave him an amused look, "I thought that was the day I said yes to Mate with you."

He laughed lightly, "That was the BEST day of my life," he tapped her nose in return, "The most important…was the day I found you. My Angel."

She smiled as he pulled her closer once more, "My Doctor," she countered as he began to sway her, the two of them just…dancing in the bathroom, to no music at all.

Though the Doctor couldn't see, as he held her, the small frown that was making its way onto Angel's face as her concern for him grew.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there are TONS of adventures Amy doesn't know about and can't remember when it comes to the Doctor that still would have happened and existed even with her bringing him back and not knowing them. Gotta love nightmares, they don't always make sense lol :)
> 
> Poor Angel though, to be abandoned and then find out you apparently had a Mate who just...never showed up :( And the Doctor remembering her and having to go find her only for her not to know him. I wonder what's worse, forgetting someone who remembers you or never having met someone who has met you? Hmmm... :) I sort of feel a little mean to give him Angel and then take her away a second later :/
> 
> But...we all know what's coming next, don't we? The Weeping Angels and the Ponds :'(


	19. The Angels Take Manhattan: Melody Malone

" _New York. The city of a million stories. Half of them are true. The other half just haven't happened yet. Statues, the man said. Living statues that moved in the dark_ …"

~8~

A rather plump, well-dressed, older man stood before his desk in his rather lavish home in New York City, eyeing a young man in a suit and trench coat, fashionable dress for the 1930s, but quite commonplace among private investigators, such as the one he had hired, "So, will you take the case, Mr. Garner?"

"Sure," the man, Garner, shrugged, a New York accent to his words, "Why not?"

"Because you don't believe me," he smirked.

"For twenty five dollars a day plus expenses, I'll believe any damn thing you like."

"But you don't believe that statues can move," the man countered, "And you're right, Mr. Garner. They can't. Of course they can't. When you're _looking_ ," he turned to look out the window of his home, at a statue of a woman and her child stationed just across the street, facing him.

Garner scoffed, "Good night, Mr. Grayle," he offered before turning to leave the house.

Grayle watched him go a moment before turning back to the window to see that the statue of the woman...had vanished.

~8~

" _The address Grayle gave me was an apartment block near Battery Park. He said it was where the statues lived. I asked him why he didn't go look himself. He didn't answer. Grayle was the scariest guy I knew. If something scared HIM, I kinda wanted to shake its hand_."

~8~

Garner stepped up to the Winter Quay apartments, staring at the building, at the statues all over it, two Weeping Angel statues on either side of the steps that led to the main double doors. He glanced around, observing the area...when he noticed a little girl in a window, covering her eyes then peeking out, before covering them again. His gaze moved to an old man staring him down from another window, before a creaking sounded.

He looked over to see the doors opening, seemingly on their own, and he headed inside, not noticing the Weeping Angels had moved their hands away to reveal their snarling faces.

"Hello?" he called, looking around at the empty foyer, "Hello?" for an apartment complex, it sure was empty. He turned to the lift as it came down all on its own, moving much like the doors had and opening. He stepped inside and looked up as it elevated, missing the Weeping Angel that had appeared in the foyer below him.

"What the…" he breathed as the lift stopped and opened. He stepped out onto a red-carpeted hallway, wandering till he spotted something odd on the nameplate for room 702, 'S. Garner' was inscribed there. He frowned, trying the door to find it unlocked and pushed it open.

"Hello?" he called, stepping in, "Anyone home?" he spotted his hat and coat, the _same_ hat and coat he was currently wearing, hanging on the rack, along with his PI's ID card in the wallet on a small table by the door, looking older and faded, but the same as the one he carried with him.

His head snapped to the side, hearing a grunt from behind him in the darkness, "Hello?" he moved towards a back room, the bedroom, to see an old man lying in the bed, gasping, "Who are you?"

"They're coming for you," the old man rasped, "They're going to send you back."

He frowned, "Who's coming? Back where?"

"In time. Back in time. I'm you. I'm you!"

Garner's eyes widened, a flash of light from outside falling on the man, illuminating him, and it was true, it was _himself_ , as an old man! He turned and fled the room, stopping only when he saw two of the angel statues outside the door, he ran to the stairs, but even more were there below him. So he ran up, right to the roof…only to hear a thump behind him that shook the building.

He spun around...seeing the Statue of Liberty snarling at him.

"You gotta be kiddin' me…" he breathed.

~8~

"Whoa, I'm an alien," were the lyrics to the Sting song softly playing over the speakers set up through Central Park, New York, "I'm a legal alien. I'm an Englishman in New York."

Near a duck pond in the middle of the park, a small group of tourists sat, having a picnic. The Doctor was sitting on a large rock, Ayla in his lap as he held a book before her, reading to her, his one arm wound around her middle, tickling her periodically as he read, doing voices to match all the characters in the book. His back was to Amy, the ginger behind him, resting her back to his own as she read a different book, round reading glasses on her nose. Rory and Angel sat a foot or so away, playing a game of chess, Angel swearing not to peek ahead at Rory's next move...which was honestly the only way to win against her. She really was rubbish at chess and if it wasn't for her little gift, she was sure she would have lost that game against Gantok earlier.

"'New York growled at my window, but I was ready for it," the Doctor read to Ayla softly, his chin on her shoulder, quietly reading in her ear, his voice high and squeaky as it was a female character talking, "My stocking seams were straight, my lipstick was combat ready, and I was packing cleavage that could...um... fell an ox at twenty feet," he stumbled on that last part.

Ayla giggled, "Daddy," scrunching her face at the imagery and sticking out her tongue.

The Doctor smiled at that, infinitely pleased she'd reacted that way. He loved his daughter more than anything, she and Angel were the most important women in his lives, and he didn't want his little girl to grow up too soon...despite being older than Amy was, older than Brian was even, she was still so like a little girl, he just...he'd missed so much of her life already. He'd missed her first words and steps and so many other things, he just...wanted to cherish the time he had with her as his little girl before she got too old to need her daft old dad.

' _That will never happen my love,_ ' Angel called to him in his mind, though she didn't look up from her chess game, ' _A child, a daughter, will always need her daddy._ '

He smiled at that, he liked that idea, of Ayla needing them always. She may grow older but she would always be their little girl, their child. Even Jenny needed them at times and she'd been born an adult near enough. He was happy Ayla wasn't old enough to want to dress up (he loved her little floral frock) or want to be left on her own to babysit herself in the TARDIS at times (he loved spending as much time with her as he could) or...like boys (he was fairly sure he'd have a conniption as the humans would say the day Ayla started to take an interest in them). But he shook his head, for the moment, his little girl was just that, a little girl, and this...was story time.

"Doctor, you're doing it again," Amy told him.

"I'm reading to my daughter!" he defended.

" _Aloud_. Please could you not?"

"Well how else would you like me to read to her then?" he countered.

"Telepathically," she shot back just as quickly.

He glanced back at her, "There's something different about you, isn't there?"

"What's the book?" Rory looked over, smiling as he moved his queen.

"Melody Malone," Angel answered, frowning at the chess board in concentration, clearly stumped by Rory's last move.

"She's a detective Uncle Rory, in Old New York," Ayla added, "Not New New York though."

"New New York?" Rory frowned.

Angel moved her bishop, "Don't ask, too long of a story to tell, too many visits there to name."

He nodded, before smirking and seeing something, moving his queen again, "Check mate!"

"Well done Rory," Angel smiled with a laugh, not at all cross about losing the match.

Rory grinned, that was what he loved about playing games with Angel, she was never a sore loser. The Doctor would pout and sulk and claim cheating (even when HE had been cheating himself) but Angel just congratulated him on a game well played. It made him feel...proud. She let him have his victory, small though it was (even though she always made a bigger deal of it than he did, praising him), and enjoy it. She never made him feel bad about besting her or made him feel like she'd only let him win. She genuinely was happy when he won, and would remind him that not all victories had to be epic ones, small ones counted for SO much.

"So Melody Malone?" Rory glanced at the Doctor.

"She's got ice in her heart and a kiss on her lips, and a vulnerable side she keeps well hidden," Amy answered instead.

"Oh, you've read it?" the Doctor looked back at her.

" _You_ read it. Aloud!"

"I'm just _reading_ it," he defended, "I like a good mystery, detective stories are rather good."

"Detectives are cool!" Ayla cheered, making the Doctor smile and wonder if she might choose the title 'the Detective' one day, before shaking his head, no...he could tell that didn't suit her.

"He's already read through all the Agatha Christies," Angel called, resetting the chess board for another match, "And met the woman."

"You've met Agatha Christie?" Rory looked at them, wide-eyed.

"Oh, can we go meet her?" Amy turned around.

"It's your hair!" the Doctor pointed at her, "Is it your hair?"

Angel smiled softly at that, knowing why he'd changed the topic, she had been ill and dying during that adventure. It was...the first real adventure they'd had after having time to process that fact. It was the first one they'd really had a danger to it, a mystery, and been one where it was all too obvious something was wrong with her. Agatha herself had pointed it out numerous times. No matter how interesting the adventures during that point had been, she knew the Doctor didn't like thinking on them because they reminded him of the time he'd nearly lost her.

Well, one of them.

But that had genuinely been the longest and most terrifying instance. All the other times it was sudden, or there was hope. The _Valiant_ hadn't been so bad, as they hadn't been together as much, he hadn't had to watch her every single day get weaker and weaker. Not like when they'd been in the TARDIS for that year, with her just...fading away before his eyes, with no knowledge if there would be a regeneration after. That was an entire year he'd had to suffer with that, all the adventures, even the ones from before realizing she was ill, had taken a darker look in his mind, were less...amazing than they should have been.

"Oh, shut up," Amy rolled her eyes.

"She's wearing reading glasses, my love," Angel called.

The Doctor frowned at them, "I don't like them. They make your eyes look all liney."

"Daddy," Ayla laughed, hiding her giggles behind her mouth at how rude her father was.

"No, actually, sorry," he winced, realizing it _wasn't_ the glasses, "They're fine. Carry on."

"Ok," Rory stood up, "I'm going to go and get us some more coffee. Who wants more coffee? Me too. I'll go!"

"Rory, do I have noticeable lines on my eyes now?" Amy called as Rory headed off, making him pause.

"Yes," the Doctor said promptly.

"No," Rory replied, his back still to his wife.

"You didn't look," Amy caught him out.

"I noticed them earlier," he winced, " _Didn't_ notice them. I specifically remember not noticing them."

"You walk among fire pits, Centurion."

He smiled and turned around, "Do I have to come over there?"

"You can if you like," she smiled.

Rory smirked and walked over, "Well, we have company."

"I'll get a babysitter," she laughed, leaning in to kiss him.

Ayla giggled even more as the Doctor covered her eyes with a hand, the girl squirming and pulling his hands off, she knew her Uncle Rory loved his wife very much and there was nothing bad about seeing that play out. Her mother and father kissed all the time around her, it was...sweet. She hoped, one day when boys were less icky to her and smarter in general, she'd find someone like that. Her parents had found each other, despite the odds, for all they knew there might be other Time Lords out there.

Her mother had a way of reminding them to have faith in things like that.

"Oh, do you know," the Doctor called as they broke apart, "It is so humiliating when you do that."

"Pot, meet kettle," Amy rolled her eyes at him, which only made the Doctor stick his tongue out at her.

Rory laughed, straightening, "Coffee?"

"Coffee," Amy nodded.

"Can I go with Uncle Rory?" Ayla asked her parents.

Angel smiled, knowing Rory would take good care of her, "Go on."

"Keep an eye on your Uncle Rory for us sweetheart," the Doctor laughed as Ayla smiled and jumped to her feet, giving her parents a kiss on the cheek before rushing over to her Uncle who held out a hand for her to take, the two of them walking off.

"Can I have a go?" the Doctor turned to Amy, taking her reading glasses and putting them on, "Oh, actually, that is _much_ better. That is exciting."

"Read to us," Amy said, before motioning for Angel to bring the chess set over, the two women starting a game in Rory's place.

"I thought you didn't like my reading aloud."

"Shut up, and read us a story," she smirked, "Just don't go yowzah."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Unless it's Angel, not happening."

Angel smiled softly at that, when the Doctor pulled out the last page of the book.

Amy frowned, "Why did you do that?"

"He doesn't like endings," Angel explained, moving her pawn, "As much as I don't like death."

He nodded, "I always rip out the last page of a book because then it doesn't have to end," he put the page in the picnic basket and began to read, "'As I crossed the street, I saw the thin guy and his daughter, but they didn't see me. I guess that's how it began.'"

~8~

Rory walked through the park with Ayla, one hand in hers, the coffees stacked in a four-part cup holder in his other hand, as the girl swung his arm with a wide smile as she munched on a small cookie he'd gotten her. He laughed as she excitedly chattered about the next trip her parents were thinking of taking them all on, before making him promise not to mention it as it was supposed to be a surprise.

Her chatter faded away though as they passed a fountain with small cherub statues carved into it, "What is it A?" he asked, using his own secret nickname for her, knowing that, at times when she was hesitant or worried it helped remind her _he_ was there.

Ayla frowned, "I don't like those statues," she pointed at them with the last bit of her cookie.

He smiled, "Yeah, cherubs are rather creepy," he squeezed her hand, "But don't worry, Uncle Rory's here."

She smiled at that, squeezing his hand in return, knowing nothing serious would hurt her while her Uncle Rory was around, he was the last Centurion after all! And he'd taken very good care of her mother and father over the years, and her too. They turned and continued on, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy when she looked back to see one of the cherubs...was gone.

"We should hurry Uncle Rory," she murmured, starting to tug him on faster, there was only one species she knew of where the stone winged-creatures could move and move that fast.

They stepped down under a bridge, when they heard the sound of a child laughing, the giggling moving closer and closer as Rory looked around, tugging Ayla closer.

~8~

"'I followed the skinny guy and the kid for two more blocks before they turned and I could ask exactly what they were doing here," the Doctor read as Angel looked over the side of a bridge, Amy watching the ducks swim from one side to the other, "He looked a little scared, the girl confused, so I gave them my best smile and my bluest eyes…'"

"Beware the yowzah," Amy joked when the Doctor trailed off "Do not, at this point, yowz," but he still remained silent, too silent for the Doctor, "Doctor?" Amy turned to see him staring at the book, "What did the skinny guy say?"

Before he could answer, Angel gasped, a vision hitting her painfully…

... _a cherub statue giggled in the dark, looking down at Rory and Ayla_...

'... _we just went to get coffees for the Doctor, Angel, and Amy. Hello, River_...'

... _a man stepped up, pointing a gun at Rory and Ayla_...

"Angel," the Doctor jumped off the ledge of the bridge he'd been sitting on and ran to her side, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"'He said, 'We just went to get coffees for the Doctor, Angel, and Amy," she breathed, reciting what the book was about to say, "Hello, River,'" she looked up at him in alarm and spoke the words that made his hearts freeze in terror, " _Ayla's_ with him."

~8~

"Hello, dad," River smirked, lifting her fedora-clad head, dressed for a 'gangster' woman of the times.

Rory swallowed hard and clutched Ayla even closer to him, the girl hugging his legs, she wasn't the most comfortable around River, for a number of reasons, and neither was he. Biological daughter or not, he still didn't consider her his child, "Where are we?" he demanded of her, "How the hell did we get here? River what did you _do_?!"

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," River shrugged, though her eyes narrowed at his accusation, as though SHE had had anything to do with this, "But you'll probably want to put your hands up," she added, her smirk back.

A man stepped up behind them, pointing a gun at Rory and Ayla, Rory immediately pushing the girl behind him to protect her, shielding her from the man as another stepped up behind River, holding a gun at her as well, the woman pursing her lips to see her own father defending the little brat...the little girl, instead of his own daughter. But she swallowed hard, reminding herself she was older, she was wiser, she was stronger...

A little girl _did_ need to be protected more.

And the Doctor would truly hate her more than he already did if she let his daughter come to harm.

"Melody Malone?" the burly black man grumbled.

Rory looked back at her, " _You're_ Melody?!"

A black limousine pulled up and the black man gestured to it, "Get in."

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, and Amy ran into the TARDIS, the Doctor helping Angel to the jump seat as she rubbed her head, that last vision had been...painful, a killer, far more painful than any she'd had in the past, which confused her as to _why_. She didn't know if it was because her daughter had apparently been teleported back decades in time and she was seeing THAT far back, or...if it was something else happening. She got the feeling it was both. She DID know though, that she wasn't strong enough to teleport back decades, having been practicing in her powers before the Asylum happened, managing only a few minutes at most, so they'd run for the TARDIS.

"What's River doing in a book?" Amy asked, "What're Rory and Ayla doing in a book?"

"They went to get coffee!" the Doctor snapped, his hearts pounding at the thought of being separated from their daughter again, at knowing she was being left at the mercy of River Song, psychotic assassin who had tried and succeeded in killing the girl's mother.

He wouldn't put it past River to have done something to get his daughter trapped back in time. He didn't know what, maybe she'd been aiming for kidnapping him or Angel and Rory had been in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person but...he just wanted her back. He winced, his nightmares gripping hold of him a moment, flooding his mind with visions of his daughter growing up without him, of Ayla's expressionless face as she aimed a blaster at him, of his daughter being erased from time, all the instances where he could have lost her...and now she WAS lost again, with _River_!

"Pay attention Amelia!"

"They went to get coffee and turned up in a book. How does that work?"

"I don't know. We're in New York!"

Angel winced again as a flash hit her, an image of a cherub statue, "The Weeping Angels," she gasped, clutching at her head, her hands pressed to her temples.

~8~

"What is going on?" Rory asked as he held Ayla in his arms, the girl sitting on his lap in the limo, curled up to him as River sat beside them, the woman calmer than he was.

He honestly wasn't sure what was bothering him more...being trapped back in time somehow...or being trapped back in time with the woman who had killed his sister, his niece in his arms utterly terrified of the woman.

~8~

"Where did you get this book?" Amy asked, rubbing Angel's back, as the woman sat hunched over on the jump seat, the Doctor racing around the console to put in commands and coordinates.

"It was in my jacket," he called over the TARDIS's angry humming...which was NOT helping Angel's head any to hear her sister frantically demanding why they'd let the girl wander off when it was the most important rule!?

"How did it get there?"

"How does anything get there. I've given up asking."

"Not even I can answer that," Angel took a breath, before straightening.

"Date, date. Does she mention a date? When is this happening?"

"1938," Angel called, pushing herself up to go help him get their daughter back, "April 3rd."

~8~

"You didn't come here in the TARDIS," River remarked, "Obviously."

"Why?" Rory frowned.

"He couldn't have."

~8~

"Couldn't have?" the Doctor looked up, his fists clenching at the fact that his daughter was trapped somewhere with River Song, and said Song was making snide comments about his piloting, "What does she mean? Couldn't have?"

"Calm down Sissy!" Angel stroked the rotor as the TARDIS herself grumbled at the slight against her and her concern for her niece, "We'll get her back, I promise…"

~8~

"Daddy can do anything," Ayla insisted.

River scoffed, "This city's full of time distortions. It'd be impossible to land the TARDIS here. Like trying to land a plane in a blizzard. Even I couldn't do it," she let out a smirking laugh, "Angel certainly couldn't. Sorry sweetie," she glanced at Ayla, who frowned at her, "Mummy's not coming this time."

~8~

"Like hell I'm not!" _Angel_ shouted, having ceased her ministrations in calming the TARDIS in favor of fuming with her sister.

"Don't you two fall out, she's only in a book!" Amy reminded them.

"And I'm only going to _slap_ her after that remark!" Angel huffed, the Doctor...staring at her with wide eyes for that little loss of control and decorum. He knew Angel felt more confident when it came to River, but he had no idea she felt THAT confident.

He liked it.

"Angel..." he began.

"How _dare_ she tell my daughter I wouldn't try my hardest to come after her!?" Angel continued to rant, half-stalking around the console, hitting buttons, pulling levers, twisting knobs as she went.

"Angel," the Doctor tried again, following her.

"She had _no right_ to say such a thing," Angel kept on, "Ayla's already scared enough and..."

"Angel!" the Doctor finally managed to cut in, taking her hand as she moved to pull a lever, holding it tight.

Angel took a breath, "What?" she asked him softly, seeing amusement in his eyes.

"I really, _really_ love this new you," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her, partly because he wanted to calm her down and keep her from accidently blowing up the TARDIS like he tended to do when he was cross and distracted...not that he thought she'd ever reach THAT point.

Mostly though it was because she was bloody captivating when she was angry. He'd never seen her really and properly angry before, not quite on the level of Time Lord Fury, but...motherhood truly _did_ suit her. And he loved it, so much, seeing her getting worked up and feeling more than just peace and calm. He LOVED that about her, how she could calm him, but he knew she was only...well...Time Lord but the expression 'only human' was the point of it. She couldn't be calm _all_ the time, and now...it seemed he'd found exactly what set her off.

Whether it was River or slights against her ability to be a proper mother he didn't know...but he was _loving_ this.

He rested his forehead to hers as he pulled away, blinking his eyes open to look into hers, lifting a hand to touch her cheek, gently stroking it, "Feel better?"

"That may not always work," she murmured against his lips.

"I think I'll enjoy seeing how long it'll last though," he winked at her pulling away, "Just...keep calm dear," he grinned, kissing her hand, "Have faith," she smiled at that and he turned to the controls, "1938," he agreed, now feeling slightly less...frantic than before, the shock of having seen Angel 'lose her cool' had sort of calmed him, "Easy one!" he pulled a lever...and everything went to hell.

The TARDIS jolted violently, lights flashing, sparks flying from the console, equipment banging free, warnings flashing on the scanner. 'Temporal Distortions Detected,' flashed on the monitor before 'No Signal' appeared and the monitor went dark, the TARDIS thumping to a halt.

"What was _that_?" Amy gasped.

"1938," Angel frowned.

"We just bounced off it," the Doctor agreed, now concerned again.

~8~

"So how did _you_ get here?" Rory changed the subject, his hand rubbing Ayla's back, trying to comfort her. Despite him being Uncle Rory, the little girl really did hate to be away from her parents when there was something dangerous going on. He knew she was likely thinking of the Silence and how they'd taken her from the Time Lords, he just wanted to be as much of a comfort to her as he could be.

"Vortex Manipulator," River held up her wrist, "Less bulky than a TARDIS."

Rory rolled his eyes at her tone, he recognized it, he'd used it himself on more than one occasion. It was the tone someone used when trying to convince others that what they thought was cool wasn't really as cool as they thought because of some shortcoming or another. He'd used it often enough on Amy when talking about the Doctor. Like when the Doctor had tried to steal clothes from the hospital, he'd tried to remark that it wasn't good or cool or right to do so, tried to make himself seem morally better, but all Amy had seen was a man she'd dreamed of undressing before her...till Angel had turned her away. He could hear it now, River's tone, trying to make it out like the TARDIS wasn't all that amazing and that a little space hopper was. He'd met Jack, he knew Vortex Manipulators bounced.

"A motorbike through traffic," River finished, "You?"

"I'm not sure," he sighed.

"It was the baby," Ayla tugged on his shirt, "The baby angel."

He frowned, "The cherub?"

Ayla nodded, "A Weeping Angel."

~8~

The Doctor and Angel stepped out of the TARDIS, both flashing extinguishers inside to put the fires out. Amy paused, noticing they were in a graveyard overlooking Manhattan.

"The Weeping Angels?" Amy frowned.

"It makes sense," the Doctor nodded.

"It makes what?"

"That's what happened to Rory, what took Ayla," Angel told her, "That's what the angels do Amy, remember? How they attack? They send you back in time and..." she swallowed hard, "Let you live to death."

"It's also why your vision hurt you, dear," the Doctor took Angel's head in his hands, gently massaging her temples as he looked into her eyes, searching them, "All those time distortions interfered with your sensations, like...like...like static. Only the really powerful ones made it through."

She nodded, "And too late. They're stuck in 1938."

"Well, we've got a time machine," Amy cut in, "We can just go and get them!"

"Well, _tried_ that," the Doctor turned to her, "If you've noticed, and we are back where we started, in 2012."

Amy gestured at the graveyard, "We _didn't_ start in a graveyard. What are we doing here?"

"Don't know."

"It's causally linked," Angel waved her off, rubbing her temples, she could tell that much at least.

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor nodded, turning back to the TARDIS, "Extractor fans on!" he called inside, turning the fans on.

"Well, we're going to get there somehow," Amy commented, flipping through the book, "We're in the rest of the book."

"Doing what?"

"Page 43, you're going to break something."

"I'm what?"

"'Why do you have to break mine', I asked the Doctor, 'Do you hate me that much?'" Amy read, "'Oh, I _do_ hate you," he nodded, glaring, "And _that's_ the difference between you and I. I don't like to hurt anyone, even those I hate.' My eyes narrowed at that. 'Amy read it in the book,' Angel cut in, 'And now we don't have a choice.'"

"Amy no!" Angel ran over and grabbed the book out of her hands, wincing as even more images assaulted her at touching the book that held the future within…

... _the TARDIS shook terribly as it broke through time, sparks and flames shooting up from the console_...

... _the Doctor reached out as Rory and Amy fell towards the ground, having jumped from the top of a building_...

... _the ground shook as orbs of white energy began to appear, glowing brighter and brighter_...

The Doctor quickly snatched the book out of Angel's hands and the visions faded. He wrapped his arms around her as she sunk to her knees, comforting her as the pain in her mind filtered through to him, "Shh," he whispered, leaning his head to hers, kissing her temple. He looked at Amy, "You _can't_ read ahead. You mustn't. And you can't do that."

"But we've already been reading it," Amy argued.

"When it was parallel to us," Angel shook her head, moving back slightly to sit on her legs, but with a hand to her head, "That's _all_ we can read."

"But it could help us find Rory!"

"And if you read ahead and find that Rory dies?" the Doctor said, tears filling his eyes as another thought hit him, "Or that your daughter does something to Ayla? What then?" he took a breath, he _couldn't_ think like that, he had to be strong for Angel, he had to have faith that it would work, that they'd get there, that Rory would keep her safe and protected from his daughter till then.

' _Have faith in Rory my love,_ ' Angel called to him silently, sensing his thoughts, ' _He'd sooner die than let anyone harm Ayla._ '

He nodded, knowing it was true, "This isn't any old future, Amy, it's _ours_ ," he added.

"When we know something like _that_ ," Angel gestured at the book, "Is coming...it's fixed. It's why my abilities are so dangerous. They come when I least expect them, I never know what I'll be seeing. This book...it's not a _hint_ at the future, it IS the future, it's permanent, it's fixed, it's solid. It's events that already happened, written by a time traveller."

"I'm going to break something, because you told me that I'm going to do it. No choice now."

"Time can be rewritten," Amy swallowed.

"Not once you've read it. Once we _know_ what's coming, it's written in stone."

Angel nodded, her gaze trailing around the graveyard, till it fell on a tombstone she couldn't see the engraving of from that side. She shook her head, closing her eyes tightly.

She had said it.

Rory would rather die than let _anything_ harm Ayla.

She could only pray it was just that, a random saying, and not a glimpse of the future that often sneaked past her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter killed me to edit, I don't want the Ponds to go :'( I just keep thinking of Uncle Rory and little Amelia Pond. The poor family :(
> 
> I hope you liked the little twist of Ayla going with Rory though and the little bit of Angel snapping about River ;) She is SUCH a mother lol :) I'm really excited for the Doctor to encounter River though ^-^


	20. The Angels Take Manhattan: Rescue Attempts

Ayla clutched her Uncle Rory's hand tightly as they followed River into Mr. Grayle's home, they looked around at the various antiques and other ancient items on display. Ayla started to shift uncomfortably beside Rory, making him look down to see the little girl frowning at the artifacts, "What's the matter A?" he whispered to her, he hadn't seen her very shifty like that, at least not when they were somewhere dark, he knew she hated the dark.

"He collects things," Ayla whispered to him, though River could still hear her.

"Yeah, I got that," Rory frowned, not sure what that meant.

"He collects _alien_ things too," she informed him, her glance drifting to a small door frame that led into another room, them able to see a curtain draped closed from there.

Rory nodded, straightening, NOW understanding what she was frightened about. Ayla knew all about how her parents had met, about Van Statten's museum, Angel had told him all about it. For the man to collect so many ancient things, to clearly be a collector and yet want RIVER's help...it had to mean that River's expertise was needed...and he doubted it was for archaeology. Which left only one option and explanation, the man had something he couldn't explain. An alien thing, as Ayla had said.

And whatever it was he'd bet it was behind that curtain. Ayla was...so much like Angel in that, her senses were growing stronger everyday. Mostly they were random, sporadic, not very clear, like he imagined Angel's had been when she'd first begun to explore her abilities. But Ayla was a child, naturally more intuitive, and he knew Angel had been less willing to explore her own abilities when she was younger, something the Time Lords were trying to make up for with Ayla, something Ayla seemed very proud of whenever she got a proper feeling about things.

He gently tugged Ayla closer to him, his eyes on Grayle, now more wary of the man than before, "Don't worry A," he murmured to her, squeezing her hand. He wouldn't let Grayle 'collect her' like Van Statten had her mother. Over his (permanently) dead body.

River paused at a china vase, eyeing it, "Ah. Early Qin dynasty, I'd say."

"Correct," Grayle called, making his way down the steps, "Are you an archaeologist as well as a detective?"

~8~

"Ok," the Doctor nodded as he and Angel ran around the console, "Landing a plane in a timey wimey blizzard. We _could_ push through…" he looked at Angel, deferring the decision to her, knowing she would know, better than him, what the TARDIS could handle and do, and this was FAR too important a matter to try and play up his own intelligence, he would NOT risk getting to his daughter for the sake of showing off.

Angel shook her head though, "If we're out by a single _nanosecond_ , the engines'll phase and we'd end up destroying the planet with Ayla on it."

"Right," he sighed, rubbing his head, before snapping his fingers as an idea hit, "We need landing lights!"

"Landing lights?" Amy frowned.

"Yes, we need a signal to lock on to."

Angel nodded, her mind racing as she thought of what could work, and turned to Amy, "What dynasty was it? Early what?"

~8~

"Early Qin, just as you say," Grayle nodded, "You're very well informed."

River smirked, "And you're very afraid. I don't need to be psychic to know that," she nodded over her shoulder, "That's an awful lot of locks for one door," she glanced at his front door with at least 10 different locks on it.

"Um, I'm translating," Rory called, eyeing a vase as the Chinese symbols rearranged themselves.

"It's Aunt Idris," Ayla explained, moving over to the small table, pushing herself onto her tip toes to peer over it and stare at the symbols. It...didn't really matter to her, she could read the symbols easily, but she could see them shifting too, making sense to others as well, "She likes to help."

"This one," Grayle called, nodding at Rory, "Put him somewhere uncomfortable."

"With the babies, sir?" the burly black man stepped up.

"Yes," he smirked, "Why not? Give him to the babies."

"No!" Ayla shouted, "Uncle Rory!" and tried to rush to his side as the black man hauled him out, but another man grabbed her arm.

She struggled, trying to break free, not because she was scared and wanted her Uncle Rory, not because she didn't want to be left alone with the River Lady (whose hair still seemed like it was trying to eat her), not even because it was a strange collecting man...but because she knew the babies were the baby angels, the man was going to give her uncle to a Weeping Angel, and she had to help him! He was her Uncle Rory, he was in danger, and it was her job as a Time Lady to help...but she was just too small still, too little and too young, she wasn't strong enough to break out of the man's hold.

"It'll be ok!" Rory called back as he was led out of the room, "Ayla, it'll be alright!"

"And what about this one?" the man held her back, yanking her arm up to indicate Ayla.

Grayle eyed her a moment, "No, she can stay. She's rather a cute one," he nodded, she was just a child after all.

He wasn't THAT heartless.

~8~

The black man shoved Rory down the stairs to the basement, making him half-stumble, half-fall down them, "The lights are out. You'll last longer with these," he threw a box of matches down to him.

"What do you care?" Rory glared up at him.

The man smirked, "It's funnier."

And with that, the man shut the door, leaving Rory in the dark. He quickly fumbled for the matches, hearing a childish giggle, a very familiar giggle, the same one he'd heard just before he and Ayla appeared in the past.

"Hello?"

~8~

The Doctor and Angel rushed into a decorating workshop in China, in 221 BC, "Ah, hello, yes," the Doctor called, drawing the workers' attention, holding up the psychic paper, "Special commission from the Emperor."

"We need you to inscribe a message," Angel cut in, rushing over to a particular vase, the Doctor watching, knowing she might have guessed or felt that it was THAT vase that would end up with Grayle in the future.

He watched her take one of the brushes and paint something on the side of the vase...couldn't help but smile. This was her idea, to use the vases, to use the message and the TARDIS translating and get through to Ayla. They needed to know where that vase would end up, so they could target it and track it and know just where to land. She was...brilliant and she never gave herself enough credit about it. He would have tried to send some sort of message into the past, used the TARDIS to cross the phone lines or something, like when River had gotten a call from Winston Churchill, or when HE had gotten the psychic paper message about the Library instead of his older self. He would have used it to call around till he found Grayle and gone that way...but it would take too long to run that sort of search.

And Angel, if there was one thing she knew, it was TARDISes.

~8~

Grayle helped River take her mackintosh off as he led her and the girl into his study, Ayla moving over to a small armchair and sitting down, more like kneeling on it to look around the room over the back of it, just her eyes peeking up. River barely managed to contain an eye roll at that, trying to remind herself the girl wasn't a coward and weak like her mother, but...strong, like her father...until she remembered the Doctor often ran away and called himself a coward.

"Daddy, mummy," the girl breathed, seeing the Gallifreyan version of her name appear on a Chinese plate before her, no one else seeming to notice. She smiled and closed her eyes, thinking about her parents, knowing what that meant.

"Let's see," River walked around the room as Grayle watched her, "Crime boss with a collecting fetish," she spotted a curtain draped low, hiding an alcove, "Whatever you don't let anyone else see has got to be your favorite," she walked over to it, "Or possibly your girlfriend," and pulled the curtain down to reveal a Weeping Angel, manacles and chains around it, badly damaged, "So, girlfriend, then."

~8~

The Doctor knelt before Angel as she sat on the jump seat of the TARDIS, her eyes clenched closed tightly in concentration, holding her hands, "Come on dear," he breathed, encouraging her, his thumbs stroking circles on the back of her hands, trying to help her, the two of them focusing on their daughter, across time and space, now with the landing lights to guide the way and the TARDIS helping her psychically...they just needed confirmation.

A moment later her eyes snapped open, "Got it!" she leapt up and ran to the console, putting in the coordinates for the vase that they'd inscribed Ayla's name onto.

"Landing lights!" he cheered "We have a signal. Locking on."

~8~

Ayla closed her eyes a bit tighter, trying her hardest to sense things like her mummy could, to get a sense of how close they were. Because they knew she was there, there wouldn't be a reason to put her name on that vase if they didn't know. Now she just had to...wait...and hope her mother was driving this time.

"These things are all over," Grayle was saying to River, "But people don't seem to notice. It never moves while you're looking."

"Oh, I know how they work," River remarked, eyeing the statue.

"So I understand. Melody Malone, the detective who investigates angels."

"Badly damaged," she observed.

"I wanted to know if it could feel pain."

"You realize it's screaming? The others can hear. Is that why you need all the locks?"

Grayle just smirked and turned out the lights, flicking them back on to see that the angel had grabbed River's wrist, "You're going to tell me all about these creatures. And you're going to do it quickly," he turned the lights off again.

Ayla scrunched her eyes closed tighter, seeing it go darker behind her lids, she...really didn't like the dark. Too many things could hide in it. And her mummy and daddy weren't there to protect her this time...but they were on their way.

~8~

Rory lit a match, looking around every which way at the sound of the childish laughter, the sounds of small feet running on the floor, "Hello, is someone there?" he called. He frowned, seeing small cherub statues in front of him.

But the match burned out.

He lit another one to see they were closer, backing away from them, the statues getting closer each time the match flickered. It went out once more as he stumbled back.

"Come on, come on," he lit one more, only to gasp, seeing a cherub right beside him, its mouth puckered as though to blow the match out...which it did.

~8~

"The angels are predators," River struggled to get her wrist out of the angel's hold, "They're deadly. What do you want with them?"

"I'm a collector," he shrugged, flicking the lights back on, "What collector could resist these? I'm only human."

"That's exactly what they're thinking."

Grayle frowned when all the lights suddenly went out, "What's that? What's happening?" and the room began to shake, "Is it an earthquake?"

Ayla's eyes snapped open as a wheezing noise filled the air, papers starting to blow around them as a wind picked up, a beam appearing on her face as she sprang up onto her knees and looked over the chair at the hall, at the stirs where a faint light bulb was appearing in midair.

"What is it?" Grayle gasped, looking around, not seeing the blue box appearing behind him.

"Oh, you bad boy," River smirked, able to spot it, "You could burn New York."

"What does that mean?"

"It means mummy and daddy are coming!" Ayla cheered, hopping off the chair and running out of the room just as Grayle was knocked over by a quake, the china breaking around him.

~8~

"Come on!" the Doctor yelled, taking Angel's hand, the two of them running out of the TARDIS as soon as it touched down, throwing the doors open and stepping out just as something jumped into their arms.

"Mummy!" Ayla called, hugging them tightly, "Daddy!"

"Ayla!" the Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, before peppering her face with kisses till she squealed with laughter and covered her face.

"Daddy stop!" Ayla laughed.

"Oh my little girl," Angel hugged Ayla tightly, pressing a kiss to her hair, so, SO relieved she was alright.

"Rory?" Amy ran around them, placing a hand on Ayla's back for a moment before dashing up the stairs to try and find her husband, "Rory? Rory?"

"We're so sorry we're late, sweetheart," the Doctor apologized, holding Ayla close.

"It's alright daddy," she hugged him tighter, "I knew you were coming," she turned to her mother, hugging her tighter as well, "Mummy always comes."

"Yes she does," Angel kissed her head again...when something past Ayla caught her eye, "No matter what River," she added with a slight edge to her voice, catching sight of River staring at her through the doorway to a study with narrowed eyes. She stepped away from the Doctor, shifting Ayla into his arms completely as she headed to the study, the Doctor following her with Ayla in his arms, not about to let the girl go for a moment. She paused at Grayle's side for only a moment, kneeling down to look at him, unable to bring herself to just ignore the fallen man because of River, and...she found she felt only slightly less angry with River now that Ayla was back with them and safe again, "He's just in shock," she called to the Doctor, tilting her head, "But he'll be fine."

"Not if I can get loose," River grumbled.

The Doctor tightened his grip on Ayla but took a breath, trying his best to remember and only remember that River would die for them in the Library, really the only redeeming quality he could see in her right now given what she had tried to do the last time they'd really had an adventure together, "So where are we now, Dr. Song?" he asked, trying to be civil, but had to throw in, "How's _prison_?"

She smirked, "Oh, I was pardoned ages ago. Been out and about and free, wandering the Universe," she felt her smirk widen seeing his expression sour at the realization she was free to do what she wanted with no supervision and he hadn't known, "And it's Professor Song to you."

He nodded, feeling just a bit guilty at how his hearts skipped a happy beat to know she was one step closer to the Library even if she was free, "Pardoned?"

"Mmm," she glanced at Angel, "Turns out the person I killed never existed in the first place. Apparently, there's no record of her or her…" her jaw tensed, "Mate. It's almost as if someone's gone around deleting themselves from every database in the universe. Now no one's ever heard of you. Didn't you used to be somebody?"

"Weren't you the woman who killed the Angel?" the Doctor countered, his eyes narrowing as he started to rise to his full height, not about to let River even attempt putting Angel down ever again.

"She's holding you very tight," Angel frowned, cutting into their little spat, eyeing the angel statue.

She was still very cross with River at the moment, especially for what she'd said to Ayla. Honestly, who tells a little girl that her parents aren't coming to get her?! But right now...there was a bigger problem, that grip the angel had on her...it really was tight. There would be no way to free her without breaking her wrist, like in the book, and if that happened...then it meant everything else in the book would happen as well and...given they didn't know what it was, there was still a chance to change it. But only if they managed to get River out without breaking her wrist.

"At least she didn't send me back in time," River muttered.

Oh she knew why the Time Lords were there, to save Rory and their precious Ayla. If it had been HER to be sent back and only her…they wouldn't give a flying fig about it. They'd just leave her there. And while she knew that to be true, she didn't want to experience it actually happening. Especially because she knew Angel would at least make an attempt to get the Doctor to rescue her, she'd show her compassionate side and he'd cave and they'd come to get her. And then the Doctor would fawn all over Angel for her 'goodness' and fall more in love with her and it was all rather disgusting. If that were the case, she'd rather just be left there instead of seeing Angel try to rescue her.

"She's not strong enough anymore," Angel glanced at the statue, "She's been too cut off for too long."

"Well, I need a hand back," River rolled her eyes, "So which is it going to be?" she looked at the two of them, "Are you going to break my wrist or hers?" but the Doctor's face said it all, "Oh, no. Really? Why do you have to break mine? Do you hate me that much?"

"Oh, I do hate you," the Doctor nodded, glaring, "And that's the difference between you and I. I don't like to hurt anyone, even those I hate."

River's eyes narrowed at that.

"Amy read it in a book," Angel told her, "And now we have no choice."

The Doctor looked over his shoulder to where Amy had stepped up from the hallway, "You see?"

Amy nodded, giving River an apologetic look, she, at least, was on better terms with her daughter than Rory was or ever would be.

River, though, frowned, "What book?"

The Doctor sighed, holding it up for her to see, "Your book. Which you haven't written yet, so we can't read."

"I see," she eyed it, "I rather like the cover," she smirked, "What do you think Doctor? Did you enjoy it?"

"I enjoyed picturing _Angel_ in this get up," he shot back at her, making River's lips purse at that.

"If River's going to write that book," Amy cut in, seeing the Doctor and River about to get loud and shouty and with Ayla in the Doctor's arms that wouldn't be good, "She'd make it useful, yeah?" Amy asked, hopeful, she already knew that Angel's sensations would be distorted being within the time distortions, she wouldn't be able to sense much while they were there.

Ayla reached out and took the book from her father, looking at the first few pages while her mother continued to observe the Weeping Angel.

"I'll certainly try. But we can't read ahead, it's too dangerous."

"I know, but there must be _something_ we can look at."

"What?" the Doctor scoffed, "A page of handy hints, previews, spoiler free?"

"Daddy," Ayla held up the book, open to the table of content, "What about the chapter titles?"

He smiled widely, "Brilliant!" he kissed her head twice, "Oh, my little genius!" Ayla giggled as he set her down and took the book, quickly reading through the titles.

Chapter 9 - Calling the Time Lords  
Chapter 10 - The Roman in the Cellar  
Chapter 11 - Death at Winter Quay

"He's in the cellar," the Doctor called to Amy.

"Gimme!" she held up her hand and the Doctor tossed her the sonic.

He moved to follow, when he caught sight of something else in the book, the last title.

Chapter 12 - The Ponds' Last Farewell

He let out a breath, stunned.

River frowned, "Doctor? Doctor, what is it? What's wrong? Tell me. Doctor? Doctor, what is it, tell me…" she started to plead with him, recognizing that face, the face of him getting angry and upset...which was NEVER a good sign, "Doctor, please..."

"What is it my love?" Angel whispered, walking over to his side, River watching as it only took Angel a _single_ question to have him handing her the book to see for herself, the man dropping his head onto her shoulder, shaking it, an...intimate gesture she knew he would never do with HER, "Oh…" Angel whispered.

"What is it mummy?" Ayla blinked up at them, "Daddy? What's wrong?"

The Doctor swallowed hard, "Nothing's wrong sweetheart," he told her, not wanting to have to tell her what they both thought that title might mean, that little girl's family was everything to her, "Everything WILL be fine," he promised that to himself, it would be, it had to be, he...couldn't do that to his daughter. No. He had to find someway to save Amy (and probably Rory too). He looked back at River, "Get your wrist out. You get your wrist out _without_ breaking it."

"How?" River raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know. Just do it. Change the future!" he turned and walked off with Ayla, taking her hand, not about to leave her with River now that they were there, leaving River to eye the statue.

He had to get out of there, being around River...knowing that Ayla had been taken from them and River was somehow involved (even if it wasn't her personally taking Ayla away) it just kept bringing up his dreams. He couldn't help but think of Ayla in the spacesuit, taken instead of River. He was an inch away from blaming River for this, for telling her it was her fault Ayla had been taken from them and threatening that if the Silence were involved there would be worse than hell to pay. But this wasn't a nightmare, the Silence still had no idea they were alive, Ayla was safe, and it had been the angels not River who were responsible this time. The dreams were just...they were starting to get to him, they were starting to blur the lines of reality and dreams, he honestly didn't know which was real anymore, the dreams were so vivid and real it was like...they truly could both be reality.

River glanced over once he'd disappeared after Amy to see Angel though was still there, "What do _you_ want?"

Angel was silent for a moment, before speaking, "Don't _ever_ tell my daughter that the Doctor and I aren't coming for her again," she warned River, a firm tone to her voice even if it wasn't a threatening one, but she certainly meant no nonsense.

River's eyes narrowed, "Or you'll what?" she challenged, "Use the Vortex on me?" she scoffed, "You don't have the stomach to use it the way it's meant to be used."

Angel shook her head, a sliver of guilt hitting her at River's words, at how...Rory's daughter had been twisted into _this woman_ who thought the power of the Vortex was meant to fight and battle and destroy others, "That's _not_ what the Vortex is meant for," she countered, knowing where River's mind had gone, "And that is NEVER how I will use it."

"Have you gone to the Dalek Asylum yet?" River called out just as Angel turned to go, making the Time Lady stop and stiffen, River's smirk returning when he saw her reaction, knowing that yes...they had, "Tell me you'll never use it like that now."

"That was a mistake," Angel turned to look at her over her shoulder.

"That was YOU," River argued, "That was _all_ you, completely you."

"I lost control, it won't happen again."

River let out a laugh, "That was you IN control," she tsked.

"That's not true," Angel shook her head, she had felt it, she _hadn't_ had control at all.

"Denial will only get you so far _Angie_ ," River mocked, Angel frowning at her use of the nickname, at how River could take something Jack always said with affection and make it sound like a curse, "Just wait, there WILL come a day Angel, where you'll 'lose control,'" she rolled her eyes at the word, "And then everyone...your family, your friends, your daughter, the Doctor...will _finally_ see you for what you really are."

"And what's that?" Angel challenged.

River smiled, "An abomination," she laughed, "Like me."

"I don't think you're an abomination River," Angel said sadly, more hurt about what River thought of _herself_ than of the words directed at HER. She'd been called an abomination more than once, and by the leader of her own people to boot. The ONLY one it would hurt to hear it from would be the Doctor and he'd NEVER ever call her that, he wanted to murder those who did call her it, "I think you're just a scared child. And that it's my fault you're like that."

River frowned as she watched Angel, completely unaffected by her words unlike she'd been hoping, continue to walk out, leaving her to her thoughts, shaken though they were, and realizing...she might be losing her edge and bite when it came to Angel and...maybe that was a good thing.

She was just...tired.

~8~

"Rory?" Amy called as she tried to run down the stairs into the cellar.

"No!" the Doctor ran after her, grabbing her around the middle and pulling her back, stopping her, "They're angels," he nodded at the cherub statues in the basement.

"Baby angels," Ayla added from the top of the stairs, holding onto the doorknob to keep the door open, letting the light down the stairs.

"Did they get Rory?" Amy asked as they backed away, "Where is he? Did they take him?"

"Yes, I think so, yes," the Doctor pulled her back up the stairs.

~8~

Rory looked around as he stood in the middle of the road outside the Winter Quay apartment complex before heading into it.

~8~

"So, is _this_ what's going to happen?" Amy paced as they gathered in the entrance hall of Grayle's home, "We just keep chasing him and they keep pulling him further back?"

"He isn't back in time," Angel told her, "I know that much."

"I'm reading a displacement," River called, stepping into the room with her scanner in one hand, her mackintosh back on, her right arm hanging at her side, "But there are no temporal markers. He's been moved in space, not in time, and it's not that far from here by the look of it."

"You got out," the Doctor turned to her, eyeing her closely.

"So, where is he?" Amy asked.

"Well, come on, come on, come on, where is he?"

River smirked and looked at Angel, "Can't you sense it?"

"River," the Doctor warned her.

River rolled her eyes, "If it was that easy, I'd get _you_ to do it," she tapped the scanner.

"How did you free your wrist without breaking it?" Angel asked, eyeing her, something in her, not quite her sensations, but just her gut, telling her not everything was as it seemed.

"He asked, I did," River shrugged, glancing at the Time Lords and holding in a comment about how she'd do 'anything' the Doctor asked, it was like an automatic reaction, to say something to try and get to Angel, but...she _could_ control it, "Problem?"

"You just changed the future," the Doctor told her, "I've only ever seen Angel do that," he smiled at the woman in question.

"It's called a Mating, dear," she smiled in return, she'd do anything for the Doctor, and she had.

All those people she'd saved over her life with him...had been for him, in a way. She'd saved the ones he couldn't, because she knew what that would do to him to lose so many people like that. All those people who had fought for him and because of him and to help him, who had been hurt...it would haunt him forever, she knew, to lose them. He'd blame himself and it would eat away at him. So...she did what she could. She changed their lives, gave them back their lives, in little ways. Dodge a bullet here, duck there, stop shorter, and everything was just fine.

"Hush," River cut in, "I'm working," before her scanner beeped, "Ah, wherever it is, it's within a few blocks. There's a car out front. Shall we steal it?"

The Doctor nodded and took Ayla's hand, rushing forward to get outside, when he bumped into River's arm, the woman hissing in pain and gripping her wrist. He stopped, turning to see that her wrist was broken.

Angel closed her eyes and shook her head.

The future had not been changed.

~8~

Rory stepped cautiously into the lift of Winter Quay, just a bit wary as the doors had all opened for him.

~8~

The Doctor flashed River's scanner with the sonic as they stood in the entrance hall once more. Amy was leaning on the wall beside the TARDIS, River sitting primly on the stairs, Ayla was sitting on the stairs as well, but with quite a bit of distance between her and River as Angel stood by the TARDIS, silently checking on the box.

"Ok," he nodded, tossing Amy the scanner, "When all those numbers on both units go to zero, that's when we've got a lock, ok? It's how we find Rory."

"Got it," Amy nodded, looking at the scanner.

"Why did you lie to us?" the Doctor asked River after a moment, making his way to the stairs to stare her down.

River took a breath, knowing he'd hate to hear it, but she was going to say it anyway, "When one's in love with an ageless god who insists on the face of a twelve year old, one does one's best to hide the damage."

The Doctor stiffened, uncomfortable with that, and looked at Angel, who seemed almost sympathetic to the woman, and he realized...she truly _could_ empathize with River about that. There had been a point where she herself had loved him, and he hadn't seemed to return the sentiment, those years she had been with him, never letting on how badly she'd been hurting, keeping it from him because she knew it would hurt him to see her hurt and know he was the cause of it. Even now he didn't know the _full_ extent of how much his loss of memory had killed her, especially when she had learned of her pregnancy, all for love of him, to bring him peace and not pain.

Angel stepped over and knelt beside River, reaching out as though to examine the woman's hand. And that was what it seemed like she was doing…until a golden glow began to shine from the wound.

"No," River tried to pull her hand away, not wanting Angel, of all people, to heal her.

She wanted to keep hating the woman, and it just...got harder and harder the more the girl forgave her and tried to help her. Every time she saw Angel, the woman did something monumental to help her or save her, over and over, all the time. From staying with her mother in a forest to protect her from Weeping Angels or teleporting her from an exploding TARDIS or taking her out for her birthday, and all these little things. She didn't raise her voice or shout or...anything really, well...there was one time Angel had threatened her, but...to be honest with herself for the first time in a long time...she'd deserved that one. She just...every time Angel didn't rise to the bait or helped her or saved her...it made it harder and harder to keep hating her. And she didn't want that, she didn't want to see Angel for 'who she truly was' because...she might not be able to hate that woman if that was really who Angel was and not some sort of ploy.

"No, stop it! Stop!"

But Angel continued, using the Vortex, to heal River, because she knew the Doctor wouldn't. She smiled softly, setting the woman's arm down, "Is that better?"

River just glared at her and got up, stomping out of the room, Amy rushing off after her 'daughter.'

Angel frowned and moved to sit on the steps, the Doctor immediately at her side, his arm around her, smiling at her for her effort, she truly was an angel wasn't she?

Angel sighed and watched River storm outside, "She'll never forgive me, will she?" she asked quietly, resting her head on the Doctor's shoulder. She knew River would one day apologize to her for the things she had done/would do, and she had forgiven the woman. But it didn't seem like the opposite would ever be true.

He frowned, "For what?"

She looked up at him, "For loving you, being with you."

He had to smile at that, dropping a kiss to her head, "That's not something you need to apologize for dear."

She gave a small smiled, "I know."

~8~

Outside Grayle's home, Amy caught up to River, "Ok, why did you storm out?"

River just turned to her, "I didn't want _her_ to heal me!"

"Why not?" Amy shook her head, when River looked away and she realized, she wanted the DOCTOR to heal her. She swallowed, changing the subject, not even about to entertain that discussion, "Why did you lie?"

River looked back at her, "Never let him see the damage."

It hurt, badly, to know that she had mucked up her chances with him so much by what she'd done to Angel in the past, what she knew younger versions of her would do to her in the future. She wanted so badly to at least be a part of his life, but he wouldn't _ever_ let her in, because of her past and the things she'd done. And that was just it wasn't it? He had done equally as terrible things, maybe worse, but...he kept trying to make up for it, to be a better man...whereas she just kept trying to get what she wanted and hurting others to do it. She hadn't learned, till it was too late. And she wasn't sure, but she felt it, her future was going to end sooner than she thought, and she would be left wondering what it was like to just have him in her life.

~8~

"Beep," Ayla called a moment before the scanner Amy had left by the wall beeped.

Angel smiled and let out a little laugh, her daughter, it seemed, having been transported via Weeping Angel, was a bit more in tune to the sensations around her than coming by TARDIS.

"That's my girl," the Doctor kissed Ayla's head before getting up to nab the scanner, "There you are," he grinned, seeing a blinking dot for Rory, "Come on," he called as Angel and Ayla ran after him out of the house, "Got it," he called to Amy and River, "He's at a place called Winter Quay. The car, yes? Let's go."

Angel hesitated as he dashed to the limo parked before the house and flashed the sonic across it, unlocking and starting it. She glanced at the door to the house and rushed over, closing it, snapping her fingers to lock the locks with the Vortex before rushing into the car, watching the mother and son statues as they drove off.

She glanced back to see they had disappeared, standing in front of Grayle's doors, unable to get in, and smiled.

No one deserved to die that way.

~8~

River frowned as they pulled up to the Winter Quay apartments, "Why would they send him here? Why not zap him back in time, like they normally do?"

"We'll know that when we know what this place is," the Doctor determined as they got out.

"Winter Quay," Amy read the sign at the top of it. They ran in and looked around at the empty foyer before the lift dinged and opened. They hurried in, taking the lift up to the 8th floor, "Rory?" Amy called as the doors opened.

"He's close," River said as she looked at the scanner.

"Uncle Rory!" Ayla ran out with Amy.

"Where is he Ayla?" Amy turned to Ayla.

Ayla frowned and spun around before running to apartment 802, the door open.

"Rory!" Amy gasped, seeing him standing inside and ran to him, hugging him.

"Amy," he pulled her in, sighing in relief.

"Brilliant work sweetheart," the Doctor cheered, scooping Ayla into his arms, " That's my special girl," he hugged her, so _proud_ , as she giggled and smiled, pleased to have been able to help.

"Doctor, look at this," River called, spotting an angel at the end of the hall, grinning, "Why is it smiling?"

The Doctor tensed, noting the angel's pleased appearance.

"Because of that," Angel breathed, pointing to a nameplate reading 'R. William's on the door.

"Amy!" the Doctor's eyes widened as he ushered them all in, "Rory!" Angel shut the door behind them as the Doctor ran to the Ponds, "Get out of here! Don't look at anything. Don't touch…"

"Who's that?" Amy frowned, spotting an old man lying in the bed in the next room in the dark. He pointed at them, wheezing.

"Amy," he breathed, struggling to hold his arm up, "Amy, please. Amy, please. Please…"

Amy walked forwards slowly, stepping to the side of the bed where the light was stronger to see exactly who the man was, "Rory?" she gasped, taking his hand as he smiled, before looking at her husband, "He's you."

"Amy," Old Rory let out a happy breath as his head lulled, dying.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Rory asked as Ayla hugged his legs, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Rory," Angel breathed, putting a hand on his shoulder, "But...you just died. Again," she really was doing a rubbish job at not letting that happen wasn't she?

"This place is policed by angels," the Doctor explained, "Every time you try to escape, you get zapped back in time."

"So this place belongs to the angels?" Amy shook her head, "They built it?"

"In order to move someone in time, takes energy, it _creates_ energy," Angel turned to them, "It's like dinner to the angels."

"But normally, it's a one off, a hit and run," the Doctor nodded, "If they could keep hold of their victims, feed off their time energy over and over again. This place is a farm. A battery farm. How many angels in New York?"

"It's like they've taken over every statue in the city," River cut in, answering before Angel could.

"The angels take Manhattan because they can, because they've never had a food source like this one. The city that never sleeps…" he trailed off, hearing heavy, large, footsteps outside the window.

"What was that?" Rory asked as the Doctor stepped over to the window to look out, but unable to see anything.

"I don't know. But I think they're coming for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ayla, being worried she'd end up in an alien collection like her mother :( Gotta love Rory though :) I hope you enjoyed the little Angel telling River off moment :) There's still a very big 'Time Lady Fury' moment to come against River though from Angel, I've got it written out but it needs a certain sort of circumstance to lead up to it and it just couldn't fit here :/ 
> 
> I think the Doctor secretly might have wanted to break River's wrist but that wouldn't be a good example to set for Ayla would it? :/ Though he could be a bit snippy with River though ;) I think Ayla's too polite for him to be worried she'll pick up his rudeness lol :)
> 
> I'm really sad for the next chapter though, I think we all know what's coming next :'(


	21. The Angels Take Manhattan: Farewells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare the tissues...tis time... :'(

"What does that mean?" Rory shook his head, staring at the Doctor, alarmed, not knowing what was coming for him exactly. He knew the angels seemed to be gunning for him, but what was the thing outside, and why did they want HIM so badly? "What is going to happen to me? What is physically going to happen?"

"The angels will come for you," the Doctor sighed, rubbing his head, "They'll zap you back in time to this very spot, thirty, forty years ago. And you'll live out the rest of your life in this room, until you die in that bed."

Was he a terrible person for being thankful Ayla hadn't been caught in that as well? Yes, his daughter had been sent back in time with Rory, but the 'baby angels' were the ones who sent him there, HE was the one with the name on the door. Ayla had been safe in Grayle's home, she hadn't been taken and trapped in the apartment complex like Rory had. And...being a Time Lady...it would be impossible for her to live out her life and die there, not that he even wanted to imagine that happening, he did NOT want his daughter to die ever. But being a Time Lady meant she couldn't be used by the angels either, so she was safe, they couldn't feed on her because she'd live on, there was no potential life to eat up if her life was still going.

"And will Amy be there?" Rory glanced at his wife.

Angel frowned, "No Rory, I'm sorry."

Amy turned to her, "How do you know? Do you feel that?"

"Because that man," she nodded at Old Rory, tears in her eyes to see his unmoving body.

She had...a hope that, in the future, she would be able to be there for all the family when their time came and they passed on peacefully, old and loved in their homes, surrounded by family. She had been with them through the most terrifying moments of their lives, she was not going to abandon them near the end either. She wanted to be there for them, to let them know they were not nor would they ever be forgotten by her. To hold their hand and offer them comfort was something she wished to do...but in the future, in the very far from now future, when they'd lived out full and happy lives, not like this, never like this. She didn't want Rory to have lived this particular life, trapped in the complex, alone, without Amy, and to die in front of her when, only moments ago he'd been a young man...it was wrong, it was SO wrong.

"He held on for that long just to see you Amy."

"Ok," Rory swallowed hard, not liking the quiver in Angel's voice, when her voice shook like that he knew something was very, very wrong, beyond perhaps even what she could do to fix it, "Well, they haven't taken me yet. What if I just run? What if I just get the hell out of here? Then that never happens."

"It's _already_ happened," the Doctor shook his head, "Rory, you've just witnessed your own future."

"He's right my love," Angel looked at him, her eyes wide, recalling the bright orbs from her vision earlier, knowing something had to have happened for them to be there, she got the feeling it was a paradox at work. She remembered seeing the Ponds falling and...maybe Rory and Amy escaped. Maybe, if they were quick enough, they could get the Ponds out of there before that event happened and they wouldn't have to jump, they just...had to get out of the complex.

"No, he isn't."

Angel shook her head, "If Rory got out, it would create a paradox."

"What is that?" Amy glanced at the window, hearing the footsteps again.

"This is the angels' food source," River spoke, biting her tongue fat the fact she was agreeing with the woman, but...if it would save Rory, then...maybe he would be a bit...less distant with her.

She...had been trying the last few times she'd seen her parents, visiting them, to be more...of a daughter to them. Amy had accepted her well enough, still treated her with caution though, which she didn't blame her for. But her father...he was harder to get through to. He truly did care about Angel and Ayla, more than her probably. She...understood, in a way, women became mothers when they found out they had a child, men...didn't become fathers until they were holding their child in their arms...something her father hadn't been able to do. That connection she should have had with her parents, had she been born naturally, had been stripped away, hadn't even had the chance to form. She understood why her father was so short with her and distant and seemed to endure her presence more than enjoy it, she had shot and murdered his 'sister' in front of him, but...it actually...hurt a little to know, especially to know that she'd brought it on herself by choosing to act as she had in the past.

"The paradox poisons the well. It could kill them all. This whole place would literally unhappen."

"It would be almost impossible," the Doctor spoke.

Angel just smiled knowingly, " _Almost_."

"I love impossible things!" Ayla cheered too, getting excited at the thought that her Uncle Rory would be alright again.

The Doctor smiled at Ayla briefly before shaking his head, looking at the adults, "But to create a paradox like that takes almost unimaginable power. What have we got, eh? Tell me. Come on, what?"

"We have Amy," Angel said simply.

Amy nodded and stepped up, taking Rory's hand, "I won't let them take him. _That's_ what we've got."

Ayla tugged on the Doctor's coat till he looked down, "Aunt Amy can be REALLY scary when she wants to be," she whispered to her father, knowing her auntie sometimes scared him and even Rory, never her mummy though, but that was because her mummy was the bravest woman ever.

"Don't I know it," the Doctor murmured, glancing at Amy as she smirked (he would have said) evilly at him.

Rory glanced at the window as the thudding got louder, "Whatever that thing is, it's getting closer."

"Rory," the Doctor stepped over, "Even if you got out, you'd have to keep running for the _rest of your life_. They would be chasing you forever."

"Well, then," Amy nodded, "Better get started," she ran to the door, throwing it open to see an angel standing there, she shoved Rory to the side but there was no room to squeeze past...the lights flickered within the room, forcing the Ponds back as the angels drew closer.

Angel looked around, trying to find a way out for the Ponds, knowing they needed to get past the angels, she, the Doctor, and River could distract them, keep them froze, but Amy and Rory HAD to get out first. She swallowed hard, thinking up a rather mad idea she wasn't even sure would work, before she ran to them, placing her hands on their shoulders and focusing. The Doctor watched as, a moment later, there was a flash of gold, as though Angel had teleported, but SHE was still there. He looked past her, seeing the same flash appear in the hall...the Ponds appearing there after disappearing from the room. His eyes widened, well that was new...Angel had never teleported someone else without going with them before...but then again it was just a few feet away...

He leapt forward though when he saw her stumble back, clearly that had taken a bit of doing on her part. He knew she always did that, put too much of the Vortex behind her when she tried something new, something she wasn't sure would work. He knew that if she disappeared then the angels would get closer, using her disappearance as a distraction for them inside the room...so she'd stayed, but sent the Ponds away.

"Run!" he shouted to them, helping Angel stagger back, his eyes on the angels, "GO!"

The Ponds hesitated, Rory looking at Angel, "Thank you," he whispered.

She nodded, "Go," she urged and they took off down the hall.

The Doctor swallowed hard, stepping back with Angel more, reaching back to take Ayla hand, pulling her closer, all of them with their eyes on the angels, "I'm not sure this can work," he admitted out loud.

"Daddy?" Ayla tugged on his arm.

"Yes, sweetheart?" he called, not looking down though.

"Be quiet," she told him, with the most adorable pout on her face that no one saw.

He smiled and nodded, focusing on the angels as the lights flickered again and the angels entered the room...

~8~

Amy and Rory ran to the stairs, looking down them to see the angels on their way up, "Up!" Amy shouted, pushing him up the stairs.

"What good's up?" Rory scoffed.

"Better than down!"

~8~

The Doctor soniced the lights to keep them on, Angel creating a small glowing ball of Vortex energy to help as the angels surrounded them.

"We can't keep doing this," the Doctor said, starting to grow a bit frantic at the enemy encroaching on him and his family, this was...not good, not good at all. They were essentially trapped in a very small room with no fire escape, the door blocked, the lights flickering, and River Song, with Weeping Angels getting nearer and nearer.

He didn't know how it could get any worse!

"Any ideas?" River snapped.

And it did, River had to speak didn't she?

"I have one," Angel nodded, thinking more about what she'd just done for the Ponds, how much energy it had taken.

"What?" the Doctor asked.

Angel just put her hand on the Doctor and River's shoulders, knowing that the Doctor had a firm grip on Ayla as well, and the four of them disappeared in a flash of golden light, appearing on the fire escape Angel had noticed outside the building, the one attached just outside the hall window.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor cheered, kissing her quickly for having managed to teleport all of them.

True it had only been about two rooms down and on the other side of a wall, but that was 4 of them she'd teleported. Oh his Mate was getting stronger every day and...it seemed, she was slowly starting to get back into using the Vortex again. The last few adventures had been calm, hadn't involved her losing control the way she had earlier. It really did seem like it was just that one time it had happened. They were both hoping it was just a reaction to Daleks and not something more serious, he'd managed to convince her to try and practice in the Vortex more and while it hadn't exactly happened, she was more ok with using the Vortex again.

"Go up!" Ayla called, starting to climb, knowing that's where her Uncle Rory had gone and...feeling like it was a BAD place for him to be.

~8~

Amy and Rory made it to the roof, staring in shock at the statue of Liberty, now a Weeping Angel statue, snarling at them just behind the building.

Rory let out a breath, "I always wanted to visit the Statue Of Liberty. I guess she got impatient," he looked around before noticing the ledge and running for it.

"What?" Amy asked, not turning her back to see what he was doing, not willing to risk it with the statue able to move, she wasn't going to let it grab him, "What is it, what?"

"Just keep your eyes on that," he looked over the ledge.

She glanced back, only for a moment, before snapping her head back"Is there a way down?"

"Er, no," he swallowed hard, "But there's a way out," he took a breath and climbed onto the ledge.

"What are you doing?" Amy called, feeling her heart freeze at his words, feeling her veins pumping ice water at how she couldn't look back, couldn't see what stupid thing her stupid husband was doing now, "Rory, what are you doing?" she couldn't take it any longer and turned around, ignoring the statue and running over to him at the sight of him standing on the ledge, staring at the statue, FAR too close to the edge of it for comfort, "Rory, stop it. You'll die!"

"Yeah," he nodded, his eyes on the statue, "Twice, in the same building on the same night. Who else could do that?"

"Just come down, _please_."

"This is the right thing to do. This _will_ work. I've learned a lot from Angel you know, the Doctor's not the only clever Time Lord around," he reminded her, "If I die now, it's a paradox, right? The paradox kills the angels. Tell me I'm wrong. Go on, please...because I'm really scared," he admitted, he really and truly was. He...hadn't faced anything like this without...without Angel there to reassure him it would be alright, "Oh, great," he mock-scoffed at Amy's silence, "The one time you can't manage it. Amy, I'm going to need a little help here," he took her hand and put it on his chest, waiting for her to push him.

"Just stop it!" she cried, curling her fingers around the fabric of his shirt instead, holding him there.

"Just think it through. This will work, this will kill the angels."

"It'll kill _you_ too!"

"Will it?" he honestly had to wonder that, "They said that this place would be erased from time, never existed. If this place never existed, what did I fall off?"

"You think you'll come back to life?" Amy stared at him.

"When don't I?" he laughed.

"Rory…"

"And anyway, what else is there? Dying of old age downstairs, never seeing _you_ again? Amy, please," he looked at her, "If you love me, then trust me, and _push_."

"I can't," she sobbed, shaking her head, tears in her eyes blurring her vision...the Statue of Liberty appeared frozen despite them not having their eyes on it, one wrong move and the boy would jump.

"You have to!"

"Could you? If it was _me_ , could you do it?"

"To save you, I'd do anything," he whispered to her.

Amy nodded to herself, making a decision and getting up on the ledge next to him, "Prove it."

"No," he shook his head, tears in his eyes, "I _can't_ take you too."

"You said we'd come back to life. Money where your mouth is time."

"Amy, look…"

"Shut up," she cut in and he could hear her voice shaking, "Together, or not at all."

"What the hell are you doing!" the Doctor's voice shouted as he and the others reached the top of the roof.

"Uncle Rory!" Ayla cried as they ran over to them.

"Changing the future," Amy smiled at Rory, "It's called a marriage," before hugging him to her as they fell off the roof.

"Rory!" Angel ran to the ledge, the Doctor beside her reaching out towards the humans as they fell, "Amy!"

She'd been too late.

River gasped as orbs of white energy began to gather and flicker on the roof as the humans fell, "Doctor! What's happening?"

"The paradox," he breathed, his eyes wide, "It's working! The paradox is working!" he quickly grabbed Angel and Ayla's hands, holding them close, as the white light enveloped everything…

~8~

Amy and Rory gasped, sitting up, back in the graveyard in 2012.

"Where are we?" Rory looked around.

"Uncle Rory!" Ayla shouted, running over and launching herself at him, nearly tackling the man back to the ground as she hugged him, Rory laughing as he hugged her tightly back, looking up over her shoulder as her parents walked over.

"Right back at the beginning," Angel smiled, her hearts finally slowing down from the fright of seeing her companion, her brother, and his wife falling to the ground, "You did it. The timeline collapsed on itself."

The Doctor nodded, "We all pinged back where we belong."

"What, in a graveyard?" Rory asked as he got to his feet, Ayla in his arms, the little girl literally clinging to him with her arms and legs wrapped around him. He could have literally let go of her and she would still be where she was. He held out a hand though and helped Amy up too.

"This happened the last time," Amy commented, "Why always here?"

"Does it matter?" the Doctor laughed, "We got lucky. Which is to be expected with the most powerful good luck charm ever around," he winked at Angel as she playfully shook her head at him, "We could've blown New York off the planet."

"We won't be able to take the TARDIS there again though," Angel reminded them sadly, her head still a bit fuzzy from all those time distortions, "All those paradoxes made the timelines far too fragile."

"We could have lost you both," the Doctor pulled them into a hug, Angel as well, Ayla squirming her way to let go of Rory so she could hug all of them at once, she loved group hugs, "Don't ever do that again."

"What did we do?" Rory smiled, proud of himself for working out a way to stop the paradox and get them all out, "We fixed it. We solved the problem."

"I was talking to myself," the Doctor pulled away, taking Angel's hand as they headed back to the TARDIS, which had quite a bit of fire extinguisher damage to the outside.

Ayla jogged ahead of her parents, hugging the box before dashing inside to tell her Aunt Idris what had happened, making her parents laugh, the TARDIS already knew of course, she could see practically everything, but Ayla could be quite the chatterbox with the TARDIS and the old box loved hearing her niece's stories.

River stepped out from behind the box with a bucket of water and a rag, making them pause, "It could do with a repaint," she commented, eyeing the box.

"She's beautiful," Angel countered.

"Does the bulb on top need changing?"

The Doctor rolled her eyes, "We just changed it."

"So. Rory and Amy, then."

"Yes. We know, we know," the Doctor rubbed his head, feeling a migraine of his own coming on with River STILL there. He had hoped she might just be transported to wherever her Vortex Manipulator had first deposited her, but noooo...she had to be taken along with them for the ride.

"I'm just saying," River defended, "They're going to get terribly bored hanging round here all day."

"Doctor," Rory called as he and Amy walked over.

"Ha!" he turned and pointed at him as Angel began to wipe off the white damage with a rag.

"Look, next time, could we could just go to the pub?"

"I want go to the pub right now," he nodded, "Are there video games there? I love video games."

"Me too!" Ayla called from inside, "Can we go daddy!?"

"Yes we can sweetheart," he called back.

"Right," River nodded, "Family outing, then."

The Doctor tensed at that, but forced himself to remember that River was technically Amy and Rory's daughter, biologically speaking at least, and that if the parents were coming, the child would too...even if the child was an adult and a murderous assassin. He had to remind himself again that Ayla was likely older than River and would have had the same fate if she hadn't escaped the Silence when she had...which made him wince, recalling one of his nightmares. He sighed but Angel just took his hand and squeezed it, pulling him into the TARDIS, he knew why she was so eager to get inside the box. That little bit of home, that temporal energy of the TARDIS might set her head right, get rid of all those fuzzies still lingering in her noggin, help clear her mind to be back in a temporally stable place.

Rory paused as he followed Amy, spotting something written on a tombstone, "Amy, come and see this."

"What?" she turned, already at the doors to the TARDIS.

"There's a gravestone here for someone with the same name as me."

"What?" she frowned, when suddenly Rory blinked and...vanished, a Weeping Angel behind him, her arm outstretched, having touched him, "Doctor! Angel!"

The Time Lords ran out of the TARDIS with River, Angel gasping and pulling Ayla back towards her at the sight of the angel, not wanting her to get taken again.

"Where the hell did that come from?!" River gasped.

"It must have survived the paradox," Angel called, her eyes on it, "It'll be weak, but...dangerous, everyone keep your eyes on it."

"Where's Rory?" Amy asked her.

The Doctor held up a hand to the women, telling them to stay back as he carefully stepped closer to Amy, till he was before her and able to see the tombstone the angel was standing before, for Rory.

_In Loving Memory_  
_Rory Arthur Williams_  
_Aged 82_

"I'm sorry," he breathed, looking at Amy though he could hear Ayla gasp and see her out of the corner of his eye putting her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide with tears in them as Angel hugged her back to her, "Amelia, I'm so, _so_ sorry."

"No," Amy shook her head, swallowing hard, "No, we...we can just go and get him, in the TARDIS. One more paradox…"

"Would rip New York apart."

"No, that's _not_ true," Amy started to cry, "I don't believe you."

"Mother, it's true," River said quietly, tears actually coming to her eyes at this. Yes, her father, a man who hadn't exactly been close to her, had just been taken by an angel, but...he was still her father. Oh how far she'd come from how she'd first felt about them, that they were just the genetic source for her creation and unnecessary...now she...she thought more of them and felt more for them, even her father.

"Aunt Amy don't!" Ayla cried, tears streaming down her face as her Aunt Amy started to make her way to the angel. She was shaking in her mother's arms as she realized her Uncle Rory was...gone. Just like that, her most favorite, best uncle ever...was gone. That he was...dead...if the tombstone was to be believed. And he _couldn't_ be! She hadn't...she hadn't gotten a chance to hug him, to say she loved him, to...to say goodbye...

"Amy, what are you doing?" the Doctor asked, halfway back to trying to get to his daughter, to comfort her as Angel knelt down to hug the girl from behind.

"That gravestone, Rory's, there's room for one more name, isn't there?" Amy asked.

"What are you _talking_ about? Back away from the angel. Come back to the TARDIS. We'll figure something out."

But Amy just shook her head, getting closer to it still, "The angel, would it send me back to the same time? To him?"

"I don't know," the Doctor told her, desperate, not wanting to lose her, his companion, but not wanting his Mate to lose her 'sister-in-law' or his daughter her auntie either, "Nobody knows. Angel can't sense that with the lingering distortions!"

"But it's my best shot, yeah?"

"No!"

"Doctor, shut up," River snapped before turning to her mother, "Yes. Yes, it _is_."

"Amy…"

"Well, then...I just have to blink, right?" Amy let out a shuddering breath, now only two feet away from the angel.

"No!"

"It'll be _fine_. I know it will. I'll be with him, like I should be. Me and Rory together," she nodded, "Ayla?" she called, smiling sadly, knowing she couldn't turn back just yet, but needing to say goodbye, for her and Rory, knowing that this would hurt the little girl terribly but...she just couldn't leave Rory alone, she couldn't, not for anything, not even for that sweet little girl, "I'm going to miss you, _so much_."

"I'll miss you too Aunt Amy," Ayla sobbed quietly in Angel's arms, bringing tears to her mother's eyes at hearing her little girl's hearts breaking all over again, "Give…give Uncle Rory a hug, for me, ok?"

"No problem," Amy nodded, her own heart breaking for the little girl, forcing her to experience this, with Rory it had been a shock, but now...Ayla knew where her aunt was going, what would happen if she chose to do this. She took a breath, steeling herself, she had to be strong, she had to give her husband the biggest hug in the world, but to do that...she had to get to him, "Melody?"

"Stop it," the Doctor cried, shaking his head, seeing Ayla turning to Angel and clutching her tightly as she cried, not wanting to watch her Aunt Amy disappear too, "Just...just stop it!"

River stepped over and took Amy's hand, kissing it, "You look after them," she told her daughter, a firm note in her voice, "You be a _good_ girl," she ordered lightly, "And you look after them all."

River closed her eyes and nodded, knowing what her mother was asking. Her dying wish essentially, that she give up her mad hope that the Doctor would be hers and just…be good, be a good person. To him, to Ayla, especially to Angel. Just...be someone her father would be proud to call his daughter.

"Of course," she whispered, promising her that.

She was...so old now. She had spent so much of her life so focused on the Doctor and claiming him and battling with Angel over him that...she'd missed a lot. Her entire life had been consumed with him, being with him, finding him through time and space, learning about him. She'd even managed to teach herself how to read and write in Gallifreyan from fragments found all over the Universe, that's how desperate she was to prove she was clever enough for him, more clever than Angel. Everything she'd done in her life had been for him...so much of her anger and her bitterness because of Angel. So much so that...she'd lost herself, she'd lost who she was in basing her life so much around theirs, she hadn't lived it for herself.

She was just...tired. Of hoping for something that wouldn't happen with the Doctor, she'd seen it, more so the last few years, how happy he was with Angel, how proud he was of Ayla, how content he was with his life. She DID see it but she denied it over and over, looked for any detail that might hint he wasn't as happy as he appeared. And there was never any. She was tired of working to hate a woman that hadn't truly ever done anything to her but try to be a good person. It was becoming a job more than something she actually felt. If she didn't hate Angel...then who was she? So much of who she was, or had been, was based on her dislike of the Time Lady, what would she be if she didn't have that hate anymore?

Well, she supposed she'd find out. She...did still hate Angel, but it had...faded, over time. She hated that Angel got the Doctor, got the Vortex, got the attention and affection and love of the most wonderful man ever. But...at some point, she'd realized that, in hating her and acting as she did, all it did was push the Doctor away. And...if she absolutely couldn't have him in her life as a 'Mate' then...she just didn't know. She didn't wan to picture her life without him there in some context at least. She knew she would always hate Angel, deep down, but...she was just tired of trying to actively express it.

Anger...took a lot of work.

"Amy," Angel called, standing up, squeezing Ayla's hand, "You need to know...you'll be creating fixed time...that's not something we'll ever be able to break through. We...won't be able to see you ever again."

"I'll be fine," she nodded, "I'll be with him. And you'll be fine, you have each other. Please, just..." she sniffled, "Remember that. And...goodbye Angel."

"Goodbye Amy," Angel let out a breath.

"Amy, please," the Doctor begged, he just...he couldn't do it, not like this. He...he hadn't lost a companion to death in... _centuries_ , he...never wanted to go back to that, to losing them like that, and it was happening all over again, "Just come back into the TARDIS. Come along, Pond, please."

"Raggedy Man," Amy sobbed, before spinning around, "Goodbye!" she called out, a moment before the angel touched her, sending her back in time as well.

The Doctor looked at the tombstone now with a new line...

_And His Loving Wife_  
_Amelia Williams_  
_Aged 87_

"No!" he fell to his knees, Ayla running over to her father, hugging him tightly as he rocked her back and forth, knowing she was suffering as well, having lost not just her Uncle Rory but her now Aunt Amy as well. He tried to be strong, but he could feel tears in his eyes as well as he hugged her, "I'm sorry," he whispered, feeling Ayla shaking in his arms, "I'm so sorry sweetheart."

"They're gone," Ayla cried, unable to say anything else...it just...hurt too much. Her family was supposed to be there forever, all of them, all her uncles and aunties and now...two were gone.

"Angel," the Doctor gasped, watching as his Mate took a step towards the Weeping Angel, its arm still outstretched from where it had just taken Amy, "What are you doing?"

"I have to stop it," she whispered, her gaze fixed on it, keeping it in place, "I _can't_ let it infect the city, not again, they are _not_ getting Rory again," she stepped right up to the angel, reaching out her own hand towards it, "You will _leave_ my companion _alone_!" she warned it, feeling the power gather and surge within her, before touching her finger to the statue's.

There was a blinding golden light, the Doctor forcing his eyes to remain open even as River and Ayla shielded theirs, watching in amazement and utter shock as the Weeping Angel literally disintegrated into ashes before his very eyes. The power of the Vortex had tapped into the lingering effects of the paradox, contradicted it, countered and cancelled the one that the angels had created, and used its energy to turn it to ash.

"Angel!" he shouted as she swayed and collapsed to the ground, him scrambling over to her with Ayla.

"Mummy!" the girl cried, terrified she would lose her mother as well.

River knelt at Angel's side, and held out a scanner, "She's fine," she told them as the Doctor cradled the woman in his arms. She swallowed hard, "She's just exhausted herself…too much power in one go."

The Doctor nodded, scooping Angel into his arms and carrying her into the TARDIS, Ayla rushing ahead to hold the doors open for him. He glanced at River, telling her to stay there in the console room, silently telling the TARDIS to keep an eye on the woman, as he carried Angel through the halls, to their room. Ayla pushed the door open and followed her father to the bed where he gently laid her mother down.

"Will mummy be ok daddy?" she asked, frowning, worried.

He tried to smile reassuringly at her, even though he honestly wasn't sure himself, kissing her head, "Yes, of course, this is mummy eh? Mummy's the strongest woman ever."

Ayla smiled, "She's very strong."

He nodded, scooping her up and placing her on the edge of the bed, "I'm going to drop River off, will you watch mummy for me?"

She nodded and turned to do just that, watch her mother.

He smiled softly at that before quietly leaving the room, shutting the door behind him before leaning against it, rubbing his head, before wiping below his eyes. This was _far_ too close, far too much like his nightmares for his hearts to slow down. Seeing her fall from using the Vortex…it _scared_ him. He knew there were times the Vortex got the best of her, times where she had no control and it did worry him. But...it was the times when she _was_ in control and _knowingly_ used too much of the Vortex...those times scared him so much more. Because he never knew if it was lingering feelings from her last body, one he knew she had actively considered suicide in, or just her trying to help and overestimating the power needed.

And...it was...alarming yet, very...her, for her to have done what she had to the statue. In the Asylum she had lost control, destroyed the Daleks, and just now...she'd been IN control and destroyed the Weeping Angel. She hadn't...ever really done that. Destroyed something and been aware she was doing it. He knew it should have worried him, to see her use the Vortex like that but...she'd done it to protect Rory and Amy. That angel...all it would take was one Weeping Angel to start to infect New York again, to make them stronger to go back in time and hunt down Rory once more. And she was stopping that, she was protecting not just him but everyone else in New York from it ever happening again. It wasn't Angel turning into a vengeful god, but just...being a guardian angel, like she always was, watching over the people she loved.

He took a breath, shaking his head, unwilling to think any more on the subject before heading to the console room to see River already at work setting coordinates to take somewhere else.

"River," he began, despite his dislike for the woman, he could see she truly _was_ upset at what had happened to Amy and Rory, he winced, her _parents_ , "They were your parents. I'm sorry, I didn't think…"

"It doesn't matter," she cut in, shaking her head.

"Of course it matters," he frowned, he could...see it, a change in her, a change in her tone. She'd implied much the same in Berlin, that Amy and Rory truly didn't matter to her, at all, but...he could see it now, that they...DID matter to her, quite a lot.

"What matters is this," she turned to him, "Doctor, don't travel alone. You…" she swallowed, "Angel, and Ayla, you need someone with you."

He nodded, before something slipped out of him before he could stop or think about what he was saying, "Travel with us, then."

The TARDIS's lights turned red and the old box began to hum angrily at that, making him wince, rather glad that Angel and Ayla weren't there to translate what he was sure were death threats against him.

River glanced at the rotor though, "Oh hush," she rolled her eyes at the box, "All of space and time and you can't see my answer?" a moment later the lights turned normal and the humming quieted slightly. She sighed, turning back at the Doctor with a frown. She knew what he was doing, letting his guilt get the best of him. On any other day he'd NEVER make her that offer, he just...felt terrible for the loss of her parents and thought it would make up for that. She shook her head, "I can't," she said quietly, looking down.

She may have agreed to be good for her mother, but to see them every day, to see him and Angel and Ayla being a happy little family…it would kill her. It would put thoughts in her head that would make it hard to keep her promise to her mother. She cleared her throat and looked up, "This book I've got to write. Melody Malone. I presume I send it to Amy to get it published?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Yes."

She nodded, pulling a lever, landing, "I'll tell her to write an afterword. For you. Maybe you'll listen to her," she turned and headed to the door, stepping out and leaving him alone.

A moment later, his eyes widened, "The last page!" he quickly got to work setting the TARDIS on another trip.

~8~

The Doctor ran through the TARDIS, having gone to modern day Central Park to get the last page out of the picnic basket, the last page that was currently clutched tightly in his hand. He slowed though, nearing his bedroom and quietly opened the door. He smiled at Ayla as she looked over from where she was still watching over her mother before walking in. He knelt at the bedside and brushed a piece of hair from Angel's face, gently waking her.

She blinked and spotted the paper, smiling and nodded.

He put Amy's glasses on and read the Afterword aloud to them, "'Afterword, by Amelia Williams. Hello, old friends. And here we are, you and me, on the last page. By the time you read these words, Rory and I will be long gone. So know that we lived well, and were very happy. And above all else, know that we will love you three, always. Sometimes I do worry about you, though, Doctor. I think once we're gone, you won't be coming back here for a while, and you might be alone, which you should never be. Don't be alone, Doctor. Angel will need a companion again. And Ayla's family deserves to grow even more. And do one more thing for me. There's a little girl waiting in a garden. She's going to wait a long while, so she's going to need a lot of hope. Go to her. Tell her a story. Tell her that, if she's patient, the days are coming that she'll never forget. Tell her she'll go to sea and fight pirates. She'll fall in love with a man who'll wait 2,000 years to keep her safe. Tell her she'll give hope to the greatest painter who ever lived and save a whale in outer space. Tell her this is the story of Amelia Pond. And this how it ends.'"

Angel smiled, reaching out to cup his face, brushing a tear from his cheek, "Go," she whispered, "Find Amelia, and tell her."

He nodded, kissing her palm and standing, Ayla reaching out to take her mother's hand as she fell back asleep, too weak to go with him, and...knowing this was something he had to do for himself. She wasn't happy with what happened, she was deeply hurt by the loss of Rory, but...she was content in knowing that he would survive and thrive in 1938.

Her companion was strong.

And she had helped him become so.

~8~

The Doctor sat in the lounge of the Pond house, Brian across from him, the man hunched over, his hand pressed to his mouth as he learned about what had happened to his son, to his daughter-in-law, all because of this alien sitting before him. He closed his eyes, feeling angry tears building behind them, he'd promised they'd be ok! He'd promised to bring them back! He'd failed, and now…now he'd never see his child again. It wasn't fair. It wasn't…

"Daddy?" Ayla called, opening the door to the TARDIS and peeking out at them.

"What is it sweetheart?" the Doctor turned, his voice quiet.

"Mummy's awake," she told him, "She said I should bring you and granddad to the TARDIS. She wants to show you something."

And with that, she stepped back into the box.

The Doctor sighed and looked at Brian, "We should…" he nodded at the box.

Brian just sighed and got up, not wanting to enter the box that had stolen his son from him, but _needing_ to know what Angel had to say. He and Rory had talked quite a bit about the woman once he'd learned she was an alien and a psychic, how she'd always offered Rory reassurances and strength and hope, perhaps…she could give him some as well.

"Brian," Angel walked over to him as he stepped up to the console, hugging him tightly, "I'm so sorry," she told him, "But…I think I can help just a bit."

"How?" he shook his head, the Doctor had said that it was _impossible_ for them to go back and bring Rory or Amy to the present.

She just took his arm, leading him over to the monitor. She stepped beside it as the Doctor came over with Ayla in his arms. She put her hand to the side of it and closed her eyes, her hand starting to glow gold as the screen flickered on, a golden hue around the edge of it, and then…images began to flicker across the screen, scenes playing out before their eyes that reminded the Doctor of Apalapuchia.

Of Amy and Rory.

They watched as the lives of the Ponds played out, a combination of Angel's abilities and the TARDIS helping her show them what was of the Ponds. They watched as key moments popped up, blending into one another. They'd married again, bought a house, Rory even took up gardening, Amy…pregnant. They smiled as they watched the family grow, four children in all, grandchildren, great grandchildren even. They watched them grow older, grow more loved, grow closer, lead successful lives as an author and a doctor, and just...living. Living a happy life, full of _so much love_ …

Angel blinked as the last image, the two Ponds surrounded by their family shortly before Rory would pass faded out. She smiled at the Doctor, "I told you it would be alright," she told him, "Look how they lived…happily…" she swayed again, stumbling as he caught her.

He sighed, but smiled, leave it to her to tax herself with using the Vortex again after having used too much of it earlier, just to give them comfort.

"Thank you," Brian said softly, reaching out to take Angel's hand.

"You're welcome," she breathed, leaning on the Doctor, resting her forehead to his shoulder, weary and spent, as Ayla walked over and hugged her granddad, knowing he needed one terribly, knowing she needed one too...it wasn't a Rory hug, but it was close.

As Brian held her, he started to cry, sad he'd lost his son, but happy he'd been happy in the end.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can say is... :'(
> 
> But now we know why River sort of semi-tried to be nice at the end of Last Night, Amy asked her to as her 'dying wish' :(


	22. The Wedding of River Song

Angel was silent as she watched the Doctor examining the distress beacon that Amy and the others had built on top of the great pyramid, Area 52 as it was now called by the United States. She just…watched, seeing the smile on his face, seeing how _impressed_ he looked with the beacon, the beacon that River had created. She felt her hearts breaking at the sight, at his grin, at the…sparkle she saw in his eyes as he looked at River. He was impressed with her, more so than he normally was, he was proud, or he seemed proud for only a moment before he realized what the beacon actually was and what the message that was being sent out said.

She…didn't know what to do.

She was just so tired, of everything, of River and travelling and danger and…fighting for a man who clearly didn't want her. She had gone to see Jack after the Pandorica incident, her nightmares of all her family forgetting her having been confirmed by them was just too much for her and she just…wanted to be with them for a while. Apparently her time with them, while only a few days for her, ended up being months, nearly a year for the Doctor in his time travel machine. She'd been walking through Cardiff with an ice cream one day, barely a week after the Doctor had dropped her off, to see him pop up before her, taking her hand and pulling her to the TARDIS as he frantically explained that apparently Amy and Rory had experienced their honeymoon, their wedding night, aboard the TARDIS, in-flight, through the Vortex and now Melody Pond, none other than River Song, was part Time Lady…and he was _so happy_ about it that it just tore her hearts out.

He'd only come to get her because he thought her abilities would help lead him to the woman…apparently she'd been kidnapped a second time. Amy had been taken and replaced with a clone until she could give birth. She'd had Melody, and the Doctor had launched an attack to get her back with her baby, but the baby had been taken anyway. She wasn't sure what hurt more, to find out he hadn't even considered coming to her for help in rescuing Amy, or that he hadn't even thought to have her help him find River till Rory had remarked he'd wished she was there at Demons Run to warn them…and THAT was what set the Doctor off.

She'd been with him for a short time, only till after Berlin where they'd met the youngest River they'd met yet. She hadn't been able to do it, to stay there, because not only had she learned from Rory that River had kissed the Doctor after some adventure in America…which she tried to ignore because she hadn't been there and she hadn't seen it and it shouldn't kill her as much as it did but it really _did_ kill her…but…the Doctor had been poisoned, River had poisoned him…and then she'd kissed him, giving up her regenerations to bring him back.

She couldn't stay after that, the Doctor hadn't even _tried_ to push the woman away like he had with Amy…he'd just…let it happen. She'd asked to go back to Jack after that. Not just because of the kiss, but because she knew River would be a part of his life even more after that and she just…didn't want to deal with the woman and the stress she'd put on her. She didn't want to be there in the TARDIS either with Rory or Amy, it hurt her too much because she feared she'd look at them one day and just see River's Parents instead of her companion and his wife. She'd also had a wakeup call about Berlin, it could have easily been HER that River targeted, but she'd gone to poison the Doctor instead. That could have been her, that could have been her lying on the ground, poisoned, while pregnant, her baby could have been lost and she was NOT going to risk that. So she'd gone back to Jack.

It wasn't till time had fallen apart and she'd used Torchwood's resources to make her way to Area 52 that she worked out what had happened. And now there they were, standing on top of the great pyramid, after the Doctor had flirted with River below and now seemed so impressed with what she could do with physics and creating things, two things he loved.

She was just…tired. In all that time, she'd held on to hop that the Doctor would remember her, that he'd come back for her. That he'd wake up one day and realize she wasn't there and come rushing to Torchwood to whisk her away…and it never happened. The only time he'd whisked her off was to track down his beloved River. And now…his life was on the line and he was _still_ flirting with River and arguing with her and didn't even realize SHE was right there, that she was pregnant with _his child_ , granted she hadn't had all that long on Earth to grow much since the last time he'd seen her.

She was tired of the running and the stress and the pain and just…everything.

She was too tired to think and…if the Doctor kept on the path he was headed, a path that led to River, she…wouldn't be able to stay with him ever again, not just him but the TARDIS as well. She was dealing with far too much stress as it was. Amy had even started to resent her a bit, the ginger understood that Angel hadn't been present at Demons Run, but she was of the impression that Angel should have sensed it and warned them, that she should have been there for Demons Run and helped. When she had shown up with the Doctor after the Ponds called him back to Earth via crop circles, Amy had set in on her when there was no baby present. She had questioned why she hadn't shown up to the final battle, disregarding no one had told her to nor would she have a means to get there. Amy had just said she should have found Melody by then then, since she was a psychic, she should be able to find her daughter…but she'd reminded Amy her powers didn't work like that, at times it was difficult. Which had led Amy to scoff and wonder if she was really a psychic…which had made Rory put his foot down and chastise Amy for blaming Angel for something she didn't even know was happening, that they couldn't expect her to see everything and he couldn't expect her to focus with all the stress Amy was putting on her.

Rory had taken her back into the TARDIS to check on her own baby, not wanting her to lose that like he had lost his own, the only one there who was aware she existed. It was a girl, the baby, little girl still growing within her stomach and the Doctor, the oblivious fool that he was, _still_ hadn't noticed . True, her stomach was not very much bigger than what it was when she left the TARDIS, she was a small girl and the baby was equally as small, it was easy to hide with her dress and a jacket and strategically placed objects at times. The Doctor barely even looked at her stomach anyway, he was always too excited by everything else going on around him that he hardly ever noticed her…but he _did_ notice River.

She stood to the side, watching as the two spoke to each other, the Doctor trying to get River to give up and take his hand and reestablish the chain of events, while River argued that she was trying to save him. Both of them seemed to have forgotten she was even standing there. She looked over when Rory and Amy ran up, shouting about how they had barricaded the doors. She watched as the Doctor told River he was embarrassed by her and River countered with her own proclamations of love…

And then the worst thing she could ever have imagined…happened.

The Doctor took off his bowtie and instructed River to wind it around her hand as he was doing himself. Her hearts froze, recognizing what he was doing, the ceremony he wanted to give a shortened version of. She knew the ceremony, a marriage ceremony on Gallifrey. The Doctor clearly didn't think River was Time Lady enough to be a 'Mate' and it would take far too long to be able to claim her as one, hence the hurried and rushed 'wedding' he was about to perform. Her hearts were pounding in her chest, she felt like she couldn't breathe as she watched the man she loved about to marry someone else…and she couldn't even bring herself to get her voice to work, too stunned by what was happening.

The Doctor looked over at the Ponds, turning his attention to Amy, "Amy, repeat after me, I consent and gladly give."

"I consent and gladly give," she repeated, "Why?" she asked after she had said it, trusting him up to that point still even after the hotel, but he didn't answer.

Instead he turned to Rory, "Captain Williams, I need you to say it as well, father of the bride."

Rory shook his head, blinking rapidly, his mouth opening and closing though no words came out. The bride? He wasn't sure what was going on, who was getting married? Well, it appeared River was, to the Doctor, but something inside him kept telling him that that no, no the Doctor _couldn't_ marry River, he couldn't, he just couldn't. He started to stutter, trying to get something out, " don't…I don't…I I can't."

The Doctor looked at him, "Now is not the time for big ceremonies and proclamations," he told Rory, "You _need_ to say it."

"No Doctor you don't understand," Rory looked at him, "I…I _can't_ say it. I'm _trying_ but I just, I can't bring myself to say it."

He really didn't know why he couldn't…but then, as he thought on it, he found his gaze turning to Angel, seeing the girl standing off to the side, her eyes closed, so pale, shaking her head, as though she were trying to ward away a nightmare. He could see it in her expression, how…how heartsbroken she was, how shattered, and something inside of him churned at the sight. And he knew…SHE was the reason he couldn't do it, he didn't know exactly why, but he knew that for her to be so…upset and clearly NOT crying happy tears…this whole situation had to be wrong, it had to be stopped.

"Angel?" Rory asked.

The Doctor frowned and spun around to look at Angel as well, his frown deepening as he saw her expression and how she was shaking, "Angel what is it?" he asked.

He didn't understand why she was reacting in such a way. It was a simple marriage ceremony, it wasn't like he was condemning himself to…oh, well, actually he _was_ from her point of view condemning himself to die by doing this. But there was nothing he could do to reassure her that what he was planning was not what they all thought it was. And he felt alarmed to see her seeming so upset, he felt…a need to stop the tears, but…he didn't know why she was crying in the first place.

"Angel it'll be alright," he tried to reassure her, "Please trust me. Everything will be fine."

But Angel just looked at him, tears in her eyes and his hearts broke for some reason, seeing it, seeing the pain radiating in them, the loss, the devastation, and…it seemed like…she had lost the will to fight, like she just…she was giving up. She shook her head and looked past him to River, the woman smirking victoriously at her, and she just shook her head, moving her gaze to Rory.

"Go ahead Rory," she said, her voice barely a whisper on the wind though everyone stiffened, hearing the absolute heartbreak in her voice. She turned her gaze back to River, looking utterly…defeated, "I give up," she murmured, "You win River. You win. Just…" she couldn't even bring herself to speak as she turned away, "Just do it," she whispered, closing her eyes, "Just do it."

The Doctor looked at Angel, not understanding why she seemed so upset by this. She should be…well…normally it would be a happy occasion, to have a marriage or something to that effect. True this was being done under quite a bit of duress and stress and threatening danger but it should still be a happy occasion. _He_ felt happy about it.

He gave Angel one more concerned glance before he turned to Rory, "Rory if you will?"

Rory looked at Angel once more, but she was looking away. He sighed, "I consent and gladly give," he repeated, his voice flat.

Amy looked at him, quite a bit confused as to why he sounded so even though he had only just found out River was their daughter and she was apparently getting married. Shouldn't that be something to be happy about?

The Doctor turned to River, nodding, "Now River, I'm about to whisper something in your ear, and you have to remember it very, very carefully, and tell no one what I said," he looked at her meaningfully before leaning in to whisper something in her ear, pulling away as River stared at him, stunned, "I just told you my name."

Angel glanced over for only that, she knew there was NO way he'd told River his name. Not even he, with all the laws he'd broken and traditions he'd warped and customs he'd ignored over the years would EVER tell someone who was not his clear-cut Mate his name. She knew what he'd whispered to River, that he'd revealed he was actually the Teselecta to her, but still…why did it have to be THIS way that he'd done it? There were so many other ways this could have played out, so many other options to get to his end goal…why marriage? Unless…

She closed her eyes, feeling her throat closing on her at the emotions hitting her.

"Now, there you go, River Song," the Doctor smiled at her, "Melody Pond. You're the woman who married me. And wife, I have a request. This world is dying and…"

Rory looked over at Angel, ignoring what the Doctor was saying as he spoke to River, when he saw Angel let out a shuddering breath and a quiet sob, seeming to be the only one who could hear her actually starting to cry at this. And it wasn't a good cry, he could see the emotion on her face, the expressions filtering across her…she was absolutely _devastated_ , completely shattered and destroyed by what was happening before her. They were NOT happy tears at all.

He quickly but quietly made his way over to her, focusing on her instead of his apparent daughter getting married behind him, "Angel what's wrong?" he whispered to her but she could only shake her head, barely able to breathe.

She winced when she heard the Doctor mentioning a kiss and watched as he leaned in, getting closer and closer to River, about ready to kiss her…

She felt her world falling apart around her. She should have done something. She should have stopped him when she had the chance. She'd had so many chances to tell him he was her Mate, to remind him, to do something to bring his memories back…but she wasn't all that clever and she had no idea how she could accomplish that. She wasn't brave enough to face him and have him deny her, deny the truth she spoke, even if he knew that she didn't lie, to have him deny her even for a moment would've killed her more than what she was witnessing at this very moment. Because this…this was something she couldn't stop.

There were _so many options_ he could've taken to make the situation go the way he wanted, to get himself close enough to River, to get her to touch him and have the time continue. This…THIS was something he was _choosing_ to do. With all his last knowledge _this_ was the only conclusion he was coming to. What else could be determined but that this was something he _wanted_ to happen? That he wanted to marry River Song. Marriage was NOT something to be taken lightly, it wasn't something he would do just to try and gain River's helping hand, it was something he'd do because he meant it…he…he really did want to marry her.

She blinked, barely able to see through her tear-blurred vision as she watched the Doctor grow closer and closer to River, the man seeming to frown a little bit the closer he got. But she shook her head and looked away, despite having just witnessed him marrying the woman she did NOT want to see this happening, see this kiss that would seal the ceremony, see the last lingering remnants of the love _they_ had shared completely crumble before her eyes as he took another woman to be his wife. She had never wanted to be his wife, she wanted to be his Mate, but to see him choosing another woman to replace her…hurt her deeply. And she just…she couldn't take it anymore. She rested her hands on her stomach and turned away, leaning into Rory's arms as he held her as she cried.

The Doctor frowned as he got closer to River, not understanding why he was starting to feel so…hesitant to do this, why he was pulling away at the last moment. He should _want_ to kiss River, she was his wife now, he had just married her! So…what was wrong with him? Why was he hesitating, why wasn't he kissing her already, why did he feel like pulling away and getting as far from her as possible?

He shook his head minutely and closed his eyes, screwing up his courage, brushing it off as just 'premarital jitters' or something what with the Silence approaching and him having this one chance to save the people he cared about you. He leaned in and pressed his lips to River's, their lips just barely touching before he gasped, his eyes widening as a flood of images flew through mind…

~oOo~

_"We promised to take care of each other, I will never leave you," he reached forward and gently pulled her into his arms, carefully leaning down and kissing her..._

_"Of course, yes!" he quickly reached out and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply, savoring the experience, committing evert facet of it to his considerable memory, every emotion, every thought (few though they were), every sensation..._

_"The moment I saw you, I knew you were special. I knew you were for me, my own personal angel," and with that, he kissed her gently, deeply, reveling in this moment he could share with his wife..._

_"YOU are my Mate. My ONLY Mate. EVER. I don't want another one. I won't, no matter what. Because I LOVE you and only you, forever," he leaned forward and kissed her deeply, pouring all his feelings and promises into it..._

_The energy flowed to his face and down the length of his body. He held out both his hands looking at them before squeezing her hand one final time and leaning in to kiss her quickly..._

~oOo~

The Doctor yanked himself away from River, his hearts clenching in pain as memory after memory assailed him from the few memories that had only just started to hit him, growing more powerful and profound as they race through his mind. He remembered…he remembered everything! He remembered Angel, kissing her and telling her he loved her and asking her to be his Mate and…

"What have you _done_?!" he glared at River.

River just smirked, "It wasn't just me, _husband_ ," she added the last word with a hiss.

And his hearts stopped.

He'd just kissed another woman in front of Angel…this was not like it was with Cassandra, this is something he'd chosen to do and…worse yet…he'd just…married her. He spun around with a gasp, to see Angel crumble to the ground in Rory's arms, sobbing her hearts out for what had just happened in front of her.

"Angel…" he reached out for her, but River grabbed his hand…

And time resumed…

~8~

The Doctor ran into the TARDIS, parked right behind him within the Teselecta's head, leaving the control of the robot to the crew he'd borrowed it from, before he raced in, his mind whirling with the rampant thoughts, the pain in his hearts threatening to crush him as he saw Angel wasn't there. He ran to the console, trying to bring up a scan to find her…but the controls sparked. No, not just sparked, flames shot up to prevent him from touching anything. The lights turned red as the box began to hum angrily at him.

He shook his head, "I'm sorry," he whispered to the old girl before he dashed out of the room, into the halls, trying to find Angel, NEEDING to find her…

He ran down a hall, heading for her room, wincing as he thought of that, HER room…she hadn't been sharing his room the last few years and that…he felt ill. Because that room had been THEIR room, she had essentially been 'kicked out' of their room and forced back into her old one and…god he just needed to find her!

He finally reached her door, the TARDIS thankfully not making him lost, and ran in, not bothering to knock, shoving the door open with such force that it swung back and hit the wall. Though it didn't startle the woman within as she stood staring out a false window, the landscape beyond a memory of Gallifrey.

"Ang…" he began, running into the room.

"Go away," Angel called, making him stop in his tracks, staring at her turned back as though he couldn't believe what she'd said, how she'd said it…so…hollowly, so…empty.

"Angel…"

"I said go away Doctor," she repeated.

He winced, knowing she should have called him Theta, she always called him Theta when they were alone, she loved calling him by his true name as often as she could. This was wrong, this was SO wrong, and this was all his fault, "I'm sorry…"

"You don't need to apologize to me," Angel murmured, still not turning around, giving him no indication that an advancement towards her would be welcome.

He let out a breath, starting to smile, hoping that meant that she was forgiving him…when she continued.

"You should apologize to your _wife_ though," she added, a…bitter note in her voice, "You ran off in the middle of your wedding."

He swallowed hard, feeling tears pricking his eyes at that, "Angel I didn't…"

"Stop," she cut in again, "Just… _stop_ ," she pleaded, shaking her head, "I just…don't care."

"What?" he breathed, feeling his hearts shatter at that, that was…so unlike Angel, she cared about everything, about him most of all, more than herself and…she just…

What had he done?!

"I don't care anymore," she repeated, before she turned around and he could see the tears in her eyes, the weariness on her face, the hopelessness in her expression she had…given up, just…given up. She shook her head, "And I can't do this anymore."

He watched as she stepped away from the window and moved to her bed where a small bag was resting, already packed, her bag, her things…he looked around the room to see all her belongings were missing.

"Angel please," he moved in front of her, blocking her way, reaching for her, "Don't…"

"Don't touch me!" she snapped, backing away from him, making him feel as though he'd been punched in the gut, the air leaving him at her snap, Angel didn't snap like that, "You CAN'T touch me anymore."

"But you're my Mate!" he argued.

"And your WIFE will have your head," she shot back at him, her tears turning angry now.

He let out a breath, realizing just how far he'd pushed her, "Mates are more important."

"Really?" she scoffed, "I seem to recall someone saying that things forgotten can't be important if they are so easily erased from one's mind."

He winced, knowing that HE had basically said that, after the Dream Lord, he'd mentioned all those memories that were fuzzy, that he'd forgotten about, that couldn't be so important if he could forget them, "I didn't mean…"

"You did," she didn't let him finish, "Those memories, were of ME. They were of our time, our Mating, our love…and by your own words they aren't important," she shrugged, "So that must mean your wife is more important to you than your Mate," she let out a bitter laugh, "And who am I to stand in the way of your happiness? I'm no one important."

"Don't say that!" he nearly shouted, jumping to the side to block her as she tried to leave again, "You are my entire Universe! Nella please…"

"Don't call me that," she blinked, looking down, "Don't you DARE use my name."

He swallowed hard at her demand, the names were…sacred, the most powerful secret a Mated pair could share and she was…essentially denying their bond…which was only fitting, he'd denied it so often before.

She sniffled, pulling his attention back to her, "Why don't you just tell your wife your name as well," she whispered, her voice breaking, driving a nail further into his hearts, "We both know you will one day, might as well get it over with."

"Angel…" he shook his head, he…didn't know what to say. He truly, for the first time in his long lives, had no idea what he could say to make this better. That he was sorry?

For what? There were too many things to name. Too many things he'd done to her that would take too long for him to list and make up for.

"The worst part," she continued to look down, "Is that I actually hoped…I hoped that, maybe, you really _did_ love me enough to fall in love with me again even after you'd forgotten me," she looked at him now, the heartsbreak in her eyes killing him, "But you never really did love me in the first place did you?"

"Of course I did!" he insisted, wanting to reach out and shake her, show her, prove it to her, but he held back, she didn't want him to touch her.

"And yet you married River Song," Angel shook her head, "The anti-me, isn't she? Dangerous and clever and beautiful and daring and…dark. And THAT's who you truly are, aren't you Doctor? You did it, you managed to fool even psychic ME into thinking you were a good man, but you're not," she felt a tear fall from her eye as she realized that, "You're not. And you never will be. I was an anchor, I was a…restraint. I was holding you back, I get that now. You needed River to unlock your potential. To be who you truly are. The Oncoming Storm."

He blinked, feeling tears falling from his own eyes at her words, not only was she putting herself down…but she was…she honestly believed…the one person in all of space and time who truly had believed he was capable of being a good man…didn't anymore.

She'd lost her faith in him.

And that…hurt second only to the fact that she seemed to have lost her love for him as well.

"I…" he couldn't speak, what could be said to that.

"I actually thought you loved me," Angel continued, letting out a scoffing laugh, as though someone who had found out that something they had believed in with all their heart was a sham, "I thought I could trust you."

"You can!" he swore.

"I DID," she reminded him, "I trusted you…more than I _ever_ trusted anyone. More than Jack, more than Mickey, more than Rory…more than I trusted my own family," he watched, feeling his hearts breaking all over as she grew more upset and angry, "I trusted you! I trusted that you would be the _one person_ in all the Universe who _wouldn't_ HURT me! I trusted you with _everything_ , with things I'd NEVER told anyone before and…" she shook her head, "And…and…you threw it all away for River Song! Do you know how it feels to know you can't even tell your Mate who you are to them because you KNOW they won't believe you!?" she was…beyond angry now, she had FELT it, she'd sensed it, the moment she brought up who she was to him, he'd deny it, he'd stutter and deny it and _he wouldn't believe her_ , "I trusted you…and you betrayed me."

He swallowed hard, "Angel…I'm…I'm so sorry," his own voice cracked at that, at hearing how completely he'd destroyed the only good thing in his life.

"I am too," she took a breath, as though steeling herself, "I'm going back to Jack, to my family…DON'T come after me, Doctor," she warned him, "Don't come see me. Don't contact me. Don't…do anything. Just…don't," she shook her head, placing a hand on her stomach, drawing his attention to the…the bump of it, his eyes widening before they shot back up to her own eyes, "I don't want her to become YOU."

He staggered back at that, feeling himself grow light-headed, feeling the breath leave him. Angel…she was pregnant, his MATE was pregnant, with a little girl…and…and…he sunk down the wall to the ground, staring at her, openly crying now as he watched her walk to the door of the bedroom, the light in his darkness about to go out and leave him in the bitter black.

And he'd brought it upon himself.

"Please…" he begged, "Please don't leave me…"

Angel paused in the doorway, he could see tears in her eyes though he knew the emotion behind them was just…gone, they were tears for her own pain and not for his, "If you want company," she glanced at him, "You know where to find your wife."

And with that, she walked out the door…slamming it behind her…

~8~

The Doctor shot up in bed with a bang, hearing something slam…well, not slam exactly, more like gently close. Angel…the real Angel…didn't slam things. He looked over at the door to the bathroom, before falling back down onto the bed for a moment, putting a hand over his face and dragging it down till it rested on his mouth. He closed his eyes, feeling tears behind them as he remembered that dream. He…hadn't been expecting it.

He'd come to expect nightmares now, as though they were something normal he was meant to endure, as though…as though there weren't any dreams any longer just…nightmares. But he hadn't expected that one, to dream of what might have happened if he'd not remembered Angel till the very end…

He shook his head and stood, getting out of bed to walk to the false window the TARDIS had left in the room, a window that actually showed him what was outside. He looked out at the white landscape, the smoking ground and the frosty scenery that lay beyond. They were on a cloud, high above Victorian London, in the winter. He let out a breath, closing his eyes as he rested his head against the cool glass, feeling like he was both overheated and far too chilled.

That dream…he'd expected a nightmare about the Weeping Angels or something, about the _Byzantium_ , given they'd just dealt with the statues once more. But…he supposed he could see the reasoning behind this dream, River. River was a nightmare in and of herself, and to see her, to encounter her and then lose the Ponds, his mind had gone to the last time he'd 'lost the Ponds' and River had been there. He let out a shuddering breath, reaching up with his other hand to rub his eyes, bags were starting to form beneath them from lack of sleep.

He opened them however and turned his head when he felt arms wrap around him from behind, a chin rest on his shoulder as he saw Angel appear in his peripheral vision, "Are you alright my love?" she asked him, tilting her head to look up at him.

He smiled at the concern in her voice, the love in her eyes, hearing her call him 'her love,' reminding him the dream was just a nightmare, that she DID still love him, that she was his Mate and always would be. That he had NOT married River but revealed his quite-opposite feelings to the woman. He leaned over and rested his forehead to hers, "I'm fine," he smiled at her, "Now."

She gave him a small smile in return, she was…trying so hard to be supportive, to be there for him, to let him know he could talk to her about his nightmares. But…trying also not to push him, she knew how he could get. If he was pushed too much he shut down and didn't talk. So, instead, she tried to get his mind off it, glancing out the window at the light snow that was falling, "It's nearly Christmas," she murmured.

He nodded, looking out the window as well though he tilted his head to the side, resting his temple to hers, "Yes."

She nudged his head with her own, "What do you want for Christmas, my love?"

"Nothing," he said, "Absolutely nothing."

She frowned, "Why not?"

He just looked at her, turning in her arms to wrap his own around her, "Because," he reached up to gently stroke her cheek, "I already have everything I could ever want," he told her, leaning in to kiss her deeply before he pulled her closer, just…holding her, hugging her tightly, his chin on her shoulder as he closed his eyes.

She and Ayla (and the TARDIS) were all he needed, all he wanted, he just…as long as he had them…he would be happy, he would be fine, he…he'd be a good man.

As long as he had them.

He swallowed hard, closing his eyes, swearing to himself he would never ever put them in harm or give them a reason to leave, not like in the dream, he would be a better man than he was, he would protect them, keep them safe, be…the best Mate and father he could be. And, maybe, just maybe, if he did that…

They'd stay.

* * *


	23. The Great Detective Investigates

" _In London in the time of Queen Victoria, there were many tales of a remarkable personage known as The Great Detective. I refer, of course, to Madame Vastra , the lizard woman of Pater Noster Road, and her extraordinary adventures. Her beautiful assistant, Jenny Flint, and the mysterious henchman, Strax, whose countenance was too abominable to be photographed. There were also accounts...of a fourth member of the Pater Noster gang. A shadowy figure whose assistance was only sought in the direst emergencies._ "

~8~

Snow was lightly falling over the streets of Victorian London, people ambling past as they prepared for Christmas. All of them happy and laughing, unaware of the dangers that had been stopped on the ground by a rag-tag bunch of detectives or even of those who watched over them from above, hidden among the clouds. No, this was of no concern to them as they went about their business, readying things for the holidays.

A human inspector, however, was one of the few who was aware of a great danger that had been thwarted by the efforts of a rather...unique woman. He stood in a home, staring out the window at the people passing for only a moment before a reflection caught his eye and he turned, spotting a rather disfigured, dark-skinned man with no visible neck, dressed in a butler's uniform, leading a handcuffed man out of the house.

"Prepare for obliteration, Earthling scum!" Strax declared, the very same no-necked individual the man had been watching.

"Actually, Mr. Strax," the man, an Inspector for Scotland Yard, cut in, "If you could just...take him aside for a moment, I have some officers on the way."

"As you wish. Humans," he muttered the last word, leading the man out, muttering under his breath about how they were too soft and 'even worse than the glowy girl,' whoever that was.

"Sorry," a lovely young woman with dark hair stepped over, dressed in black, "He's new."

"Funny looking fellow," the man remarked to one Miss Jenny Flint, "Turkish, is he?"

"He is a genetically modified clone warrior from outer space," a green woman stepped over, her face scaly and visible for him to see, "Saved by one of our good friends," she added, "As such he feels a sense of debt and is hoping to 'restore his honor' by helping the species she would wish protected."

"Ah," the man nodded, not understanding a word of that but going along with it, "Makes sense. Well, what a case," he grinned, "Identical twins, poison undetectable to science, an ancient Egyptian curse. Once more Scotland Yard is in your debt, Madame Vastra," he gave her a polite bow, "Where would we be without you?"

She smiled, before making quite the sassy remark for the period, "Quite some distance from a clue, one imagines."

"You might be right," he nodded.

"I am quite certain I am," Vastra countered, "A child could have solved this case, and indeed, she rather did," she smiled, thinking of Ayla.

The girl had been visiting them when the case had come up and she'd had to be returned to her parents. Before she'd left, having heard the vague details of it from the flustered and stuttering officer the Inspector had sent to brief them on the case, the girl had hugged her and said 'watch out for his Ganger and don't drink the funny water.' Truly she had had no idea what the girl was speaking of, but it all made sense later, which only served to make her think of another young woman she knew who had spoken such nonsense at times yet was so important to heed her words. Ayla was becoming more and more like her mother every day in terms of her psychic abilities, even when she was wrong her little feelings still somehow related to what she was speaking of. It was quite lovely to have the chance to see Ayla growing up, she was becoming more like the Doctor as well in her curiosity, ever so intrigued by all that was around her, seeing the wonder in everything, finding it all so wonderful to learn about. For a first child, the Time Lords had done remarkably well in spawning a child that seemed to have their best qualities while also having their negative ones more tempered and balanced.

The Inspector nodded politely at that again, before taking a step back...only to step right on a squeaky little teddy bear. He frowned, leaning down to pick it up, holding it before the women questioningly.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that," Jenny blushed, taking the bear from the man and holding it gently in her arms as though it were a treasure to be taken care of and not just a scrap of cloth and buttons, "Our niece comes to visit us at times, she's jus' a little girl."

"Yes," he glanced at the bear, before turning his gaze around the room where he could see quite a few other toys and child-like objects...though he wasn't quite sure about the toy soldiers in the corner that seemed to have just played out an epic battle and were lying in pieces with a baked potato sitting on top of a pile of them...that particular spot did not make a shred of sense to him. But he shook his head, realizing he was being rude, and returned his attention back to Vastra...though even THAT gaze could be considered rude as he had to ask, "Does it ever hurt?"

"Does what hurt?" Vastra asked, unsure of what he was speaking of.

"Your skin condition. Always wondered..."

Jenny glared at him, crossing her arms, offended, "It's not a _condition_ , Inspector. It's just skin."

"Are you sure?" the man frowned, leaning in a bit closer as though to try and examine Vastra's face.

The woman rolled her eyes at the typical human reaction, well one of 2 typical reactions, at least this time the person in question wasn't running screaming from the room or fainting, "I am, as I may have failed to mention, an intelligent reptile from an ancient civilization long preceding mankind," Vastra sighed, "Many of us slumber under the Earth's crust."

"Madame was accidentally awoken by an extension to the London Underground," Jenny nodded, "She was rescued though by those friends we mentioned.

"Well, that would account for it," the Inspector nodded, taking it all in remarkably well for the moment.

"I was not initially keen on the society of apes," Vastra admitted, "But I had very good friends who helped me see the true nature of the humans above, their kindness, their bravery and indomitable spirit, their...heart," she looked at Jenny softly, "And then I made the most elementary of errors," Vastra reached out to touch Jenny's face, "I fell in love."

"What, with the Turkish fellow?" the Inspector grimaced at the thought, not even seeming to notice Vastra's gesture to Jenny.

"No," Vastra hissed, " _Not_ with the Turkish fellow," she put her arm around Jenny purposefully, the young girl smiling and blushing at the point Vastra was trying to make.

She loved how possessive the woman could be at times. It warmed her heart to see that Vastra cared that much, that she wasn't afraid of people knowing that they were together. She had noticed though that...Vastra was a bit more fond and open with her lately, since the Time Lords had come to stay in their box on the cloud. They would visit at times, they'd go up to the TARDIS and spend time with the Time Family, the Time Lords rarely ever came down but when they did they tried to avoid any dangerous situations or investigations. They would let Ayla play and stay at the house, they would have dinner together at times...but the moment a case came up, they left. It was...worrying Vastra a great deal, worrying her too how little the Time Lords...well, the Doctor really...seemed to care for the humans and the dangers to them any longer.

It was...so unlike them.

They kept trying to talk to him, to get it out of him what was wrong and what had changed in him. They knew from Ayla, how quiet and sad she would get when they asked her, when she'd talk about how her Uncle Rory and Aunt Amy went away, that something had happened to the Ponds, that they had been lost, and that the Doctor and Angel were hurting from it. Angel...was having a hard time, and the Doctor seemed to react to that even more so, double the amount of him reacting to the loss of the Ponds as well. His Mate was upset and in pain and it hurt him twice as badly to know that.

It had made him twice as attentive to her, twice as determined to see her happy, and twice as hard against getting involved in dangerous situations. They could guess that he blamed himself for what happened to the Ponds, even if they didn't know the whole story. They could probably say that he was trying to avoid losing Angel or Ayla in the same way. He had, quite literally, lost both of them at one point or another, and he was...well...he seemed out of sorts as well. He seemed jittery and agitated and jumpy and scattered, but as though he were having trouble focusing, as though he were worrying too much. It was like he was expecting something awful to happen even though Angel hadn't sensed anything of the sort. He was even more unwilling to place them in a situation where they could be taken from him or lost or hurt.

But...when they were _together_ , they saw it, they saw how much he cared for and loved his little family. It was what had made Vastra more open, to see him expressing his love for Angel, to see how happy it made the Time Lady...it had made her want to make Jenny that happy as well, and she _was_ very happy. They felt almost an...obligation to the Time Lords, to get the Doctor back up to par and saving the Earth, to get him off his cloud. The Time Lords had done SO much for them, for all the humans, that they just...wanted to help in some way, wanted to help return his fighting spirit, the spirit that truly made him the Doctor.

"Good lord!" the Inspector gasped, NOW startled and staring at them, more alarmed that they were two women then a lizard woman and a human, "Good lord."

"Come along, my dear," Vastra smirked at Jenny, she did so LOVE getting that reaction from the humans.

"Yes, my darling," Jenny put on an extra show of taking her arm and following her.

The Inspector stood there, still sputtering, "Good lord!"

~8~

Vastra and Jenny laughed as they settled into their carriage, Strax acting as the driver as they pulled away from the house that the twin brothers had been in, when Jenny sighed, "Still no word from the Doctor, then?"

"No, my dear," Vastra frowned, "And there won't be."

"Not even from Angel?" Jenny pouted, she was rather fond of the woman.

Angel had always been kind to her, she had helped save her when Vastra had attacked her shortly after waking from her slumber, not knowing that she was an innocent person who hadn't had a thing to do with what happened to her people. She always liked Angel and the Doctor because they didn't treat her like she was inferior, like most others did, but like she was remarkable, and that...meant a lot to her.

"I'm afraid not," Vastra shook her head, "They are both...rather preoccupied by their progeny."

"They can't stay in that box forever. Angel won't let him though. And Ayla _loves_ us."

"Family is a wonder to us all. And he has lost more than he can bear my dear. He will wish to take comfort in this for as long as he can."

Jenny fell silent, understanding that. Her family hadn't been...very fond of her life choices, nor had they been supportive, but...she did still love them, they were family. They truly were a treasure that could never be replaced and to lose them...it hurt. She could empathize slightly with the Doctor in not wanting to lose them and wanting to cherish the time he had with them. She glanced out the window of the carriage, looking up and starting to smile, "It's starting to snow."

"But it can't be," Vastra frowned, leaning over to try and see for herself.

"Well, it is nearly Christmas. Ayla _was_ wishing for this."

"But the clouds..."

"What about them?" Jenny shook her head.

"There _aren't_ any," Vastra frowned and reached up, tapping the side of a sort of ear-horn that was sticking down from the roof of her carriage, truly it was really a communication device fitted to look like something commonplace in Victorian London. She started to speak, not even waiting to hear who had picked up the other end once it connected, "There is something you should see," she called to the person listening, "Something important, a danger..." she glanced at Jenny who nodded encouragingly, "Please, we _must_ meet."

She closed the comm. and looked at the device, tapping coordinates into it before she looked at Jenny once more, taking her hand and holding it tightly, hoping that the fourth member of their group would agree to meet them.

~8~

Strax, the Sontaran general, peered around a corner of an alley a short while later, waving back at Jenny and Vastra to call them over when he saw the coast was clear.

"What?" Jenny hissed as they reached him, honestly the potato was _far_ too paranoid for his own good, he saw enemies everywhere!

They turned, hearing the snow crunch to see a figure, a man, standing in the shadows of the alley behind them, seeming to be dressed for the times with a top hat on his head. He didn't move closer, he didn't reveal himself, but they knew who it was.

"I'm so glad you came!" Vastra breathed, though she was disappointed to see that two others were not with him, "We have news, I think, of particular interest to you. There was a meteor shower in the south-west," she began, throwing everything she had at him besides just the snow with no clouds, she needed to intrigue him, they all did, for the sake of the Earth, and...well...snow without clouds was possible, now that she thought about it, the Time Lords had done the same trick before they'd left her with Jenny, had sent a ball of light into the sky from their TARDIS and made it snow, it could have been that, it probably was that, Ayla had wanted a white Christmas, so now...realizing that...she needed to use something, anything, to gather his interest and make him curious, "Unexpected timing and density. I have calculated there is a 34 percent chance it is the result of alien intervention," the man was silent, "24 percent," she corrected, but _still_ he was silent, "Well it could JUST be meteors but it's worth looking into! There is a very pleasant tea room in the area. I'm sure you and your Mate and daughter would love it."

The man stiffened.

"Also," Jenny tried, seeing that the stiffening wasn't good, that he would NOT be open to the idea of exposing the two girls in such a way, "There's a professor, Erasmus Pin, who's claiming he's gonna split the world open with a giant drill through the thinnest part of the Earth's crust! I think we should investigate!" the man turned his attention to her silently, "I mean, he doesn't actually have a giant drill," and continued to be silent, "And he's not really a professor," and quiet, "And he _was_ a bit drunk at the time and singing a bit but you know it's never too early to…investigate a drill?"

Strax eyed the women a moment before pointing up, "I've declared war on the Moon!"

"Do be quiet Strax!" Vastra sighed, exasperated.

"Too long the Moon has hung unmonitored and unsuspected in the sky! It is gaining enormous tactical advantage!"

"There's no one living there!" Jenny told him.

"Then it is CLEARLY time to act! They won't suspect a thing!"

"WHO won't suspect a thing?"

"MOON-ITES!"

The man, the Doctor, stepped out of the shadows, dressed for the times, and looked at them, serious, "Why do you keep doing this? What is the point? I have told you. I KEEP telling you! I _don't_ do this anymore. I've retired. I _just_ want to spend time with my _family_. What is so wrong about that?"

Truly that was _all_ he wanted to do, just...be with them. The Ponds...to lose them like that, it was hard, on all of them. They hadn't lost a member of their family in...SO long that it hurt, it hurt even worse than all the times before. Especially for Angel, she blamed herself, that she should have seen the angel there, that she should have been able to pull Rory away. Why could she save so many others yet not the people most dear to her? He just...wanted to get her mind off it, wanted to try and go somewhere that they could just...be as normal of a family as possible...for being practically immortal and living in a time machine. The Ponds had hit him as well, had made him realize how...easy it really was to lose family and he just...couldn't bear the thought of losing any member of it again, especially Angel and Ayla, he wanted to spend as much time as he could with them just being a father and a Mate.

"There's a man on Praid Street with an invisible wife!" Jenny attempted to intrigue him, but the Doctor just shook his head, "Maybe he...just...doesn't have a wife..."

"You're wasting your time," he told them, striding past, "Leave me alone, leave Angel alone, and leave our daughter alone. I will _not_ put them in danger again!"

"Merry Christmas!" Jenny called as he disappeared as a carriage passed, "You think he means it?" she asked Vastra quietly.

"Yes, my dear," she sighed, putting her arm around Jenny, "I rather think he does," before leading her off, starting to think it would take a Christmas miracle to get the stubborn man off his cloud.

Strax though, just looked up at the moon, "Damn Moon!"

"Strax!" they called and he sighed, clambering after them to their carriage, getting up to drive it as the women settled in back.

"Oh dear Vastra," Angel's voice rang out from a communication horn sticking out of the roof, making the women look up, "One must always have faith."

The women looked at each other...and smiled.

Maybe they would get their Christmas miracle after all.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a really Time Lord-lite prequel so I tried to add as much of the Time Lords into it as I could and give a little outside perspective of what others see happening with them through Vastra and her gang :)
> 
> I am SO excited to get to Clara though! And I can't wait till the 50th ^-^


	24. The Snowmen: Winter is Coming

The Doctor smiled as he looked at Angel, curled up and sleeping on one of the new seats in the TARDIS, the old box had decided to archive the other console room and create a new one. An early Christmas gift for her niece who hadn't seen the TARDIS change overnight before. The little girl had woken up from the excited calls of her 'Aunt Idris' and gone into the control room to see it had been completely changed. It looked far more high-tech, more alien, more like the brilliant machine the old girl was. She'd squealed excitedly and raced to wake them up as well, to show them the present she'd been given. Apparently the TARDIS had also changed as a way to try and cheer Ayla up from the loss of Rory and Amy, which had hit them all hard. Angel had smiled a small, knowing smile that told him either Idris had mentioned the idea to her or that she just knew what was coming. But still, they'd only been asleep for an hour or so, not needing as much as Ayla, who was still growing, but being woken up so roughly had made them a bit tired.

He had been...torn between being thankful and sad that he'd been woken up, thankful because he'd felt the stirrings of another nightmare setting in and...sad because...he'd felt another nightmare setting in. He truly was a mess of a man wasn't he? The nightmares plagued him and haunted him, starting to encroach upon his waking hours but...he...welcomed them, in a way. He...wanted them to happen. He wanted them to be terrible and horrifying and kill him little by little inside. It was a terrible, truly a horrifying thing to wish but...he...

He deserved them.

Angel had let him off entirely too easily for what he'd done to her, for what he'd let happen to her and Ayla. It was all his fault, everything that had happened to his girls. From the moment he'd regenerated to the moment Angel regenerated and they got Ayla back it was HIS fault. And...Angel had forgiven him. Ayla had forgiven him. Hell, the family had forgiven him...but he just...couldn't. He couldn't forgive himself for what he'd done, for all the hurt he'd caused. Everyone had let him off too easy, he was sure of it, and he...he needed to be punished. He'd hurt the people he loved and cherished more than anything and he'd merely been let off with a slap on the wrists. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair that Angel and Ayla had suffered so terribly and he was just left to skip off with a merry tune.

The nightmares were his punishment. The nightmares were his own suffering. And that was why he couldn't tell Angel about them. Yes, he didn't want her to know because he didn't want her to see half the things he'd dreamed of, like Ayla becoming River in the spacesuit at the lake or her being cut into by Malokeh, the truly gruesome quality of his nightmares was something he wanted to protect her from. But...it was also because she'd do everything she could to make him feel better. She would try her hardest to make them go away, to comfort him, and be there for him, and be the light in the dark of his mind. And he...

Didn't want that.

He didn't deserve that.

He deserved to suffer. He truly did believe he deserved a worse hell than what the Teselecta sentenced Melody to, worse than anything he could ever imagine. But sadly...all he had was the nightmares. They were all he had to try and ease his guilty mind, to try and subconsciously make it up to Angel and Ayla for all they'd endured because of him. And it would never be enough. It never ever would.

And for that reason alone, he needed them to continue as long as they could without Angel finding out, he...needed this punishment.

His Mate, his daughter, had been hurt because of him, he had failed them, it was only fitting he be hurt in return.

And this, the nightmares, were the only way that could happen because it was the only thing Angel and Ayla wouldn't be able to see coming as an attack or try to comfort him about if they didn't know about them. It was the only thing he could do where he could be tortured as painfully as they had been without them seeing it to stop it.

So he had been a bit disheartened that he'd been awoken before the nightmare could set in, but...seeing Ayla's beaming face, seeing Angel smiling, seeing his girls happy...it was enough to make up for that. If they could be happy, that was all he wanted, that was all he ever wanted, them to be happy. And even now Angel was smiling softly in her sleep, she'd drifted off on a small comfy black chair that was set up in the middle of the controls along the edge of the room. There was a small path from the front doors to the console, now a more defined hexagon, with a ring of technology banks around it with a small break in both sides to fit a chair. There were a set of steps in the back that led to the other halls and a set of steps to the side that led to the lower levels near the doors.

He didn't have the hearts to wake her so he'd let her continue to sleep as he tried his hand at showing Ayla more about the TARDIS…which, given by how she'd look up at the rotating Gallifreyan symbols above the rotor and giggle from behind her hands, he was doing a poor job of. He was quite sure the TARDIS was making fun of him to Ayla, but that was alright, he wanted his little girl to be happy. He couldn't help but smile, he liked the fact that he made his daughter giggle and smile like that, even if it was indirectly with the TARDIS undoubtedly poking fun at him.

He put a finger to his lips though, signaling for Ayla to try and be quiet, to let her mummy sleep. Angel had had a difficult time losing Rory. While he had had so many companions over the years, had left some, been left by some, lost some, it never did get easier but...having so many had helped him heal when it happened next. He'd been devastated as it was happening, yes, he hadn't lost any in the way he lost the Ponds since Angel had joined him. But, afterwards, seeing their life play out, seeing them live a full and happy life had made it easier to let go. Angel, though, she'd only had Mickey who had left her to save the world, a noble cause, but come back and married one of her best friends, and Rory…who had, for all intents and purposes, died. It killed her that she hadn't seen it coming, hadn't been able to stop it, to save him. All those time distortions had severely hindered her abilities and Rory had been lost because of it. She blamed herself and Rory wasn't just a companion, not that Mickey was just a companion either, but…Rory had been there longer, done so much for her and Ayla, been there for her when she'd needed someone most. He'd truly become like a brother to Angel and to lose him...it killed her.

He wanted her to sleep as long as she needed when she finally managed to drift off, she'd been having more trouble getting to sleep than he had the last few times they'd slept since the incident with the Ponds. Unfortunately, the Universe didn't seem to get the memo.

Angel's small smile soon turned into a frown as she slept, her head starting to twitch in her dreaming...

... _a young boy stood before a mound of snow with a large snowball on top of it, staring at it in a mixture of fright and curiosity, walking closer to it_...

... _a tall man with a long face stood above a group of men, watching as they were devoured, attacked by snowmen_...

... _a snowglobe stood in a laboratory, lights flashing around it, snow swirling within as the long-faced man stood stoically before it_...

... _a pond lay, frozen, before a dark house, ice spreading unnaturally fast across the top of it, a hand pressing against the top, cracking it, trying to break through_...

... _the long-faced man leapt up from the ground, his skin startlingly pale, his eyes vacant and cloudy, ghoulish in appearance as he hissed and lunged_...

Angel gasped, jerking awake, panting, her eyes wide in fear.

"Angel?" the Doctor ran to her side as Ayla came around the console to look at her mother in concern, kneeling before her, taking her hands in his, "What is it? What happened?"

She took a few deep breaths, blinking, shaking her head as she tried to make sense of her dream, wincing as a whisper of words came to her…

"Winter is coming," she breathed, looking at him with wide eyes.

~8~

A shower of snowflakes with teeth in their center drifted softly towards the Earth, having coated England in a blanket of white in the year 1842. A young boy stood in the yard of a large manor, other children running around, having a snowball fight, while he concentrated on building a more human-shaped snowman, more like a mound of snow with a head, none of that three snowballs rubbish.

"Walter," his governess called, stepping up behind him, "Don't you want to go and play with the other boys and girls? They're very nice."

"I don't need anyone else," the boy muttered, patting his snowman into shape, the other children were silly and childish.

The woman sighed as Walter's father walked up to her, "He never talks to anyone. He's so alone. It's not right. It's not healthy."

The man nodded grimly and led her back into the house.

"I don't _want_ to talk to them," Walter told his snowman, "They're silly."

"They're silly," the snowman replied, its voice deep, "Don't talk to them. They're silly."

Walter stepped back, alarmed at the voice coming from the pile of snow, before turning to run away.

"Don't need anyone else," the snowman called after him, making him pause, "I can help you."

Walter slowly turned around, looking around at the snow, trying to see if it was some sort of trick, but he didn't see anyone. Slowly he inched his way back to the snowman, his eyes on it, as he hesitated to ask, "How?"

~8~

_50 years later..._

1892, at a time only a short while before Christmas, would find an older Walter, who now was known as Dr. Simeon, standing as an old man with a long expression, watching various men scraping portions of snow off the sides of human-shaped snowmen that had popped up throughout the town, all of them looking like mounds with heads. The snow was gathered into small jars and loaded into his small carriage to be taken back to his house, which he'd adapted into a magnificent institute, the Great Intelligence Institute.

He wandered through the halls, carrying a jar with snow in it into a study, partially a laboratory of sorts. There was a platform in the middle of the room with a large sphere standing on four legs in the center, with snow blasting around inside it, electricity flashing around it. He took the three steps up to the dais, holding up the jar, "The last of the arrivals have been sampled."

"The great swarm is approaching," a voice, the snowman's voice, echoed from the sphere, "As humanity celebrates, so shall it end. Will the final piece be ready?"

"It's in hand. I serve you in this, as in everything else," he opened a small latch on the sphere and began to spoon the snow out of the jar and into it.

"And do you keep my secrets, those men who helped us tonight?"

"It won't be a problem," he smirked, "I promised to _feed_ them."

~8~

Dr. Simeon stepped out onto a balcony that overlooked his yard, which looked exactly as it had when he'd been a child, a ring of shrubs around it, a large tree in the middle. But now there were men standing there, waiting, looking up at him.

"Beg pardon, Dr. Simeon," one of the men called, "It's been a long day. I don't see any food here."

Simeon just looked down, right at them, " _I_ do."

Suddenly snowmen, all with toothy, dark, grins and looking like human-shaped mounds with a head on top, popped up from the ground, surrounding them.

"What is this?!"

Simeon watched, undisturbed, as the snowmen began to attack the men, tearing into them, unaffected as they screamed "I said I'd feed you. I didn't say who to."

And with that, he turned and walked back into his house, leaving the men to their fate.

~8~

A young woman with brown hair, rather lovely, walked through a crowded pub, dressed in red, gathering empty tankards from the tables and putting them on a tray to take to the washhouse outside. She turned around, gasping as she saw a little girl standing before her.

She blinked, eyeing the child as she merely grinned up at her. She was young, probably 10 years old at most, with light strawberry-blonde hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a small, emerald dress that went to her ankles, a little black coat over it. It looked very much like a miniature dress she often saw the women wearing, fitted on top, slightly high-collared, but with buttons down the center and it went to her waist, she had a small black belt around her waist that seemed to mark the start of her skirt. She had the most adorable miniature bustle to complete the outfit as well, truly looking like a 'little lady' of the times. The girl's hair was hanging mostly free, held back by one clip so half of it was back and the rest fell around her shoulders. She had her hands behind her back and was swaying side to side as though either shy or excited.

"Hello," the girl smiled.

"'ello," she greeted.

"I'm Ayla," she reached out a hand to shake hers.

She laughed a bit, balancing the tray of tankards in one hand as she returned the shake, "Clara," she looked around at the men and women, none seeming to be concerned with the girl, "Are you lost?"

The girl shook her head, "No, mummy and daddy are outside," she pointed to the door, "I wanted to come inside."

She smiled a bit, "Well, 'ow abouts we get you back to your parents eh?" she asked, reaching out to take the girl's hand, "Betcha they're goin' out of their mind with worry."

"No," the girl shook her head again, "Mummy knows _exactly_ where I am," she leaned in as though to tell her a secret, "Mummy's psychic. Daddy says so. And daddy's _always_ right about everything," she nodded as though, by saying it, it had to be true.

Clara smiled and gave an amused nod, not quite sure she believed that, "Don't matter to a parent. They'll always worry, come on," she led the girl back to the door, opening it to let her out, stepping out after her, only to blink at a snowman just a few feet away. She could have _sworn_ it wasn't there when she'd opened the door but only when she'd looked up.

"Ayla," a woman called.

"Mummy!" Ayla shouted, running over to a woman and hugging her.

Clara looked over to see a woman, with the same hair as Ayla though it was pulled into a twist of some sort, kneeling down to hug the girl. She was dressed in a pale blue dress, it was long sleeved, very fitted, not quite as high collared as many other women's would be, but it was more because she appeared to have a white shirt on under it that was high collared. The sleeves and the slightly corsetted top fit her and came down to just below her waist. The skirt, while lacking the bustle that was typical of the time, was flowing and embroidered with golden flowers along the bottom, a few vines of them creeping upwards along the natural folds of the fabric. It trailed a bit behind her, but not by much. There was a man beside her in a typical Victorian suit, an old top hat on his head, crouched down to hug the girl as well, must be the parents.

"What did I tell you about wandering off young lady?" the mother asked, sounding a cross between amused and exasperated, as she pulled away and put her hands on Ayla's shoulders.

"Not to," Ayla pouted, before speaking quickly, "But _you_ knew where I was mummy."

The woman smiled, "Be that as it may, I'd rather KNOW you're right beside me."

"Yes mummy," Ayla nodded with a small sigh, as though she'd been told this many times before, quite the common conversation it appeared to be, "I'm sorry."

"And I'd rather SEE you with us," the father added, reaching out to take the girl's hand, "You know I'm not nearly as special as your mum."

Ayla's eyes widened as she quickly hugged her father, "You're _brilliant_ daddy! Very special!"

Clara could see the man practically beam at the praise his daughter had given him, quite clearly very touched that the little girl thought so much of him. A bit more touched than she thought a father would usually feel, but then again, to each his own.

"Oh," the woman called, noticing Clara standing there, "Hello. Sorry…"

"This is Clara!" Ayla took their hands and pulled them over to her, "She brought me back."

"Well then," the Doctor reached out a hand, "Thank you Clara."

"No trouble at all," she smiled, shaking their hands, "Mr.…"

The Doctor hesitated a moment, "Smith," he answered, not noticing Clara frown at that, as though sensing the lie, "John Smith."

"Right," she nodded slowly, "Well then, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith…"

"Please, call me…Angela," Angel cut in, going along with the Doctor's cover, "It's nice to meet you."

"Angela," she eyed the woman, before something pulled her attention away, "Sorry but um, that snowman," she nodded at it, making them look over their shoulders at it, "Did you make it?"

"No," the trio replied.

She blinked, "Did you see who did? Because it wasn't there a second ago. It just appeared, from _nowhere_."

The Doctor frowned and turned to the snowman, moving over to it as he put on a pair of familiar round reading glasses to eye it closely. Angel stepped up beside him, reaching out to touch the snow, frowning at it, getting an odd sensation off it.

"Maybe it's snow that fell before?" he guessed, looking at Angel, "Maybe it remembers how to make snowmen?"

"Or maybe someone else does," she added quietly to him, giving him a look that meant there was something wrong there but not wanting to say it out loud for fear of Clara hearing. She couldn't really speak to him in his mind either as Clara might find it odd that they were silent for so long.

He nodded, understanding.

"What, snow that can remember?" Clara smiled and gave Ayla a small tickle, making her giggle, "That's silly."

"What's wrong with silly?" the Doctor smiled.

"Silly's the best!" Ayla laughed.

"Nothing," Clara agreed, "Still talking to you, ain't I?"

Angel smiled at that, "Thank you for bring Ayla back to us Clara."

"Come along sweetheart," the Doctor held out a hand and Ayla ran over to take it.

"Clara," Angel murmured, looking back at her as they moved to leave, "It's a lovely name."

"Goodbye!" the Doctor called as they walked off.

"Where are you going?" Clara frowned at their sudden departure, running to catch up to them, "I thought we was just getting acquainted."

The Doctor sighed, shaking his head, those were the days. Any other time, he'd be thrilled to meet someone new, to make a new friend. He'd been hurt to see the Ponds leave, but…River had actually made him realize something as much as he was loathe to admit it. Amy and Rory were her parents, she barely got to see them as it was and now she wouldn't be able to again much. She'd lost them in a split second and…he _didn't_ want that to happen to Ayla. They'd lost her already, lost six years with her from the girl's timeline, nearly 200 in their own. He didn't want that to _ever_ happen again. He wanted to spend as much time with his daughter as he could, as he'd told Vastra, Jenny, and Strax when they'd tried to get him to investigate silly little things like meteor showers (which he'd set off for Ayla) and a man with an invisible/imaginary wife. Why would he be interested in anyone else's wife when he had a Mate as fantastic as Angel?

He just wanted to be with his family as a family for a while, spend all the time he could with them, not miss anything that they already had when Ayla had been taken. He wanted to be the best father he could be. And he felt like he couldn't do that with everyone trying to pull him away from his Mate and daughter. Things were dangerous when he got involved, situations escalated (he'd been told enough times), and he didn't always have a plan or even a thing to work with. He was realizing just how dangerous it was to be him, how right the Silence were to come after him for it. He didn't want that to bleed in to his family as well, he wanted them safe, he'd lost them too many times already. They were still there, yes, but he didn't want to risk his luck finally running out. Angel was an angel incarnate, he was sure of it, she was his good luck charm, his Christmas angel, but...luck could only last so long.

He refused to risk his family, not for anything, not again.

They kept walking, towards a small brougham carriage where Strax was sitting as the driver in the front. He smiled, opening the door for Ayla to get in, and then Angel, snatching her hand as she passed and pressing a kiss to it, making her smile and blush and lean in to kiss his lips in return. He...rather loved it, he did love this time with his girls very much. He had to admit, as he took a moment to look at his girls, he rather liked Angel's thought to dress for the times on their adventures, he loved seeing her in dresses like that and Ayla was adorable. It made him appreciate them all the more, those little things that shaped their personalities, that made them just...wonderful.

"Come on daddy," Ayla smiled, patting the seat next to her which she'd left open for him to sit.

Angel smiled, she loved sitting across from them when there was no room to sit with them, according to her, she'd had Ayla all to herself nearly 3 years, the Doctor deserved some father/daughter time too. And her hearts always warmed to see them together, whether it was working on a 'super secret special surprise' or just playing together in the TARDIS. She'd fallen even more in love with the Doctor when she saw him with Ayla, playing dress up, letting the girl give him 'makeovers' and cooking with her, reading to her, tucking her in, holding her when she had a nightmare. He was such a natural parent it just...warmed her hearts. And Ayla, she certainly was a 'daddy's girl,' the Doctor was as wrapped around her little finger as possible.

He laughed, getting in and taking his place beside his daughter and across from his Mate.

~8~

Meanwhile, Clara headed back to the pub, only to stop, thinking about what she was about to do, walk away from what was probably the most interesting encounter of her life, before smiling. She pulled off her apron and threw it on the ground with determination, hiking up her skirts as she ran for the carriage.

~8~

"How refreshing to see you taking an interest again," Vastra's voice sounded in the carriage, making them look up at a small metal horn-like thing stuck out of the top of it, "Was she nice?"

"We had a small chat Vastra," Angel laughed, knowing Vastra was 'getting her hopes up' and seeing possibilities and signs everywhere. Honestly, one time the Doctor had picked up a newspaper that a man had dropped and Vastra, somehow had known about it, and spent an hour commenting on how the Doctor was so kind and concerned and should help more than just picking up a paper and it was a sign he cared.

"And made your usual impacts, no doubt."

"No, no," the Doctor shook his head, "No impact at all. Those days are over."

"You can't help yourself," Vastra teased, "It's the same story every time. And it _always_ begins with the same two words."

"She'll never be able to find me again."

"Oh I wouldn't say that," Angel shared a secret smile with Ayla.

She knew exactly where her daughter had gone earlier, and...why. She'd told Ayla to trust her feelings, unlike she had done as a child, she'd encouraged her daughter to let her self feel, no matter what that feeling was, and to explore those sensations, to try and let them lead her wherever they might take her. Ayla had just started to get the feelings that led her to safe places or places she needed to go. It was...truly incredible to see her daughter growing like that, it made her wonder what she would be like now if she'd not pushed her sensations and feelings aside when she'd been growing. But she had the chance to not make that mistake with Ayla and the girl had taken her words to heart is seemed, had walked straight to what Angel was certain would be, the Doctor's next companion.

"She doesn't even have the name 'Doctor,'" the Doctor continued.

"Wait for it," Angel's smile became more smirk like.

He frowned, "What two words?"

'Doctor who,' Angel mouthed before pointing up just a second before there was a thump.

"Doctor?" Clara's voice called above them a moment before the hatch in the top fell down and Clara popped in, looking at them upside down as she hung there, "Doctor who?"

~8~

A carriage pulled up to a large manor house, dropping off a well-dressed, middle-aged man with a trimmed beard, "Good evening, sir," a maid called, meeting him at the door, having heard the carriage.

The man however was looking at a small pond just a few feet away, sighing, "Pond's frozen over. Hasn't frozen since the night..."

"Since the night your children's governess died," Dr. Simeon stated dryly, stepping out of the house behind the maid, "A year ago."

The maid gave her master a tight smile, "Dr. Simeon, sir. He insisted on waiting."

"She drowned in this very pond," the master of the house eyed it sadly, that had been a horrific incident for his children to experience. His son had dismissed decorum for a brief period and 'celebrated' that his governess was missing, yet when they'd found her, his daughter had never been the same, nightmares plagued her of the old governess.

"Which then froze," Simeon nodded, "You didn't find her till a month later, when the ice finally melted."

The man turned back, glaring at Simeon, "I recall the incident. It is the sort of thing one remembers."

"The ice remembers too."

"Who are you? What do you want here?"

Simeon just turned to him, handing a business card labeled 'The Great Intelligence Institute' to him, "The pond is yours, Captain Latimer, but what is growing _inside_ it, when it is ready, is _ours_. Good evening," he tipped his hat, barely, and walked off into the night, leaving Latimer to frown after him.

~8~

Simeon had just turned round a corner into a dark alley...when a woman in trousers, dressed all in black, jumped into his path, her hands on her hips as she smirked at him, "Well, Dr. Simeon, you're out very late tonight," Jenny remarked, eyeing something behind him.

Vastra stepped into the alley, dressed in a black dress, a black lacy veil over her face, "Almost makes you wonder what you've been up to. But then, I have _often_ wondered about the activities of Dr. Simeon and his exceptionally secretive Institute."

"Well, I am honored this evening," he said though he looked anything but, "The veiled detective and her fatuous," he sneered at Jenny, "Accomplice."

Jenny just tipped herself into a curtsey, not at all perturbed by his slight against her, "At your service."

His eyes widened at the audacity before he turned to glare at Vastra, "You realize Dr. Doyle is almost certainly basing his fantastical tales on your own exploits? With a few choice alterations, of course. I doubt the readers of 'The Strand' magazine would accept that the great detective is," he stepped closer to her, throwing her veil off her face, "In reality a woman."

Vastra's eyes narrowed at how calm he was at her appearance. He didn't flinch, he didn't recoil, he didn't stare or gape or ask her what was wrong with her. He merely...saw her as a woman instead of a lizard. There was nothing else to be concluded save that this man clearly had experience with the alien already. Just another thing to make her more suspicious of him than she already was.

He turned his glance back at Jenny, "And her suspiciously intimate companion."

Vastra strode towards him, "I resent your implication of impropriety. We are married."

Jenny smirked, moving to join her mistress, "More than can be said for you, eh dear?"

"Now then," Vastra calmed herself, "This snow is interesting, don't you think?" she reached out and took a handful of it, "The ice crystals seem to have a low-level telepathic field. Almost as if it can detect and respond to the thoughts and memories of the people around it. Memory snow. Snow that learns."

Simeon rolled his eyes, "How fascinating."

"I hope it's listening to the right people. It could be a terrible weapon in the wrong hands, don't you think?"

"I think winter is coming," he responded, a dangerous tone in his voice that made Vastra and Jenny frown and stiffen to hear, "Such a winter as this world has never known. The last winter of humankind. Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"

"I am intrigued."

"Because there's not a single thing you can do to stop it," he answered, before pushing past Jenny, continuing on his way.

"Perhaps _I_ can't, but I know of three who can!"

He didn't even stop as he walked out of the ally, just shouting back, "I look forward to meeting them."

Jenny frowned and turned to Vastra, "Do you mean the Doctor and Angel? They won't help us. Well, Angel would, she's been trying to get the Doctor helpin' but he never helps anymore, you know that."

"Yes, my dear, I do," she put an arm around Jenny, "So pray Angel can work another one of her miracles, because I think we are going to need him."

~8~

Strax stood at the mouth of an alley, the carriage beside him, watching as Dr. Simeon returned to his Institute across the street through his advanced binoculars. The Doctor was behind him, laughing as he played with the snow, watching as Angel taught Ayla how to make a snow angel as her 'Auntie Donna' had taught her, or as Ayla had chosen to call it, a 'snowmum' much to Angel's amusement.

They'd just had a snowball fight, Strax had joined in...until he realized it wasn't an _actual_ fight and went to sulk by the carriage where he'd noticed Simeon. The Doctor had been left at a disadvantage, girls vs. man & Sontaran. Though, he supposed, no matter what he'd _always_ be at a disadvantage, he couldn't ever fight his girls on anything. The only thing he and Angel disagreed with was the topic of River Song (as Angel still blamed herself for River's fate and wanted to try and show her kindness in getting her out of Stormcage at times), pets in the TARDIS, and his retirement. Angel just...loved helping people too much to ignore them, but she tried to respect his wishes, she wanted family time as much as possible as well though she was of the belief he'd come to lose faith in that it was possible to have both, that they could have family time saving the world.

"They've taken samples from snowmen all over London," Strax called, heading over to them.

Vastra had assigned him to protective duty over the Time Lords, she was afraid that, with the Doctor's retirement, many of his old enemies would come after him, after his Mate and child…though they all doubted anyone would be so foolish as to try _that_ again given what happened last time. Still, he was more than happy to guard the woman who had saved his life. Had she not shouted to him during the battle of Demons Run, he'd have been killed and, while it _was_ his dream to die in battle for the glory of the Sontaran Empire, he was proud to have survived in order to fight another day.

"What do you suppose they're doing in there?"

"This snow is new," the Doctor laughed as he grabbed a pile of snow and tossed it up, letting it shower down on Angel and Ayla as they completed their snowmen, making his daughter giggle, "Possibly alien."

Angel shook her head, getting up, "Definitely alien."

He nodded, reaching out a hand to help them up so there wouldn't be handprints in their work, "When you find something brand new in the world, something you've never seen before, what's the next thing you look for?" he tickled Ayla as she stood, before she dashed off to her mother who had knelt in the snow a few feet away and called her over.

Strax thought on it a moment, before pointing at the Doctor with the answer, "A grenade!"

The Doctor brushed his hands off and shook his head, standing, "A _profit_. That's Victorian values for you."

Strax stiffened, "I suggest a full frontal assault with automated laser monkeys, scalpel mines, and acid."

The Doctor just shook his head, "Why?"

"Couldn't we at least...investigate?" Strax wondered.

The Doctor sighed and looked at the Sontaran, "Why do you _keep_ insisting on that? You, Vastra, Jenny…I've told you, _repeatedly_ , I _don't_ do that anymore. I'm retired. I'm not going to start gallivanting all over the Universe just because you want me to. There are more important things in my life now," he sighed, looking over at Angel, kneeling in the snow with an excited Ayla beside her, the two of them working on a secret project of their own it seemed, "Things I care _deeply_ about and will not see harmed by my adventures and the people I make enemies of during them," he smiled sadly.

The nightmares had not gone away at all. If anything, they'd gotten worse with the loss of Amy and Rory. They were always different, some were of when he'd forgotten Angel, losing her and not realizing what he'd lost, some were of when she'd been in that bad state where she'd almost willingly given her life for others due to the loss of her daughter, and some…some were of their more recent trips, of al the things that could have gone wrong if he hadn't remembered her by then…he shook his head, swallowing hard. He was a bit suspicious that Angel might know he was keeping those dreams from her, but he NEEDED this punishment. In his mind, he'd done so much to hurt her and she'd forgiven him far too easily, but that was Angel in a nutshell, really and truly an angel. This was his way of making it up to her.

He looked at Strax again, " _Stop_ calling me down to help and leave me alone."

"Sir, permission to express my opposition to your current apathy?" Strax requested.

The Doctor gave a short laugh and shook his head, leave it to the potato to ignore _everything_ he'd just said, but he supposed he could understand, Sontarans were clones, they had no parents, no true siblings, had never formed a connection like love, created a child from it, he would never know the lengths a father, a Mate, would go to for his loved ones, nor the depth of that love and what it could make him do in the name of it, "Permission granted."

"Sir, I am opposed to your current apathy."

"Let me out!" Clara shouted from inside the carriage, banging on it.

The Doctor just ignored her for a moment, not noticing Angel and Ayla turn around behind him with small grins, "Thank you, Strax. And if ever I'm in the need of advice from a psychotic potato dwarf, you'll certainly be the first to know."

"But if the snow is new and alien, shouldn't we be making some attempt to destroy it?" Strax asked, "Be reasonable!"

"Let me out!" Clara huffed, starting to shake the carriage.

"Strax," the Doctor sighed, "I have lived for over a thousand years, saved the Universe a good portion of it," he shook his head, "I've done _so much_ and still the Universe has taken things from me that I loved dearly," his planet, his people, his TARDIS, his memories, his Mate, his daughter…it had truly taken _everything_ from him at one point or another, "The Universe doesn't seem to care…"

"Now!" Angel shouted.

The Doctor turned around at the shout...only to be pelted with snowballs. He laughed, leaning down to scoop more snow, tossing it into the air above his girls in retaliation, making them smile and laugh. He just...watched them, standing together under the now-falling snow, and his hearts warmed. They were so... _beautiful_ , inside and out, so incredible, Ayla was truly her mother's daughter in every single way, from the size of her hearts to her sensations. He didn't doubt, one day, she might even surpass Angel in her abilities. Angel had spent _centuries_ ignoring her feelings, trying to bury them, only starting to accept and practice in them when she'd met him, because he had been the first to accept all of her. She hadn't had to hide around him. But Ayla, they were raising her to embrace her uniqueness right from the start. She was already able to sense things in a way similar to when he'd first met Angel, and she was only just barely over a century old.

Angel laughed and reached out, pulling the Doctor to her as the snow continued to fall, taking his hand and Ayla's as they moved in a circle, just enjoying their family moment, till they'd gotten so dizzy they'd fallen on their bums, Ayla between them, laughing.

"I love you daddy," Ayla whispered, rolling onto her side to kiss his cheek and hug him.

The Doctor looked at Angel, who smiled, reaching out to take his hand, "You may have lost some things, but you've gained _so much more_ ," she reminded him, having sensed his thoughts before, that being the reason for the sudden snowball attack.

He smiled at that, and there she was, making him feel better again. He'd lost his planet yes, but he'd found a home on Earth. He'd lost his people, but discovered so many unique and special friends that he'd not trade for anything. He'd lost the TARDIS only for her to come back better than ever each and every time. His memories had returned, and with it, centuries of creating new memories. His Mate had made them safe from a deadly enemy, protected them, proven her love for him over and over. And his daughter, he'd lost her, but found her and got to be with a new her, experience firsts with her as she saw the world through new eyes. And she loved him, they both did, so much.

Yes, he HAD lost a lot, but he had gained EVERYTHING that matter to him in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Doctor :'( He's got such a hero-complex I think, that losing anyone or anyone getting hurt, even if they're ok in the end just gets to him :( And to have it be Angel and Ayla that were harmed and him walking away a bit too easily let off, I think it would really get to him that they suffered and he didn't. He's the man, he's the father, it's his job to protect his family and he failed (in his mind) and his nightmares are his punishment. I could see him not wanting them to go away no matter how bad they are because of that, because he feels he hasn't been punished enough :'(
> 
> We all know Angel won't let it go too long before confronting him though ;) I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I'm really excited for Clara to be there ^-^ And we get more fluff and family time! Yay!


	25. The Snowmen: The Memory Worm

"Now," Angel squeezed the Doctor's hand, pulling him out of his thoughts, "I don't think we should keep Clara locked up too much longer my love," she smiled, "We only kidnap possible companions in the _TARDIS_ not a carriage."

He shook his head, "She's not a possible companion."

Angel just gave him a smile that clearly meant 'we'll see about that' before she got up and helped him up as well, brushing off the snow from their clothes and straightening Ayla's jacket, laughing as she tried to button the girl's coat up, she was just like her father in never buttoning her coats.

"…in this cab!" Clara banged on the door as they approached, "Oi, Doctor! Let me out! Are you listenin' to me?"

"Would you like to do the honors sweetheart?" the Doctor asked as Ayla giggled.

"Let me _out_!" Clara shouted as Ayla stepped forward and opened the doors, "Oh!" she gasped, nearly falling out from where she'd been pushing against the doors.

"Hello Miss Clara!" Ayla cheered, clambering into the carriage to sit beside Clara.

"It's alright Clara," Angel reassured her, as she and the Doctor stood in the doorway, "We're not going to hurt you, I promise," she crossed her hearts, before holding out a hand, "I'm Angel, by the way," she reintroduced herself, "Nice to meet you."

Clara blinked, reaching out to shake the woman's hand, though her gaze was on Strax as he came to stand behind them, "What is that thing?"

"Silence, boy!" Strax glared.

"That's Strax," the Doctor laughed, "And, as you can see, he's easily confused."

Strax eyed Clara a moment, not seeing what was so confusing.

"She's a girl," Ayla leaned forward to whisper to him.

"Ah," he gave a short body-nod, "Silence, _girl_. Sorry, lad."

"Sontaran," the Doctor explained to Clara as he leaned on the side of the carriage, turning and taking Angel's hand, absently playing with her fingers despite how she was wearing gloves, "Clone warrior race. Factory produced, whole legions at a time. Two genders is a bit further than he can count."

"Sir, do not discuss my reproductive cycle in front of enemy girls. It's _embarrassing_."

"Typical middle child of six million," the Doctor shrugged before he turned to Angel, opening his mouth.

"No," she shook her head, cutting off his question...or proposition.

She was NOT going to be the mother of six million children.

She...she wanted to make sure they could manage to keep at least one child safe to adulthood first. What happened to Ayla, how easily SHE had been captured and hadn't known it, it shook her even still. Being confronted with River so often, seeing the fate her own daughter might have had every single time she looked at the woman. It got to her, it truly did frighten her to see River because she ended up thinking of Ayla being in her spot, being forced to kill and become an assassin, a psychopath. She wanted to be sure that she could keep her daughter safe, that she and the Doctor could protect her despite their enemies. Maybe, one day, when Ayla was older, there could be another child, but, until then, she just wanted to spend time with her daughter.

"Who are you?" Clara eyed them, the way they talked, the way they acted, the things they said…it didn't sound like anyone she'd ever heard before.

"It doesn't matter," the Doctor shook his head, waving her off, letting go of Angel's hand with one hand, still holding it with his others, "Because you're about to forget that the four of us ever met," he looked at Strax, "We'll need the worm."

"Sir," Strax marched off to go get it.

"You'll need the what?" Clara's eyes widened as she tried to peer around them at where Strax was going, "The worm? What worm?"

"It's ok," Ayla took Clara's hand, squeezing it, "A Memory Worm can erase one hour of your memory it if touches your bare skin," she recited, "Right daddy?"

The Doctor looked at his daughter with a smile, "Exactly sweetheart," he winked and pointed at her.

" _Must_ we use it?" Angel asked him with a frown, she truly was against using the worm, both because she didn't want to use the animal in general but also because of the effect it had, "I hate keeping it locked up like that."

He smiled at her, reaching out to pull her closer, winding his arm around her waist as he dropped a kiss to her hair, she was so kind like that. Animals especially, he'd noticed since her last regeneration, seemed to respond to her better than to him or others. The calm she always gave off, the empathy, seemed to translate to them as well, making them feel safe, that she'd take care of them as she did so many others, that she wouldn't hurt them. But it wasn't just that, she just loved them in return. She hated seeing animals locked up, it was one of the reasons why, despite Ayla's many Christmas wishes and birthday hopes over the last century, Angel had argued against getting a puppy or a kitty or a gold fish or any other sort of animal Ayla had hoped to have as a pet. She felt no animal, even those bred for domestic life, should be confined. Collars, leashes, doors and walls and cages, it made her feel like they were trapping and trying to control the animals.

He supposed it was a lingering effect of Van Statten's treatment of her. She'd been caged basically, locked up, restrained, kept from getting help, barely fed…basically been treated like an animal instead of a human, well, human-looking-alien, even though Time Lords came first. And he could never bring himself to argue against that sort of logic. That time had been hard for her. She'd regenerated upon hitting the Earth, been knocked into a healing coma that lasted days. Stuck in a crater with a Dalek, then knocked out, only to wake up a new person, their people gone, and held captive by different handlers to be tested and studied for 50 years before he'd found her. And then she'd regenerated again. The only life that body had known for decades was captivity.

No, no pets for them. Not even a goldfish.

He supposed it was a bit unfair to Ayla, every child longed to have a pet to look after, but Ayla seemed to understand her mother's feelings on the subject. It didn't stop her from asking at least once a year, at Christmas, for some pet or another, mostly a puppy, but a few others snuck through. It was so hard for him though, because he could never say no to either of his girls yet he had to agree with Angel there. Perhaps one day there would be a pet for Ayla, but at the moment, it was just too much for Angel to consider, and that was ok. Some scars took longer to heal than others, he knew that better than anyone.

He was about to answer Angel when Strax stepped up behind them, just standing there, waiting, "Where is it?" he asked.

"Where's what, sir?" Strax blinked.

"I sent you to get the Memory Worm."

"Did you? When?" and then he noticed the human beside Ayla and tensed, ready for the enemy, assuming she might be a threat to the little girl...

He still remembered her, from Demons Run, the little screaming bald thing she was that had been hungry. She was small and pink and...weird. But she was small and, having been a nurse for many years, he had seen many children, none so small as her, never a 'baby' as they'd called her. Sontarans were meant to fight, and he had fought that battle for her, she had given him a new sense of honor and he felt a bit indebted to the girl and she was always respectful to him, treated him like a proper warrior and she was...small. She needed protecting.

And she called him Mr. Strax too.

"Who's he?" he pointed at Clara, "What are we doing here?" before his attention wandered to the sky, getting distracted by small bits of white that were floating down, "Look, it's been snowing!"

"You didn't use the gauntlets, did you?" the Doctor sighed.

"Why would I need the gauntlets?" Strax frowned, before seeming to realize it, "Do you want me to get the Memory Worm?"

The Doctor looked over, hearing a faint giggle to see Angel smiling, "Did you know he was going to forget the gauntlets?" he asked her, pouting.

"Yes," she nodded.

"And you didn't say anything?"

"No."

"Why?"

She smiled, taking his hands in hers, "Because I know what's going to happen next, and it's funny. I don't want Ayla to miss it."

He shook his head at her fondly, "Psychic," he gave her a peck.

"Thief," she countered, giving him one in return.

Clara blinked, watching them, watching as the Doctor gently tugged her in for another, longer kiss, Ayla had said it before but she hadn't believed her, but…perhaps that girl really WAS psychic…

~8~

Ayla was kneeling in the snow beside the carriage, watching as Strax lay under it, trying to get the worm which had escaped into the mechanics of the carriage's frame. The Doctor and Angel stood beside her, watching from above. Clara was there still, standing back against a small shop, watching them in amusement.

She could guess what was about to happen next, Angel had gauntlets hiding in her hands behind her back.

"Well, can you see it?" the Doctor called.

"I think I can hear it," Strax struggled.

Angel glanced back at Clara, winking at her, making her giggle.

"Oi," the Doctor turned to point a warning finger at the human, "Don't try to run away. Stay where you are."

"Why would I run?" Clara smirked, "I want to see the funny bit. Not that it's not already funny," she eyed Strax's feet, "Your little pal...'e's an ugly little fella, isn't 'e?"

The Doctor turned to glare at her for the comment, "He nearly gave his life for my Mate and daughter!"

Clara blinked, surprised at the anger in his voice, "Sorry," she murmured, watching as Angel took his hand, smiling at him reassuringly as he calmed before she frowned, "Wait, I thought you said she was your wife!"

"Wife, Mate," the Doctor waved her off, still staring into Angel's eyes, "She's mine, that's all that matters. My wife, my Mate, the mother of my children."

" _Child_ ," Angel corrected, "So far," she reminded him, before looking at Clara, "Where we come from, we use the term Mate where you would use wife."

Clara blinked, hearing a human, or what looked like a human since she was fairly certain they were nothing of the sort anymore, talking about Mates and probably mating…made her think of animals. But, more so, made her think of wolves or penguins, the way those two looked at each other during their little moments…it was a mate for life sort of thing. It was sweet, in a weird way.

"How did he nearly give 'is life?" she asked, "What 'appened?"

The Doctor tensed, turning away from Angel, a look of guilt on his face that made Clara frown, "Have you got it yet?" he changed the topic, calling out to Strax instead.

Clara looked at Angel questioningly, but even she shook her head sadly. Clearly it was a touchy and rather heartbreaking topic.

"I see it!" Ayla pointed, "There it is Mr. Strax."

"Can you reach it?" the Doctor asked the Sontaran, "Have you got it?"

There was a tiny squeal from the worm before Strax froze and called back, "Got what, sir?"

The Doctor hung his head, shaking it as, yet again, the worm escaped and Strax was affected. He was starting to get a bit concerned for the alien, what if it was like with the Silence and the repeated memory wipes were frying what little brains he had to begin with?

"These might have helped," Angel reminded him, holding up the gauntlets she'd hidden.

"Are you trying to make sure she remembers?" the Doctor asked her, taking the gauntlets away. He was slightly suspicious of that, their time spent getting the worm so that Clara would forget was running out, it had nearly been an hour, and Angel was being...surprisingly unhelpful in the endeavor.

"Yes," Angel said simply, startling Clara but not seeming to surprise the Doctor.

"Why?" Clara asked, she'd just met the woman and she seemed like she was trying to protect her. Maybe it was because she'd returned Ayla to them? She didn't know, if that was the case, wouldn't the Doctor have been equally as willing to let her go?

The Doctor, however, already knew the answer, because Clara would forget them. Angel had been more affected by his brief bout of amnesia than she often let on. Anything that involved memory tampering didn't sit right with her. He _hated_ using the worm too because of that, but…if it came down to an hour of human memory or the safety of his family, he'd pick his family any day. The more people who knew about him, who knew he'd survived Angel's 'death' or that Angel had survived her own 'death,' the more that word might get out to the Silence and they'd be back.

"Sir!" Strax called, pulling him from his thoughts and cutting off Angel's answer, "Emergency! I think I've been run over by a cab."

Ayla giggled and crawled forward to reach out and take Strax's hand, "You're alright Mr. Strax," she told him, helping him wiggle out from under the carriage, "See?" she helped tug him up and brushed off the snow from his uniform.

The Doctor crouched forward and dropped a kiss onto her head at her actions before he gently took the gauntlets from Angel, kissing her quickly on the nose. He turned and made his way around to the other side of the carriage, putting a large glove on and reaching down into it, pulling out the worm.

"Little help sweetheart?" he called as the worm struggled. Ayla grabbed a small jar and ran around to help her father, holding it up to him as he managed to slide it in, flipping the lid closed, "There you go. One touch and you lose about an hour of your memory. Let it bite you and you could lose decades," he glanced over at Clara who was _still_ standing there, watching, "And you're still not trying to run?"

"She wants to know about the snow," Angel remarked absently as she turned around, starting to frown, a pit forming in her stomach. It was like...she felt like there was something there but she just...couldn't see it yet.

Clara nodded, "I don't understand 'ow the snowman built itself. I'll run, once you've explained."

The Doctor eyed her, "Clara who?"

"Doctor who?"

Angel smiled, "Careful, that can be a very dangerous question."

The Doctor blinked and looked at her, her words striking him. And he realized…she'd said the _same thing_ to Nancy _ages_ ago, centuries ago, back two incarnations, the first few adventures he'd had with her. He hadn't thought anything of it then…not even now, it being so long ago, but she'd _said_ it. Had it been a sensation? Just a joke? He didn't know, but now he was curious as to other things she had said…

"What's wrong with dangerous?" Clara nudged Angel, whose attention was focused on something over Clara's shoulder. Clara glanced over when she saw Angel not responding, frowning as there was nothing there...only for a snowman to appear the moment she blinked.

"The snow emits a low-level telepathic field," the Doctor began to explain.

"My snowman..."

"It seems to reflect people's thoughts and memories."

"Daddy?" Ayla tried, spotting the mound of snow as well.

"And because it's unusual, somehow it carries a previous shape and…"

"No, my love," Angel took his hand and gently tugged him over to the alley, "The snowman."

"Ah!" he nodded, stepping closer to it, "Interesting," he smiled down at Ayla, "What do you think sweetheart?"

Ayla looked over at Clara, "Were you thinking about it Miss Clara?"

Clara blinked, "Just Clara's fine," she told the girl, "And yes."

And then another one appeared beside it, and another, and another.

"Clara," Angel began, stepping closer to the girl, taking her arm in a hand, tugging her back as the Doctor backed up with Ayla, moving her behind them, "Please...stop thinking about them."

They turned to run, only for more to spring up behind them, one moving to breathe snowflakes with what looked like teeth in them at them, only for a golden wall to spring up around them.

Clara gasped, looking around at the golden sphere that had appeared, swirling in a heavenly light, protecting them from the snowmen's icy breath. The snow breathed hitting the wall and the breath just...melted off it.

"Mummy!" Ayla called.

Clara looked over to see Angel beside her, her hand out, her eyes golden, her hair billowing around her as she was clearly the source of their protection. She was spun to the side suddenly, the Doctor grabbing her arms, "Clara, listen to me," he began, his voice frantic, a note of worry in it as he glanced between her and Angel, "The snow's feeding off your thoughts."

"I don't understand!" she cried.

"You're caught in their telepathic field. They're mirroring _you_. The more you think about the snowmen, the more they appear," he looked at Angel, seeing the golden glow getting brighter, knowing that this was one of those moments that they feared happening, that she wasn't in complete control of the Vortex, "Imagine them melting. Picture it. Picture them melted!"

Clara closed her eyes tightly and did her best to do that even with him shouting in her ear...and a moment later...there was a splash as the snowmen melted, the four of them remaining dry within the swirl.

The Doctor looked over at Angel as the barrier remained up, not falling with the snowmen, now even more certain that this was a moment where her control was slipping, where she'd reacted first without realizing it.

Ayla walked over to her, taking her hand, "It's ok mummy," she told Angel softly, squeezing her hand, "The bad snow's gone."

Angel blinked a few times, the gold dimming till it disappeared, Angel swaying a bit till the Doctor stepped to her side and took her in his arms, strengthening her. She looked at him with wide eyes, fearful. She'd lost control for a moment then…the instinctive use of the Vortex taking her over for that brief moment at the sudden appearance of the snow with teeth. But thankfully their daughter had gotten through to her.

"Good," he whispered in Angel's ear, "Well done dear," he kissed her temple.

She closed her eyes a moment at that, nodding though she was still very shaken from that. It...hadn't happened often, hadn't happened recently. She'd been starting to hope that, perhaps it was just the Daleks, just...something about them that had caused the Vortex to control her but...this was snow. This was just...snow.

"What did you do?" Clara asked, her eyes wide, "'ow did you do that? What was that light?"

Ayla just hugged Angel's legs, "Mummy's just special."

The Doctor smiled down at her, " _Very_ special."

Clara glanced around the small alley, before she noticed the area just under their feet was entirely dry, literally dry, like a circle in the snow that showed the cobblestone, "Is that going to 'appen again?"

The Doctor just tucked a strand of hair behind Angel's ear before he turned to Clara, "Well, if it does, you know what to do about it," he put his arm around Angel's shoulders both for the closeness and the offered support.

"Unless I forget," Clara glanced at the worm.

Ayla giggled at that, "I like her."

~8~

The Doctor opened the carriage door, helping Clara in, " _Don't_ come looking for us," he told her, pointing a finger in her face, "Forget about us. You understand?" Clara frowned at him and he grew serious, the safety of his family was at stake, he was _not_ about to risk sounding even remotely playful or joking or take that risk with their safety because a human was throwing a tantrum, "Do you?"

Clara sighed and nodded, "But what about the snow? Shouldn't we be warning people?"

The Doctor shook his head, "I'm retired," he told her, not noticing Angel's sad expression behind him.

Ayla took a breath and rushed over to shake Clara's hand, "Merry Christmas!" she smiled at the woman.

"Merry Christmas," she offered before the Doctor closed the door.

"Take her back where we found her," he told Strax.

Strax sighed, "Sir," and whipped the reins, leading the horses on as the Doctor and Angel took Ayla's hands and walked off.

Angel glanced over her shoulder as the carriage departed, smiling softly when she saw Clara standing behind it, having snuck out the side. Clara gasped, her eyes wide, when she saw she'd been caught. But Angel just winked before turning to continue on, a secret smile on her face as she kept that little detail from the Doctor.

Clara beamed and dashed after them.

~8~

The Doctor hopped over a railing around a small park, turning to reach over it and pick Ayla up, carrying her in his arms as he held out a hand to help Angel over as well, the three of them walking down a snowy path towards a tree that was growing right in the middle of the area. He grinned and spun around, making Ayla squeal before he held her up in the air. Ayla reached out, grabbing something in the darkness of the sky and the Doctor slowly lowered her to the ground, the girl bringing a ladder down with her.

Angel glanced back, as though to make sure the coast was clear, before smiling as she caught sight of Clara hiding behind a tree on the other side of the gates.

"Off you go sweetheart," she heard the Doctor say and turned to see Ayla climbing up the ladder, the Doctor behind her, making sure she wouldn't fall. He paused on a rung and held out a hand to her. She smiled and took it, making her way to the ladder and up it as well, the three of them vanishing into thin air from Clara's point of view.

Clara ran forward, into the park, just as the ladder gave a clunk and started to lift again, disappearing into the darkness once more. She walked around, looking up but didn't see anything. She frowned, jumping to try and catch the bottom rung, only to fall to her back on the snow. She huffed, glaring up at the sky, before pushing herself up. She brushed her skirt off, clapped her hands together, readying herself, before taking a running leap…and hanging mid-air as she caught something.

"Come on," she murmured before the ladder gave way and started to lower for her.

She smiled, bringing it down before looking up it. She took a breath and started to climb, making her way onto a sort of platform in the air, the ladder rising beside her as she stepped off it. She looked down at the people walking past, not seeming to notice her.

"'ello," she called, waving at them, but they didn't see, "Invisible," she murmured, looking around, only to look up when she heard something above her. There were footsteps slowly climbing up the spiral staircase beside her.

"An invisible staircase," she nodded, that was new.

She turned and started to climb, watching the rooftops grown more distant with each step till she reached the top, a cloud, with an old, worn, blue police box in the middle of it. She looked down at the cloud, wary, before gently resting her foot on it, testing it. When she didn't fall through she stepped onto it, gasping as she threw her arms out wide, tentative, as she took a few more steps, growing more confident. She cautiously walked over to the door, raising her hand to knock when she heard the latch inside unlock.

Her eyes widened and she leapt to the side, hiding behind the corner of the box as the doors opened.

"I'm telling you someone is out here," Angel called from within.

"Well I don't see anyone," the Doctor replied, stepping out.

"Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there," Ayla stated wisely.

The Doctor smiled and looked back in the console room where his girls were, "Has your auntie been giving you lessons again?"

Ayla blinked and shook her head, walking out of the TARDIS to hug him, "No daddy, YOU taught me that."

He smiled down at her as he moved to crouch before her, "I did, did I?"

She nodded, smiling up at him, "You love me very much."

"That I do sweetheart," he nodded, taking both her hands in his, squeezing them.

"You can't SEE love, but it's _always_ there," Ayla nodded resolutely, putting her little hand on the center of her father's chest.

"That it is," the Doctor agreed, looking into the TARDIS, ' _You CAN see love though,_ ' he called to Angel as she watched them softly.

' _Oh?_ ' she asked.

He looked down at Ayla, ' _SHE is our love, in physical form._ '

Angel beamed at that, so touched at how he viewed their daughter, it truly warmed her hearts so much to look at Ayla that way, and it was true, the girl was the result of their Mating, truly the last step in pledging their love to each other, ' _That she is my love._ '

"Well, come along sweetheart," he took Ayla's hand, "Let's see what's out here then. Your mum's not been wrong yet."

Clara's eyes widened as she heard him heading towards her spot and moved behind the TARDIS, making her way around the old box till she could dash off to the stairs while he was behind it.

She didn't even notice Angel had moved to the doorway to watch her run. She stepped out of the TARDIS as Clara ran down the stairs and walked over to the red shawl the woman had dropped.

"What is it dear?" the Doctor called as he and Ayla made their way around, to see her standing there with a red cloth in her hands.

"Curiosity at its finest," she smiled, turning to take his hand and lead him, a bit confused, into the TARDIS once more.

~8~

Simeon stood before the sphere, spooning snow samples into it, "Tonight the thaw," it called to him, "Tomorrow the snow will fall again, yet stronger. The drowned woman and the dreaming child will give us form at last. Tomorrow the snow will fall and so shall mankind. She is coming!"

~8~

Clara slowly blinked awake the next morning in a quaint bed at the pub, sitting up and smiling as she saw sunlight streaming through her window. She looked over at her bag with a new outfit in it and smiled wider, getting up and dressing before she made her way out of the pub.

"Look at that," she remarked, eyeing the little snow left over from last night, "Must 'ave thawed in the night."

"I'm begging you, Clara," the owner followed her out, "I'm on my knees."

She laughed, "Elsie is back this afternoon, and I was only 'elping out. I've got my own work to get back to."

"What work? Why won't you ever tell us?"

She smirked at him, heading for a carriage, "You'd never believe me," she laughed, getting in as the carriage left. She turned and pulled down the blinds, opening her bag to pull out a rather prim dress before starting to change her clothes.

~8~

The carriage pulled up to a large manor, Captain Latimer's home, the Darkover House, Clara stepping out of it, her hair tucked in, dressed as a high-class woman, as a maid with red hair stepped out to greet her, "Alice, how smart you look today," Clara smiled, even her accent had changed.

"The governess should enter by the back door, unless accompanied by the children," Alice remarked.

Clara gave her a knowing look at the jest, "And how are the children? Excited about tomorrow?"

"Francesca, same as ever. Digby said he missed you every day. Captain Latimer wants to see you."

"Of course," she nodded, moving past Alice, only to pause a few feet in and look back at her, " _Every_ day?"

Alice smiled, "Twice on Saturdays."

She nodded, pleased, "That's better."

~8~

There was a knock on the door to the study as Clara entered to see the master of the house standing within, "Captain Latimer."

"Ah. Miss Montague," he turned to smile at her, "You're back."

"In time for Christmas. Apologies for my brief absence. Family illness is so unpredictable," she couldn't help but think it was quite lucky that the man didn't frequent the pubs else he'd certainly know she was lying, "You wanted to see me?"

"Francesca has been having nightmares."

"Young girls often do," she clasped her hands before her.

"Every night this week, she says. Won't tell me about them."

"Perhaps if you asked her in the right way, there's no one she'd rather tell."

"Children are not really my area of expertise," he admitted uncomfortably.

"They are, however, _your_ children," she reminded him.

He nodded, moving to lean against a fireplace, "You have, if I may say, a remarkable amount of wisdom in these matters, for one so very pretty, Miss Montague…" she gave him a smirking look and he realized what he'd said, "Young! I mean."

She nodded, not at all perturbed by his slip, she was...aware of his fancy for her, yet he was her employer and that would be highly improper, even for a barmaid, and...to be honest, he wasn't quite her type, "I'll see to the children now," before making her way out of his office and down a hall to a door to the courtyard, stepping out to see two children, a girl and a young boy playing chase out in the snow.

"Miss Montague!" Francesca shouted, spotting her.

"Miss Montague, you're back!" Digby called, rushing over to her with his sister.

"Ah, ah, ah!" she held out her hands to stop them.

Digby sighed, "Good morning, Miss Montague."

"Good morning, Miss Montague," his sister repeated.

Clara nodded, reaching out to shake their hands, "Good morning, Francesca. Good morning, Digby. Christmas Eve is the most thrilling day, don't you think? Now, what have you two been up to while I've been away?"

"I did seven drawings and we saw a dead cow," Digby said excitedly.

Clara blinked, "Well…" she wasn't quite sure what to say to that, "How exciting."

Digby glanced at his sister before leaning into speak quietly, "Do your secret voice."

Clara glanced around before leaning forward, "'Ello, mates."

The children giggled, pleased they were the only one who knew her secret of who she really was, that she was the local barmaid. Their father never stepped foot in the pubs, he had no idea, but they'd caught her out a few times, when her accent slipped, gotten the tale out of her and promised to keep her secret. They really did love her, she was the best governess they'd ever had!

~8~

"They're not exactly nightmares," Francesca told Clara later that morning as they sat on a bench, talking, Digby playing in the snow, "Just dreams."

"About our old governess," Digby added, "The one who died. She's haunting Frannie from beyond the grave."

"Haven't you spoken to your father about this?" Clara turned to Francesca.

"You can't talk about things like that to daddy," the girl said sadly.

"You could try," she offered, thinking, actually, about Ayla.

It was quite clear that that little girl had one of the best relationships with her father and the Doctor himself loved that little girl more than anything. He struck her as the sort to always be there for his daughter, to be the one tucking her in when she had a nightmare, to lull her to sleep with stories. She hoped to try and help Latimer and Francesca build the same sort of relationship, she could tell the girl truly loved her father but he was having a bit of difficulty connecting to his children after his wife had passed.

Perhaps...if she could find the Doctor again, she could persuade him to speak to the captain? The man clearly knew exactly how to handle children and, she rather thought, the children might enjoy playing with Ayla. Angel seemed like a lovely person and she wouldn't mind being able to speak with her longer than she had the night before.

"Do you want to see where she died?" Digby grinned, ever the boy.

Clara gave him a curious look but nodded. He took her hand and led her around the side of the house, dropping it to walk closer to a small pond in the front of the house, Frannie and Clara walking behind him.

"She fell in there," he pointed, "And then it froze. She was in the ice for days and days. I hated her. She was cross _all_ the time. In Frannie's dream she's still down there, waiting to come back."

Clara moved closer to the pond, leaning over to tap the froze surface, frowning, "Everything else has thawed, but this pond is _still_ frozen," she looked down, recalling what the Doctor had said the night before. 'The snow is feeding off your thoughts. The more you think about the snowmen, the more they appear.' She turned around to sit on the edge of the pond, taking Frannie's hands, "Frannie, this is important. You dream about her. What do you dream?"

"She's cross with me," Frannie said quietly, "She says I've been bad, and she's going to come out of the pond and punish me."

"When?"

"She said she'd come back for Christmas. Tonight."

"I think Frannie's gone mad, don't you?" Digby called, though the concern for his sister was evident in his voice, "I think she needs a doctor."

Clara's eyes widened, that was JUST what she needed. A Doctor to help her…and a guardian Angel to protect her dreams.

~8~

Clara strode through town, back to the park, walking right to the tree the box had been above, looking up only to see the ladder was gone, "Doctor!" she called up, "Angel!"

"What's she looking at?" a man wondered as a small crowd drew together to watch Clara jumping, trying to grasp the air.

"She's asking for a doctor," another remarked as Jenny passed by.

"Doctor!" Clara jumped.

Jenny rushed into the park, "Now then, that's enough noise," she called to the woman, walking closer so they could speak quietly, "We don't want to attract _attention_ , do we?"

"I'm looking for the Doctor," Clara turned to her, sensing something in Jenny's words, "Do you know about him? The Doctor? Angel? Ayla? Any of them."

Jenny just gave her a knowing smile, "Doctor who?"

Clara grinned, "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited for the one-word test, there'll be a little twist to it ;) But I'm sad because poor Ayla won't even get a goldfish for Christmas :( But I can say I do know what she'll be getting as a gift this year, and that Angel will get a present as well which will be touching for both of them ;)


	26. The Snowmen: The Ice Woman

Clara blinked as she saw that brown fellow, Strax the Doctor had called him, standing before her in a lovely home only a short while later, "Do not attempt to escape or you will be obliterated!" he told her, before holding out his arm, "May I take your coat?"

Clara nodded slowly, handing it over, before Jenny led her into a small sunroom just beyond the foyer, the room warm and inviting despite the cold chill outside, a lizard woman in a dress sitting on a peacock chair with plants around her, sipping red liquid from a glass, was within.

"Sit," Jenny gestured at the chair across from the woman.

"There are two refreshments in your world the color of red wine," Vastra commented, setting her glass aside, "This is _not_ red wine."

"Madame Vastra will ask you questions," Jenny began, "You will confine yourself to single word responses. _One word only_ , do you understand?"

"Why?" Clara frowned, glancing at Jenny, but it was Vastra who spoke.

"Truth is singular," Vastra remarked, "Lies are words, words, words and as we do not have the benefit of a psychic present, it is up to us to determine the truth. I have found this to be the best method for it," she eyed Clara a moment, seeing a hint of recognition in the girl's eyes, that she knew exactly what 'psychic' she was talking about, "You met the Doctor, didn't you? His Mate, the Angel, and their daughter, the young Miss Ayla?"

Clara nodded, "Yes."

"And now you've come looking for them again," Vastra's eyes narrowed, "Why?"

She was very...protective of the family. They had done so much for her over the years, not only in keeping her from attacking innocents, the very same innocents she now strove to protect, but also in...helping her heal. Her sisters had been lost during that extension of the Underground being established, cave-ins and collapses had been terrible and she'd been the only one to escape. It had been a terrible loss, to look back and see all her sisters and her people gone in an instant, she had been filled with a terrible rage and just wanted revenge...hadn't cared who she took it on. But then...she'd run into the Time Lords, quite literally, tried to attack them too and...she honestly had no idea how it happened, it was all just a blur of pain to her.

But...the next thing she knew she was sobbing on Angel's shoulders, the woman trying to comfort her as the Doctor sat before her, speaking quietly of their own loss, of how it had happened in an instant to them as well. He talked of his rage and his anger, but how it had been HIS fault that their people were gone. He'd smiled at Angel and taken her hand, telling her that there was always hope, that if one branch had been in the Underground, then there had to be others out there somewhere, that no one was meant to be alone. To see the two of them, to learn their story, to find that they had both thought themselves alone and found one another, found another in such an impossible way had given her hope that her people still existed. And for that she was eternally grateful to them, for them to restore her hope like that.

And she owed them, very much, for she had failed them. She owed the Doctor and Angel a debt, a debt which had not been repaid as far as she was concerned. Yes, she and Jenny had gone to Demons Run, they had fought, they had survived and rescued Angel, but only part of their target had been saved. Ayla had been lost, their debt was unpaid in full. And they were not going to let anything harm that little girl again, not when they had failed to protect her the first time. And the girl...she called her and Jenny her aunts despite her being a lizard. It was like...having a family again, that little girl seeing not a lizard but a woman who cared for her. It made her even more protective over that little girl.

Clara looked down, trying to think of a word to express what she was thinking and why she needed to find them.

"Take your time," Jenny called, "One word only."

Clara looked up, feeling a thought come to her, "Curiosity."

"About?" Vastra tilted her head.

"Snow."

"And about them?"

"Yes."

"What do you want from them?"

"Help."

"Why?"

"Danger."

"Why would they help you? Why would the Doctor?"

"Kindness," Clara breathed, shaking her head a little, why would someone NOT help another in need?

Vastra gave a small scoff, "The Doctor is not kind."

"No?" Clara nearly scoffed as well, something inside her, a niggling in the back of her mind, telling her that wasn't like the Doctor at all.

"No," Vastra said with finality, eyeing Clara intently as she spoke, "The Doctor doesn't help people. Not anyone, not ever. He stands above this world and doesn't interfere in the affairs of its inhabitants. He is _not_ your salvation, nor your protector. Do you understand what I am saying to you?"

Clara nodded, "Words."

Vastra smiled at that, at how Clara had seen through her little ruse. If she was going to get in contact with the Time Lords, if she was going to relay a message to them for Clara...she needed to know that Clara was worth it, that she was worth risking the Doctor's ire in calling him off his cloud again. And the only ones worthy, in her mind, were the ones that believed in the Doctor more than anything. To see Clara believing that everything she'd just said about him were false...it meant she believed he was a good man, believed that he would help. And if enough people believed that, then maybe they could get him to believe it as well.

"He was different once," Vastra sighed, turning thoughtful, "A long time ago. Kind, yes. A hero, even. The saver of worlds. But he suffered losses which hurt him. Losses which made him realize just how fragile life can be, how quickly the losses can come, how close they can strike. Now he desires to spend only time with his Mate and daughter, in the hopes of protecting them. Kindly choose a word to indicate your understanding of this."

"Family," Clara said softly.

"We are the Doctor's friends. We assist him in his isolation but that does _not_ mean we approve of it, nor does it mean his Mate supports him in it," she eyed Clara a moment, "She warned me that you would be coming," she added, thinking of a small message that Angel had given her over the phone, "So, a test for you. Give me a message for the Doctor and Angel. Tell them all about the snow and what fresh danger you believe it presents, and above all, explain why he should help you," she reached out to stop Clara speaking, putting a gloved finger to the woman's lips, "But do it in _one word_ ," Clara's eyes widened, "You're thinking it is impossible such a word exists, or that you could even find it. Let's see if the gods are with you," she pulled back, waiting.

Clara looked down, her eyes darting back and forth as she thought…when suddenly…a word came to her…

~8~

"Pond," Angel smiled, her hand resting on the rotor of the console, the TARDIS humming in time with her, the telepathic circuits helping her connect psychically to the girl Clara, as she had been doing all along.

~8~

Clara blinked and looked up, "Pond."

Vastra smiled.

~8~

"Mummy that's cheating," Ayla told her mother, though she was smiling and excitedly kicking her legs as she sat on the side chair, she rather liked Clara and she was very eager to see the girl again, but she knew her daddy was still hesitant about that.

"No, that's _helping_ ," she moved to kneel before her daughter, taking her hands, "We both know your daddy can be a bit slow, don't we?"

It wasn't that she was cheating per say, more...giving Clara nudge. There were so many words that could be used to get to the Doctor, but it needed to be one that would really get him off the cloud and keep him fighting. She knew the Doctor better than anyone, and, knowing what she did, she just...wanted to help Clara help him. There was something...odd about the girl, odd yet familiar and...she couldn't help but feel like Clara really would be his next companion. She had meant waht she said when they had lost Rose, that they would both have companions before and after they lost one, but that they had to keep going and keep living and keep their hearts open otherwise they'd miss out on the most fantastic people. And she could tell Clara would be good for all of them.

Ayla giggled, "I think that's just boys mummy."

Angel laughed, "Oh I think so too," she squeezed her hands, "Boys will always need our help won't they?" Ayla nodded, "For instance...why don't you go _help_ your father pick a book to read to you?"

Ayla grinned and dashed off to the library where her father was, he'd promised to read her a story but it seemed he'd gotten lost...or distracted, two things he could easily do in a paper bag.

Angel smiled and got up, moving to stroke the rotor again, "Thank you for helping me Sissy."

The TARDIS hummed, pleased.

"Yes," she nodded, "I rather like Clara too."

~8~

"Or I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!" the Doctor imitated a wolf, though breaking character to tickle his daughter as she sat beside him, on the floor of the console with their backs pressed to the console, him reading Earth fairytales to her.

Ayla giggled as Angel sat across from them, smiling at the sight, just so...happy to see her family together, her Time Family at least. The sight of the Doctor and Ayla together, father and daughter, smiling and laughing and being so happy just...touched her deeply. She would never ever get over how much she loved them both.

Her thoughts were cut off, however, when the phone rang.

The Doctor sighed, already guessing it was either Vastra, wanting them to come down, or...well, Vastra. The other companions hadn't called them lately, they...hadn't told them about the Ponds. It was just...too hard. They knew they would have to tell them, especially for Christmas, but...with a time machine they could go a little longer before they had to tell anyone the Ponds wouldn't be hosting Christmas or attending the other holidays again.

Ayla though, just jumped up to answer it, "Hello! This is the TARDIS and I'm Ayla! How can I help you?"

The Time Lords laughed at their daughter's greeting. He'd noticed that Angel always tended to say 'nice to meet you' even if it wasn't all that nice, their daughter had seemed to inherit that, though mixed with his own sense of chivalry, she always asked how could she help someone, it was endlessly sweet to see her caring about others so much.

"Uh huh," Ayla nodded, listening to the voice on the other end. The Doctor looked at Angel who mouthed 'Vastra' before he nodded, "Uh huh, yep!" she turned and held the phone out to the Doctor, "It's Aunt Vastra, daddy, she wants to talk to you."

He smiled and reached out, taking the phone as he stood, "Yes? What? We were in the middle of storytime."

"Miss Clara and her concerns about the snow," Vastra replied, "I gave her the one word test."

He sighed, "That's always pointless you know."

"What did she say?" Angel called as Ayla moved to curl up in her lap, winding her arms around her daughter as they both looked up at him.

He smiled at the sight, his annoyance at the interruption curbed at their smiles, and turned back to the phone, "What did she say?"

"Pond," was Vastra's reply.

The Doctor froze, slowly pulling off his reading glasses, Amy's round reading glasses, to look at them. Angel shifted Ayla to the side and stood, moving to his side, hugging him round the middle from behind. He held the glasses in his hand as he put his one arm over hers, patting her hand and squeezing it in thanks.

"Strax has already suggested where to start investigating," Vastra added before hanging up.

~8~

Dr. Simeon sat at his desk, writing away, checking his notes about his very important and very secret project...when the lights started to flash, "Danger!" the sphere called, "Danger!"

He was on his feet in an instant, rushing over to it, "What's wrong?"

"There is danger here. An intelligence. An intelligence beyond anything else in this time and place!"

"Dr. Simeon, sir!" a young man bust into the room, "There's someone demanding to see you."

"No callers, not in here, not ever," he called, not even looking away from the snow, "Did he leave his name?"

"Sir," the man breathed, "It's _Sherlock Holmes_!"

The door behind the servant opened and the Doctor stepped in, dressed in a deerstalker hat, a tan cape, with a walking cane and a Meerschaum pipe stuck in his mouth, alone. He and Angel had agreed to this one separation. She felt that going to confront the man responsible for the odd winter wasn't dangerous, that she and Ayla could come with him and observe, but he'd insisted that, if it wasn't dangerous, then he could handle it himself. He was not about to risk them, not for anything. Anything that he could possibly do himself, without dragging them along, he would do his best to take care of and ensure that they wouldn't be in danger should anything go wrong. He'd pointed out that they could split up, him meeting with Simeon, them meeting with Vastra and Strax and Jenny for more information and...he would rather have them around the people willing to protect them rather than the man who seemed to be ready to destroy the world somehow.

Well, it wasn't set in stone that the man was trying to destroy the world, but what else could it be? It was the go-to reason to come to Earth wasn't it? It seemed like every enemy either wanted to destroy the Earth or enslave it. Even Luke Rattigan and his ATMOS, under the guise of benefiting the world and helping was a trap and meant to poison the humans. Why couldn't any other alien just want to come to Earth to help them, like he did, for no other reason than to be kind and helpful?

"Oh, nice office," he looked around, spotting the snow-sphere, "Big globey thing. Now, shut up, don't tell me!" he pointed his cane at Simeon, "I see from your collar stud you have an apple tree and a wife with a limp. Am I right?"

"No," Simeon deadpanned.

"Do you have a wife?"

"No."

"Bit of a tree? Bit of a wife? Some apples? Come on, work with me here," he mock-pleaded, though he couldn't help but think, if Angel were there, she'd have known the answers and stopped him from talking, known JUST what to ask to make it seem like he really _was_ Sherlock Holmes.

"I enjoy 'The Strand' magazine as much as the next man, but I am perfectly aware that Sherlock Holmes is a _fictional_ character," Simeon stated, before pointing violently at the doors, "Get out!"

The Doctor just turned to the young servant who had rushed in earlier, "Do you have a goldfish named Colin?"

The servant looked up a moment, actually seeming to need to really _think_ about it, "No."

"Thought not," he grinned at Simeon before turning to the desk behind him, picking up a small card, "Now, ooh. I see this is one of your business cards. It says so on the front."

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Simeon glared, waving the other servant off as the man dashed out of the room, closing the doors behind him.

"This," he ran at the sphere, "Wakey, wakey!" and started to bash his cane against it.

"That is highly valuable equipment!" Simeon rushed to stop him, "You must step away now."

"We are the Intelligence," the sphere spoke.

The Doctor looked over at it a moment, "Ooh. Talking snow. I love new things," and he couldn't help but think Ayla would have loved it too...perhaps he _should_ have let them come.

"You are not of this world."

"Takes one to snow one."

No one laughed.

Ayla would have.

Angel would have smiled.

"Right," he shook his head, already feeling the pings of pain he always felt whenever he was away from Ayla or Angel too long.

It had only been a few minutes, just a few minutes, a collection of measly seconds and...he already felt the desire rising in him to get back to them, the pain and clenching of his hearts to know he wasn't right by their side, protecting them. The nightmares, every time he left them for only a moment something terrible happened. And even though he knew they were safe with Vastra, it didn't help calm him, because HE should be there with them, HE should be the one protecting them. If anything happened to them, it would be his fault for not having been there to keep them safe.

He should have let them come.

"Let's see," he cleared his throat, looking at the globe now more seriously than before, the sooner he got this done and dealt with the sooner he could return to his girls, "Multi-nucleate crystalline organism with the ability to mimic and mirror what it finds. Looks like snow. Isn't snow."

"You must leave here now!" Simeon glared.

"Shut up, I'm making deductions," the Doctor said, moving around the sphere, "It's very exciting. Now, what are you, eh? A flock of space crystals? A swarm?" Simeon ran for the bells to alert the servants to his need of them, "The snowmen are foot soldiers, mindless predators. But you, you're the clever one. You're Moriarty. So, you turn up on a planet, you generate a telepathic field to learn what you can, and when you've learnt enough, what do you do?" he slowly pulled the sonic behind his back and flashed it at the doors, locking them, "You can't conquer the world using snowmen. Snowmen are rubbish in July. You'll have to be better than that. You'll have to evolve."

"Sir, it appears to be stuck!" a servant shoved against the main doors.

Simeon looked at them and back to the Doctor, "What have you done? Have you locked the doors?" before rushing over to jiggle the handles.

"You need to translate yourself into something more, well, human," the Doctor continued to speak to the Intelligence.

"Kick it down!" Simeon shouted through the door.

"To do that you'd need a perfect duplicate of human DNA in ice form. Where do you find that?"

"Sir?" the men called.

"Get in here, quickly!" he hissed.

"I've got a master key somewhere, sir..."

The Doctor just ran for the desk, sifting through the papers, "Now, let's see. Most opened file, most viewed page," he picked up a small book and dropped it, letting it fall open to the most creased page, a newspaper clipping stuck to it of the 'Darkover House' and how a governess had died there, "You know, you really should delete your history. Governess frozen in pond. Gotcha!" he turned and dashed off.

"Got it, sir!" the servant called as the doors flew open.

"Get in here!" Simeon turned to stalk into the room, "Take him downstairs..." he frowned, seeing the Doctor had already escaped, the French doors open.

~8~

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor asked as he strolled up to the pond outside of the Darkover House, only to see Angel and Ayla were already there, Ayla sitting on the edge of the pond while Angel knelt down to touch the ice coating it, her eyes faintly glowing gold as though testing it for its ability to melt.

"I'm psychic, my love," she called, pulling back to smile at him, moving to sit beside her daughter, "Pond. Clara. Not very hard to _deduce_ ," she gave him a small knowing smirk, "I used the TARDIS datacore to track Clara to this home where she's governess."

He laughed at that, at the small joke about his brief time as Sherlock Holmes. He walked over to her, leaning down to kiss her, "So what did we learn?" he asked his girls, sitting across from them, not caring that he was sitting in snow, Angel had seemed to have melted a small area where they were sitting.

"The ice," she nodded back at it, "Everything thawed by this morning, but this pond is still frozen solid. The ice...it feels like the snow, but more concentrated, it isn't melting as easily as when I stopped the kept the snowmen away."

He nodded, pulling out his sonic, about to scan the pond before flipping it in his hand and holding it out to Ayla, "Care to do the honors sweetheart?"

Ayla beamed, "Can I?!"

He laughed and nodded, "Of course."

Ayla leapt up, taking the sonic and scanning the pond as she carefully walked around its edge and back to her father, handing him the sonic back as he checked the readings, "Did I do ok daddy?"

He smiled at the results, kissing her head as he hugged her to his side, "You did just perfect sweetheart!" he moved to sit beside Angel, Ayla plopping down on his other side as he held the sonic out, explaining the results to her, "Body frozen in a pond. The snow gets a good long look at a human being, like a full body scan. Everything they need to evolve. Pond. Good point, Clara."

Ayla cast a sly smile at her mother, who put her finger to her lips, winking, before the woman called out, "Hello Strax," a moment before the Sontaran appeared around a corner, walking towards them with a rather large alien gun in hand.

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor eyed him.

"Madame Vastra wondered if you were needing any grenades?" he replied.

"Grenades?"

Ayla giggled, Strax was SO funny, he always amused her whenever she would visit Vastra and Jenny. When her parents would go talk to the other women, Strax would play with her. He always wanted to play battle games though, with his little soldier figurines, which always ended up with him using the little 'him' she'd made out of a baked potato, sitting on top of a pile of conquered humans. She'd managed to talk him into playing chess though, she loved it! Her daddy had taught her all about it, how to play it, and she thought Strax would like a game that could be seen as being about strategy and anticipating what your opponent (enemy, he called it) would do. He seemed to like it well enough, though he always got cross and pouty when she won...which was quite a lot of the time. So she always tried to give him a hug to make him feel better.

He always complained about the hugs, how it was 'embarrassing for a warrior to be held by a child' but he always hugged her back, so she thought he secretly enjoyed them.

"Or did she wonder if we needed _help_?" Angel asked with an amused smile.

Strax thought a moment, nodding, "She might have said help."

"Help for what?" the Doctor shook his head.

"Well, your investigation."

"Investigation?" he rolled his eyes, scoffing, "Who says I'm investigating? Do you think I'm going to start investigating just because some bird smiles at me? Sorry but she's just not Angel. And even if I did decide to take a look around, why would I need your help when I've got my girls?" he put his arms around Angel and Ayla, "What better team eh?" he smiled at them, "Smith and Jones and..." he blinked, glancing at Ayla, not quite sure which surname she'd want to use...which might be something to know for the future.

"Harkness!" Ayla cheered, making them both laugh, "Or Smith-Jones."

The Doctor shook his head at that, too many surnames, they'd have to work it out later. He glanced back at Strax, remembering exactly what he'd been about to say, "But that doesn't mean I'm investigating. Who do you think I am?"

Strax was silent a moment, "Sherlock Holmes?"

He shook his head as the girls laughed, "Don't be clever, Strax. It doesn't suit you," he pouted.

"Sorry, sir."

"I'm the clever one, you're the potato one, she's the little one," he nodded at Ayla, "And she's the special one," and then at Angel.

"Yes, sir," Strax sighed.

"Now," he made a shooing motion, "Go away."

"Yes," Strax turned to leave, " _Mister Holmes_."

"Oi! Shut up. You're not clever or funny and you've got tiny little legs!" Ayla giggled at that, when the area around them lit up in a warmer glow. They looked over their shoulders to see Clara at the window of the house, the curtain pulled back. She smiled and waved a them, the three waving back.

"Ok, just tell her we're leaving," the Doctor looked at the girls, who rolled their eyes, "We're not going up. Leaving. _Not_ going up."

And then all three of them held up a 5 and a thumbs up.

"What was that about?" he looked between them, "Five minutes, where did _that_ come from?"

Ayla giggled, "You did it too daddy," she told him, poking him on the nose, before getting up and skipping off towards the house.

The Doctor had to smile and take Angel's hand, helping her up, "You are no Sherlock Holmes," Angel remarked.

"I know," he sighed, he was rather rubbish at deductions if he couldn't even deduce where his own hand signal had come from.

"Because that's not who you are."

He looked at her, "And who am I dear?"

She smiled, "Well my love, the Oncoming Storm, John Smith, the Doctor, Ayla's father, my Mate, my Theta...and the madman with the box," she kissed him quickly, " _Much_ more impressive a resume than Sherlock Holmes could ever hope to have."

He beamed at that, winding his arm around her waist as they headed to the house after Ayla.

~8~

Just outside the walls around Darkover House, Strax, Jenny, and Vastra stood, peering around a corner, watching a carriage pull up to the gates, "It's the human male from the Institute. What's he doing here? Suggest we melt his brain using projectile acid fish and then interrogate him," Vastra and Jenny looked at him, "Other way round?"

They just shook their heads and returned to watching.

~8~

Clara turned away from the window, satisfied the trio were on their way up, and returned her attention to the children, "Am I going to have the nightmare tonight?" Frannie asked, moving to sit on her bed.

"Definitely not," she shook her head.

"How do you know?"

"Because," she smiled, "I've sent for someone to come and help."

"Who?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she patted Frannie's bed and Digby jumped beside his sister.

"Is it one of your stories? Your definitely true ones?"

"Ha!" she laughed, " _All_ my stories are true."

"Like how you were born behind the clock face of Big Ben?" Digby smiled.

"Accounting for my acute sense of time."

" And you invented fish," Frannie added.

"Because I dislike swimming alone."

"So what's this one?" Digby asked.

She smiled, "There's a man called the Doctor who's married to an Angel. They live on a cloud in the sky with their own little girl," she tapped Frannie's nose, "And all they do, all day, every day, is to stop all the children in the world _ever_ having bad dreams."

" _I've_ been having bad dreams," Frannie said.

"They've been on holiday for Christmas. But I am confident they have decided to make an exception to help," she glanced at the lit candles as it flickered in a draft of the door opening, "And as a matter of fact, they're right here," she turned to the door as it opened more, expectant, "Aren't you?

Unfortunately, it was not at all the Doctor or Angel who entered, but a woman made of ice, the former governess!

"Bloomin' 'ell!" Clara jumped up as the children screamed, her accent slipping away.

"The children have been very naughty!" the governess reached for them.

"Get back. Now. Quickly!"

"You're doing your other voice," Digby told her as she ushered them back, around the governess.

"Yes love, did you notice?"

"Naughty, naughty children!" the governess screeched.

Clara grabbed their hands, "Run!" and pulled them out of the room, leading them into the schoolroom, shutting the door behind them as the children ran to the back of it.

"What do we do?" Digby cried, frightened.

Clara took Frannie's hands, "Frannie, Frannie, imagine 'er melting."

"What?" Frannie gasped.

"In your 'ead. Melt 'er."

"I can't!"

"I'm getting impatient!" the governess shouted through the door, shoving it open, half-breaking it down to get inside, "You have been very _naughty_!"

"What about the man and woman?" Digby tugged on Clara's skirt as she tried to keep them behind her, "You said they were here, the cloud man and his angel."

"Well, they're not, are they?" Clara gasped as the governess drew closer.

"Where's the Doctor?"

"I don't know!"

"Doctor?" a squeaky voice called, a little girl's. They looked over to see two puppets pop up in their hand puppet theater, a little princess, "Doctor? Doctor who?"

"Doctor me!" another one popped up, a Punch Puppet, aiming the screwdriver at the governess, shattering her.

The children and Clara lifted their arms to protect themselves from the shower of sharp ice shards about to rain on them, when a voice spoke beside Clara, a warm hand resting on her shoulder, "It's alright," Angel said and they looked up to see a golden wall before them, her eyes faintly glowing, protecting them from the ice as it fell to the floor.

"That's the way to do it!" the Doctor appeared in the theater beside Punch, who turned and kissed him, "Oi!" then slapped him, "Ow!"

So the little princess whacked Punch, "You're being mean!" she told the puppet before she stood, Ayla appearing next to her father who laughed and took her hand, setting down the puppet to step out as Angel lowered the golden barrier.

~8~

Simeon stepped before a device on the back of his carriage, turning it on and blasting snow right at the house.

~8~

"Where did she go?" Frannie looked around, seeing the ice on the floor, "Will she come back?"

"Don't worry Frannie," Angel reassured her, moving to kneel on the floor, holding out her hand which started to glow, melting the ice chunks into puddles of water. Much easier to melt in pieces and now that she knew how much power and energy would be needed to do it.

"My Mate is seeing to it that she drains through your carpet," the Doctor added, flipping the sonic in his hand, "New setting. Anti-freeze," before he put it into his coat, smiling at Clara, "And you're very welcome, by the way."

"I'm very grateful," she nodded, "I knew you'd come."

"No, you didn't, because you're not psychic, and I don't. Because this isn't the sort of thing I do anymore. Next time you're in trouble, don't expect me to..."

"Dear?" Angel cut in, standing and brushing off her hands.

"What?" he looked at her, his tirade cut off and forgotten upon her call.

"Come here my love," she held out a hand to him which he immediately took and walked over to her, she simply turned him to face the mirror hanging on the wall, "Who is that man I see?" she asked, leaning to rest her chin on his shoulder, "Staring straight back at me?" Ayla grinned, hearing a bit of her favorite Disney movie in her mother's words, "I'm starting to wonder where my Mate's got to."

"He's right here," he told her, moving to rest his hands on her arms as she draped her own around his chest.

She smiled and straightened his bowtie from behind him, "He's getting there," she kissed his cheek.

He smiled softly at that and gently ran his thumb over her arm before he turned to rest his forehead to the side of head.

"It's cooler…" Clara breathed suddenly, her gaze on the window where a frost was forming.

"Yeah," he nodded, patting his bowtie, "It is, isn't it sweetheart?" he looked at Ayla.

"Very cool," she nodded, tapping her little bowtie clip that she still wore as a necklace.

"Bowties are cool," he smiled at her.

"No, the room," Clara cut in, "The _room's_ getting colder."

"Come on!" Angel suddenly took the Doctor's hand and Ayla's rushing for the door as a bulge started to form in the carpet.

"She's coming back!" Digby cried as they followed.

"What's she going to do?" Frannie asked, "Is she going to punish me?"

The Doctor paused in the doorway, trying to flash the reforming ice clumps, "Er, er, she's learnt not to melt. Of course, she's not really a governess, she's just a beast. She's going to eat you."

"Run," Angel took his hand again and pulling him out of the room. They dashed down the hall, the adults pushing the children ahead of them.

Frannie and Digby held hands as they hurried down the stairs, Ayla just behind them, when the children's father stepped out of his study at the sound of the trampling down the steps, "Children, what is the expla…" he frowned, seeing the other two and another child with Clara, "Who the devil are you? What are you doing in my house?"

"It's ok," the Doctor held up his hands, "We are your governess'…"

"Friends," Angel cut in, stepping down the rest of the stairs and holding out her hand to the man, "Nice to meet you Captain Latimer."

"Um…" the man shook his head, shaking her hand as well, not quite sure what to make of her, she seemed polite enough.

"I'm Angela," she introduced, "And this is my husband John, and our daughter Ayla."

"Captain Latimer," Alice, the maid, ran in, frantic, "In the garden, there's snowmen! And they're just growing out of _nowhere_ , all by themselves. Look!" she ran to the front door as someone started knocking on it.

"Good evening," Vastra, sans veil, greeted when the door had been opened, "I'm a Lizard Woman from the Dawn of Time, and this is my wife," she nodded at Jenny.

Alice just screamed and turned to run…

"This dwelling is under attack!" Strax deemed, stepping out of a back room, having snuck in as he secured the back entrances, "Remain calm, human scum."

Alice just screamed…and then fainted this time, Angel standing right behind her to catch her, as though knowing that was going to happen.

"So, any questions?" the Doctor smiled, clapping his hands together.

"I do!" Ayla raised her hand, eager and excited for answers to them.

He gave a little laugh, "About the snow sweetheart."

"Oh," Ayla blinked and lowered her hand, pouting.

"Vastra," Angel turned to her, "What's happening?"

"The snow is highly localized, and on this occasion not naturally occurring," she replied.

"It's coming out of that cab parked by the gates," Jenny called from the window, keeping a lookout.

"Sir," Strax stepped up, "One pulver grenade would blow these snowmen to smithereens."

"They're snow Mr. Strax," Ayla tugged on the Sontaran's sleeve, "They're made of smith...smidder...little bits."

"See, Clara?" the Doctor smiled fondly, "Our friends again."

"Clara?" Latimer frowned and turned to Clara, "Who's Clara?"

"Your current governess is, in reality, a former barmaid called Clara."

"That's the way to do it!" the ice governess called from up stairs, making her way to them, Angel turned and held out a hand, bringing up a golden wall, keeping the woman back for the moment as she reached the landing just above them.

"Meanwhile your previous governess is now a living ice sculpture impersonating Mr. Punch," the Doctor added, before turning to Jenny, "Jenny, what have you got?"

Jenny pulled a small box from her bag and tossed it up the stairs. As soon as it hit the golden wall it crackled red and Angel stepped back, lowering her hand as the new red force field took the golden wall's place.

"That should hold it," Jenny smiled.

"Thank you," Angel turned to her.

"Sir, this room," Strax called, nodding back to the study Latimer had been in, "One observational window on the line of attack and one defendable entrance. Safest place for the child," he turned his glance at Ayla, knowing _that_ was the one tactic he could use against the Doctor to get him to agree.

The Doctor nodded, putting a hand on Ayla's shoulder, "Right, everyone in there. Now. Move it," he looked back at Latimer as he led Ayla to the room, "You, carry her," her jerked a thumb at the fallen maid, "Come along sweetheart."

Vastra smiled as she and Angel watched him go, "Nice to see him off that cloud and engaging again," she commented, looking up at Angel as she stood on a step.

"He _has_ missed this," she admitted to the woman. He loved saving the world, creating a legacy and a hero for his daughter.

They glanced back at the governess as she beat against the force field.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm...what's this? The TARDIS likes Clara? :) I can say there's a reason for it that we'll see later ;) Lol, I hope you all liked Vastra's thoughts on the Time Lords and her protectiveness of them, and Ayla's thoughts on Strax, I could see him being all 'I don't like children' but secretly playing games with her :) I wonder what the Doctor would think if Strax decided to play with his grenades and invite Ayla along? Lol :)
> 
> I'm very excited for the next two chapters, will Angel save Clara? Will she not? I guess we'll find out soon ;)


	27. The Snowmen: The Plan

"We'd best go," Angel told the lizard woman, linking arms with Vastra's and heading into the study as well, shutting the door behind them.

"Strax, how long have we got?" the Doctor turned to the Sontaran once he was sure they were all inside and safe for the moment.

He was standing with Ayla close, mimicking a stance he had often seen Angel take with their daughter, her before him, his hands clasped but his arms resting in front of her over her shoulders, around her, Ayla with her own little hands hanging on his arms. It was a protective gesture, one he knew made Ayla feel safe, even if she didn't require being reassured (she seemed to have a touching amount of faith in him and Angel) it made _him_ feel better to have her so close, to know and feel she was safe and alright. It made it all...more bearable, to deal with the danger when he knew HE was there and that his little girl was safe in his arms for the moment.

He worried for Ayla especially, even a bit more than Angel. With Angel, he knew her visions and sensations and the Vortex could keep her safe till he managed to get back to her if ever they were separated. Even with her hesitancy to use the Vortex lately, he knew she would still be able to protect herself or get herself out of there. Ayla...god help whoever tried to take her from him or Angel. She was his...his baby, his little girl, she...she was so small and she needed protecting. He was her father, her daddy, it was his duty to make sure she was always protected...

And he'd failed.

He'd already failed at that, his daughter, barely six years old at the time, had regenerated. It was like a slap in the face, to see her regenerate, a dagger to his hearts to know he'd been too late, to know he hadn't made the connection that it had been HER in the warehouse. He should have, he ought to have. He and Angel, they'd both...felt it, felt something off when they'd seen her for the first time after Canton had been knocked out. They'd just...stared at her, both of them just...feeling a pull towards her, like they were in a daze. They hadn't been able to look away, it was like the world faded from them...and Ayla had been there, reaching out to them, begging for help...and he'd run away.

He winced, recalling...he'd run away after Amy had _shot_ at her. If it hadn't been for Angel...he didn't even want to think about that, not ever. Not while he was awake at least. He was trying very hard not to let the nightmares get to him and affect his waking life, but...it was getting harder. He was sleeping less, his mind wasn't able to hold onto the fact that it was just nightmares at times. He would walk past a pond on some distant world and have to look back and make sure Ayla was still there, that she wasn't standing before him in a spacesuit. He hadn't been able to look at Vastra for the first few days of being there as all he saw was Restac and his mind went to Malokeh and that terrible ungodly dream. He was starting to see bits and pieces of his nightmares in little things around him and it was getting harder to focus on that, on the fact that they were nightmares and weren't real and that his family was still with him.

"They're not going to attack," the Sontaran replied, cutting into the Doctor's thoughts, "They made no attempt to conceal their arrival. An attack force would never abandon surprise so easily, and they're clearly in a defense formation."

He laughed, shaking his head more to clear it from the thoughts, moving to noogie the potato dwarf, "Way, aye, aye. Well done, Straxie. Still got it, buddy," before he kissed Strax's head, making a disgusted face after that had Ayla giggling from behind her hand.

"Sir, please do not noogie me during combat prep," Strax muttered.

' _I am NOT kissing you, my love,_ ' Angel called as he looked at her, still trying to wipe his mouth off on the back of his hand, ' _Till you brush your teeth._ '

He smiled a bit at that, feeling a sort of...challenge...rising, ' _Oh...is that so?_ ' he walked over to her as she nodded, ' _I seem to recall,_ ' he reached out and gently took her hand, tugging her closer, ' _Quite a few times where you refused to kiss me for tasting something awful,_ ' he smirked, ' _I believe you failed to hold true to that almost every time._ '

' _Is someone keeping track?_ ' she laughed in his mind.

But he just smiled softly at her, lifting his hand to touch her cheek with the back of his finger, ' _Oh yes,_ ' he nodded, ' _I have._ '

She blinked, ' _Really?_ '

He let out a soft, breathy laugh, ' _I do,_ ' he leaned in to give her a peck, ' _Every single time,_ ' and another, _'Because every single one,_ ' and one more, ' _Is worth remembering,_ ' before tilting her head up to kiss her deeply, a true and proper kiss.

Ayla shook her head at her parents, and her father used to complain about her aunt Amy! She looked over to see the other humans were staring at the Time Lords oddly. She could understand why. There was an Ice Lady on the stairs, the house was surrounded by snowmen, there were lizard people and walking potatoes in the room...and her parents were kissing in the middle of it, as though they'd forgotten the danger. She knew they hadn't, they seemed to be even more aware of it when she was there, but she knew that, sometimes they needed a bit of comfort before they could deal with the enemy.

"What the devil is going on!?" Captain Latimer shouted, the Time Lords slowly parting, not quite jolted out of their kiss from the sudden yell...almost seeming used to someone doing that to them.

Angel sighed, "They want the ice woman."

"Why's she so important?" Jenny shook her head.

"Because she's alive?" Angel shrugged, of everything the Doctor had rambled before that was all she had managed to gather, "Living ice with human DNA."

The Doctor nodded, draping his arm around Angel's shoulders, "She's a perfect duplication of it in ice crystal form. The ultimate fusion of snow and humanity. To live here, the snow needs to evolve and _she's_ the blueprint. She's what they need to become. When the snow melted last night, did the pond?" he looked at Angel.

But it was Clara that also spoke, "No," they answered.

"Living ice that will never melt," the Doctor breathed, moving to brace himself on the edge of a desk, "If the snow gets hold of that creature on the stairs, it will learn to make more of them. It will build an army of ice. And it will be the last day of humanity on this planet."

"Oh that will _never_ happen," Angel said as the doorbell rang.

He turned around, "And why's that?"

She smiled and walked up to him, tugging his bowtie, straightening it, "Because my Mate would never let his daughter's favorite planet, the planet that holds all our family on it, go that way," she smiled at him, "And when he gets here, I'm sure he'll have something to say about it all."

He looked up as the doorbell rang again, before he took her hand and led her to the door, glancing back at the others, "Stay here."

"Jenny, Vastra," she called as she followed, "Look after Ayla," she smiled at the girl, "You be good for your aunties."

"Yes mummy," Ayla nodded.

She knew what it meant when they did that, when they left her somewhere, it meant her parents were about to fight someone they weren't sure about, that they wanted her to be safe so they could be safe too. She didn't like it when her parents left her to fight someone else, because she never knew if they would be ok or if they might get her. Her feelings were getting stronger yes, but she wasn't anywhere near as strong or sure in them as her mother was. She knew it had taken her mother _centuries_ to get to this point, where she almost felt the future as it was happening, a sensation of the world turning around her that the notions and feelings were nearly ever-present. And...she wasn't at the point of knowing if her feelings were true sensations or just wishful thinking. She didn't want them to get hurt, she liked to think they'd be ok, but she knew that if she went, the bad men would try to hurt her to hurt them or that she might distract them in them trying to protect her and they would get hurt!

She didn't ever want her parents hurt because of her. Not ever.

The Doctor smiled and pointed at her, winking before they slipped out of the room, Clara, of course, immediately following.

"Clara we told you to stay in there," Angel remarked, not even turning around as they left.

The Doctor, though, paused and looked back to see Clara had indeed followed them, "Oi!"

"I know," Clara nodded, "But I didn't listen."

"I can tell you do that a lot," Angel laughed.

Clara smiled, "It's why you like me."

"Who said we like you?" the Doctor eyed her.

"So you don't like me?" she pouted.

His eyes widened, seeing her looking like she was about to cry. It was...actually rather...odd. There was only one woman he'd ever known who did that expression, that _exact_ expression and who always followed him wherever he went no matter how many times he told her to stay put. But she was long gone and it was...really rather...startling to see that look on Clara's face because it was SUCH a match to the expression that often made him cave so long ago, "N-no," he stuttered, actually fearing he may have hurt her feelings, "Of course we like you…"

She beamed, "Gotcha."

"But...I...you..." he shook his head at being caught like that, "Shut up!"

"Come on my love," Angel pulled him towards the front door with a laugh once more.

It was...highly amusing to see Clara get the best of the Doctor like that, so few could. But it was more than that, he seemed...comfortable around her. A comfort she hadn't seen him display around many women except Amy really, at least not since his memories had returned. She had seen how uncomfortable and distressed he'd been when Nefertiti had tried to 'seduce' him, even seen him stiffen when Kate who, for all intents and purposes, was essentially like a niece to him by now, had kissed his cheek. He wasn't very accepting or interested in being around other women besides her or the past companions. It just made her believe all the more that Clara was meant to be a future companion. The Doctor clearly felt comfortable enough around her, and that meant a lot to her, because she really rather liked Clara and Ayla found the woman amusing.

The Doctor opened the doors to see Dr. Simeon standing on the other side, his face as long and grim as ever. Angel squeezed his hand, the two of them staring the man down for a good long while, making it clear, without words, that they would not allow him into the house.

"Release her to us," the man spoke, "You have five minutes," before he turned and walked away, the Doctor closing the door behind them.

The Doctor turned to Angel, "We need to get her out of here but keep her away from them."

"'ow?" Clara asked.

The Doctor watched as Angel's glance flickered to an umbrella stand a few feet away. He grinned, walking over to it and scooping one with a hooked end out, "With this. Do I always have to state the obvious?"

"Those creatures outside, what are they?" Latimer asked as he left the study after them, he really did want to know what was going on, it was getting to be a bit much and that stumpy brown man kept staring him down, muttering something about protecting the women.

"Nothing to worry about," Angel reassured him, stepping to his side and putting a hand on his shoulder, "If we can keep them away from the ice woman, you'll all be safe. So please," she nodded back at the study, "Go protect the children till we get back."

Latimer nodded, heading back to the study as the Time Lords turned to the stairs, the Doctor sonicing the force field.

"What are you doing?" Clara followed them.

"No idea," Angel smiled.

"I thought you were psychic!" Clara poked her playfully.

"I can't see everything," she replied.

"And between you and me," the Doctor added, "I can't wait to find out!"

He loved Angel's visions very much, they had gotten them out of a number of tricky spots and saved more people then he could count in the centuries they'd been together. He loved that they were growing stronger, that she was seeing more, seeing farther into the future, truly starting to exercise her gift as he knew it was always meant to be used. But...he had to admit, he'd been a bit truthful in speaking to Lucius Petrus Dextrus in Pompeii, sometimes it had to be rather boring, to see every single thing coming, it took the mystery out of life. He loved the moments Angel couldn't quite see coming, because it made the moments all the more special and thrilling (and heartbreaking at times) when they did happen.

It made it more meaningful, even the ones that hurt them both deeply to endure, like losing the Ponds. Because it was something they could go through together. It was something that neither of them were prepared for, that neither of them had the 'upper advantage' over the other in terms of time to ready themselves. He'd hated it when he'd learned that Angel had known of her death date for nearly 200 years and not said anything. Granted it had been for the most important reason in trying to keep him safe while also allowing herself to trick the Silence, had gotten a bit clinchy because of his interference though, but still...he hadn't liked that she'd known about it for so long. She'd been so calm about it, having had 200 years to get used to it, while he'd been a right old mess. He lived for the moments they could get through together, on equal ground.

His attention was pulled back to what he was doing when the force field suddenly cut off and extended behind him and Angel...him not seeing Clara step into its vicinity just in time, "Right," he nodded, "Clara, if you look after everyone here, then we can…"

"She's trapped in the force field with us, my love," Angel cut in, not even needing to look back again to guess what Clara had done, she was...rather like she imagined Ayla would be when she was older, a bit adventurous, a bit not listening to the rules or them, a bit protective.

"Clara!" the Doctor shouted, turning to face her, exasperated, and finding himself sincerely hoping that this _wasn't_ how Ayla would be when she was older, not listening to them and all.

"Doctor!" Clara countered in the same way, that actually had Angel smile for a split second at how much that reminded her of Donna and the Doctor's human-metacrisis self in the TARDIS, sounding like they were bickering, before she quickly grabbed their arms and pulled them down, ducking under the governess as she swung at them, pulling them up the stairs.

"That was stupid," the Doctor continued to chastise Clara.

"You were stupid too!" the girl countered, actually sticking out her tongue at him.

"I'm allowed! I'm good at stupid."

"That's the way to do it!" the governess mimicked Punch, turning to them, heading back up the stairs.

"Why does she keep saying that?" Clara frowned.

"Water is a reflection," Angel shrugged as they reached the top landing, looking back down at the ice woman, taking a moment to catch their breath.

"Mirroring," the Doctor agreed, unable to help shifting, thinking about the siren and captain Avery, yet another moment he'd let Angel wander into danger in...not that the siren had actually turned out to be dangerous though, "Random mirroring."

"We need to get on the roof," Angel murmured, before grabbing their hands, "This way!" and led them off, the Doctor laughing at Clara's confused expression.

~8~

The Doctor helped Angel up and over the ledge of the window that led to a small portion of the roof they could stand on, hopping out after her, having insisted she go first to get her out of the way of the ice woman, before turning to Clara, "Come on, quickly!" he frowned, seeing her just kneeling in the window way, "What are you _doing_?"

Clara struggled in the middle of the window, stuck, "My bustle is stuck."

"Your bustle?" he gaped.

"Come on," Angel stepped to the girl's side, taking a hand as the Doctor did the same, the two of them tugging till she fell through the window and landed on top of the two of them, right between them.

"You may need a change of clothes Clara," Angel remarked, moving to get up, reaching out to help them up as well.

"I know," Clara sighed, "Always 'ated these dresses," she brushed some snow off her skirt and turned to them, "Now, what's the plan?"

The Doctor smirked, "Who said I've got a plan?"

"Course you've got a plan. You took that," she pointed at the umbrella.

"Maybe I'm an idiot," he shrugged.

"You're not. You're clever. _Really_ clever."

"Are you?" he tossed the umbrella to her, starting to smirk, both at being called clever and at the chance to see just how clever Clara herself was, he was starting to feel like Angel, seeing...potential in others instead of just someone who would enjoy a trip in the TARDIS. He shook his head, no, he...he wasn't thinking of Clara as a potential companion, nope, not at all, no...but...he supposed he could see how clever she was, he liked clever, "If I've got a plan, what is it? You tell me."

"That's the way to do it!" the governess called, reaching the window.

Clara glanced back at her and then at the Doctor, "Is this a test?"

"Yes," Angel answered, smiling as she watched.

Oh she KNEW this would happen, she didn't even need to be psychic to know it either. The Doctor...he always did that, get caught up in the danger and excitement and forget what he was cross or upset about. All he needed was someone to challenge him and be...unexpected, like Clara. He just needed to find someone willing to keep up with him or try to and needed some excitement to get his mind racing so fast he forgot he was 'retired.' And this was just the thing. The moment she'd seen Clara teasing them in the alley she knew the girl had 'spunk' as Donna would probably call it. She had a confidence Martha had grown into, an interest like Rose, sass like Donna, and an air of a challenge like Amy. She was quite certain that was really what the Doctor needed. To lose Amy the way they had, it had only served to remind him how all his other companions had left him as well. She felt like he just needed someone that could remind him of all of them to really make him comfortable again.

"What will it do to us?" Clara glanced back at the governess.

"Kill us," the Doctor shrugged.

"That's the way to do it!" the governess shouted, slowly starting to turn into snow to get herself through the window, slowly reforming on the roof.

"So, come on then. Plan. Do I have one?"

"Oh, I know what your plan is. I knew straight away," she tossed the umbrella back.

"No, you didn't," and he did the same.

"Course I did," and back.

"Show me," and back.

"Why should I?" once more.

"Because we'll be dead in under thirty seconds. Do I have a plan?" and one final time.

Angel couldn't help but laugh at the tennis match of umbrellas, she really did rather liked Clara, she was quick and sharp and clever, just like the Doctor.

"If we'd been escaping," Clara explained, "We'd be climbing down the building. If we'd been 'iding, we'd be on the other side of the roof. But no, we're standing right 'ere."

"Because..."Angel asked.

Clara just smirked and turned the umbrella upside down, reaching into the air and hooking it on the bottom rung of the ladder to the cloud, pulling it down just as the governess nearly entirely reformed.

"After you," she gestured at the ladder.

"After you," the Doctor shook his head.

Angel laughed, "While you decide, I'll meet you there," and disappeared in a flash of gold.

"Where'd she go?" Clara's eyes widened, spinning in a circle to try and find the girl.

"Up there, so after you," the Doctor bowed at the ladder, he knew why Angel had done that. She had wanted to get up the ladder quickly, something her dress might hinder her in doing. For all his bickering with Clara and back and forth, they were both very aware that time was of the essence. Simeon hadn't given them much time to try and stop the statue and every second counted. One of them would have needed to remain below, to lead the ice woman up and neither of them were about to leave Clara to do it alone.

Clara shook her head, "After you, I'm wearing a dress. Eyes front, soldier!"

He laughed, moving to climb up it, "My eyes are always front!"

Clara smirked, oddly enough...hers were too. It was weird. She'd seen the man outside the pub and thought he was cute, but, seeing him with Ayla and Angel, how could she see him as anything but the Doctor? He was clearly 'married' or something, he had a daughter! And she was NOT the sort to go after happily married men thank you very much! Having spent the little time with him that she had, even learning more about him from Vastra, it made her feel...more like he was a friend and she just...didn't see him like that. And really...a bowtie? It did suit him, she had to admit, but he just wasn't...her type.

She looked back to see the governess was fully formed now and moved closer to the ladder, "I understand you're the previous governess," she slipped her posh accent back on after clearing her throat, "I regret to inform you the position is taken. Goodnight," she stepped onto it and tapped it with the umbrella, lifting into the air with it, the Doctor and Angel helping her onto the platform.

"No," Angel cut in as Clara opened her mouth, "We can't control clouds, we just...shifted the wind a bit. And yes, I _can_ teleport places in a flash of gold. No, it isn't magic."

Clara blinked, the woman really _was_ psychic it seemed, that had been exactly what she'd been about to ask. She opened her mouth to comment when the platform shook, the ladder pulled back down as the governess moved to follow them, "She's following us."

"That's the idea," the Doctor nodded, taking Angel's hand and pulling her up the spiral staircase, Clara behind them, "Keep her away from the snow. So...barmaid or governess, which is it?"

"That thing is after us, and you want a _chat_?"

"That's the Doctor in a nutshell," Angel smiled.

"Well, we can't chat after we've been horribly killed, can we?" he reasoned.

"'ow did we get up so 'igh so quick?" Clara asked, having wondered about it when she noticed how far up they'd gone in only what felt like a few steps.

"The staircase is taller on the inside," Angel answered as they reached the cloud.

"What am I standing on, what's this made of?"

"Super dense water vapor," the Doctor turned to kneel in it, flashing the staircase after Clara hopped off the stairs, blocking them with more cloud, "Should keep her trapped for the moment."

Clara turned to see the old blue box still sitting there as the two headed for it, "Do you actually live up 'ere, on a cloud, in a box?"

"We have done for a long time now," the Doctor nodded.

"Ayla loves clouds," Angel added, their daughter was going through a sky phase.

Apparently she loved flying and whizzing about as much as the Doctor did. Her room had changed to reflect that as well, the walls a soft blue with gentle wisps of white. The TARDIS had even animated the clouds to drift past as though she were truly floating on a cloud. It was a lovely gift and they were just happy to see their daughter enjoying something as simple as a cloud. It truly spoke to the sort of girl she was that she was happy with such simple things. It meant, they liked to think, that they were doing a good job in raising her, in knowing that she appreciated the small things in life and treasured even the most ordinary of things.

"Blimey, you really know 'ow to sulk, don't you?" Clara muttered, not having heard Angel's comment in her awe of actually being on a real cloud, she'd thought it was some sort of trick or platform last time.

"We're not sulking," he defended.

"You live in a _box_!"

"It's not just a box," Angel defended lightly this time, "It's home."

The Doctor nodded, moving to unlock the doors, "That's no more a box than you are a governess."

Clara frowned, "Oh, spoken like a man. You know, you're the same as all the rest. Sweet little Clara, works at the Rose & Crown, ideas above her station," she followed them into the darkened room beyond, "Well, for your information, I'm not sweet on the inside, and I'm certainly not…"

She cut herself off suddenly when the lights turned on and the TARDIS hummed, illuminating, letting her see the magnificent machine before her.

"Little," she finished, staring at the huge room within the tiny box.

"She's called the TARDIS," Angel told her, "Officially that is. We tend to call her girl, or sexy, or Sissy at times."

"It can travel anywhere in time and space," the Doctor added, moving to put an arm around Angel's waist, "And it's _ours_."

"But it's…" Clara shook her head, "Look at it, it's…"

"Go on, say it. Most people do."

Clara just bolted out of the door, rushing around the outside of the box, feeling it, checking its size, before she ran in again, staring at them a moment, "It's smaller on the outside."

"Ok," he nodded, blinking, "That _is_ a first."

Angel smiled as Clara wandered around the TARDIS, her and the Doctor moving to work at the controls, "Is it magic?" Clara asked, staring in wide-eyed awe, "Is it a machine?"

"She's both," Angel laughed, pulling a lever, "And she's _so much more_."

"It's a ship," the Doctor told her.

Clara giggled and dashed onto a small flight of steps, "A ship?"

"The best ship in the Universe," Angel reached out and stroked the rotor, the box humming lightly. She glanced at Clara as the girl dashed back to their side, "And she likes you."

Clara beamed at that, for some reason both oddly pleased that the ship liked her and confused as to how a ship could like someone if it was a ship. But she just shrugged, if it was an alien ship then maybe it could like someone, and that was all fine. She was glad the box seemed to like her, "Is there a kitchen?"

"Another first," the Doctor laughed, getting to work on the controls.

"I don't know why I asked that," Clara shrugged, poking a button, "It's just...I like making soufflés."

"Soufflés?" the Doctor looked over at the girl, frowning as Angel tensed, in thought, eyeing Clara closely for it.

"Why are you showing me all this?" she turned to them, not having heard them.

"You followed us, remember? We didn't invite you."

Clara raised an eyebrow, "You're nearly a foot taller than I am. And you," she looked at Angel, "Could 'ave just brought us all 'ere in that yellow light. You didn't need this," she held up the umbrella that was still in her hand, having held onto it through it all, "You took it for _me_ ," she tossed it to the Doctor, "Why?"

Angel looked at the Doctor, a hopeful look in her eye as she smiled at him. He just sighed, giving her a smile and a nod, before passing her something. She beamed and turned to Clara, moving to take the girl's hand, "I honestly don't ever know _why_ ," she told the girl, moving to open her hand, "I only know who."

"Who what?" Clara blinked.

"Who would be just what we need," she told Clara, "What HE needs," she nodded back at the Doctor.

He smiled softly at her, she'd always sort of had a...knack for knowing which companions he NEEDED to take, much like the TARDIS seemed to know where he needed go to. She hadn't said a word against Rose after he'd regenerated, because she knew how much Rose meant to him as a companion, as his first one after the war, how important she'd be to the both of them that she HAD to come with them, that she didn't ask him to not let her come, that she hadn't said anything when she knew he was debating refusing to let the girl join them for how she'd been treated by Rose because she hadn't wanted to be the thing that made him say no. He hadn't been about to take Martha along, till Angel set him straight. Had been about to warn Donna off, till Angel reassured him. She hadn't pushed him to take Christina as a companion after San Helios, because she knew he wasn't ready. And Amy...well, she'd known that to get Amy to a good place, to give him the friendship he had with the ginger, that Rory had to come too. She'd just...always known what he needed and who he needed to heal and to be a better man.

And right now...it seemed like it was Clara. And even if he wasn't sure he was ready, Angel seemed to think he was. It was like with Rory and Mickey, neither man had thought themselves strong enough or ready for what was coming, and she'd helped them prove themselves wrong. She'd helped them see how much stronger they really were than what they thought they were. He might not see it, but she did. He was...ready for a new companion, and if she thought it was Clara...well, he'd learned to never bet against the psychic.

Angel smiled, hearing his thoughts as she held up a key to the TARDIS to Clara, "Psychic," she added, before putting it in Clara's hand.

"What's this?" Clara breathed.

"Me," the Doctor called from where he was leaning against the console, "Giving in."

Clara smiled, her eyes looking all around as they filled with tears, "I don't know why I'm crying."

"I do," Angel smiled, reaching up to cup Clara's face, wiping her tears with the pads of her thumbs, "This is a moment to treasure Clara, crying when you're happy? Best tears ever," she glanced back at the Doctor, "The only tears we allow in here eh?"

He chuckled, stepping closer and holding out a hand to Angel, tugging her over to him, "Oh yes," he nodded, tapping her nose, before smiling at Clara, "Because this is the day, this is the day. This is the day everything begins!" and with that, he pulled Angel back to the console, the two of them excitedly getting the commands in when…

Angel stopped suddenly, her hand gripping her stomach as a terrible pit formed in it. She looked up, gasping when she saw the governess just behind Clara!

"Clara watch out!" she cried, trying to run around the console, not trusting the Vortex not to harm Clara in an attempt to stop the ice woman.

But she was too late, the governess grabbed the girl and pulled her back, dragging her out the TARDIS, startling her into dropping the key.

~8~

Ayla gasped as she sat beside Jenny on a chair, "Oswin!"

~8~

"Clara!" the Doctor shouted as they ran after her, "Clara!"

"Get off of me!" Clara half growled as she twisted in the grip of the governess, but she couldn't get free.

Angel looked at the Doctor in concern, she couldn't risk using her powers and striking Clara, that would devastate her, but if she didn't and something happened to Clara...

"Water vapor doesn't stop ice," the Doctor said as he scanned the cloud and the governess, "I should've realized..."

"Get off!"

"Let her go!" Angel begged, starting to glow golden, hoping to frighten the governess into releasing Clara, "Let her go now! Now!"

"Get off of me!"

But it was too late, the governess reached the end of the cloud.

"No," the Doctor ran towards them, the golden glow fading from Angel as she ran with him, "Clara!" he dropped to his knees, Angel stumbling beside him, as Clara fell off the cloud, pulled down by the governess, reaching up towards them.

"Clara!" Angel cried, tears in her eyes as the girl fell, knowing she wouldn't be able to teleport and save her without hitting something with the same force as the fall herself upon teleporting out, knowing that they wouldn't be able to make it into the TARDIS and get below her before she hit the ground...

~8~

Vastra was kneeling beside Ayla as the girl sniffled, clearly very upset by something that none of them knew what it was...when suddenly there was a thump from outside as something hit the ground. They all looked over, Vastra and Latimer making their way to the window where Jenny was keeping look out, the woman staring stunned through the glass, "What was that?" Vastra asked her wife.

"It's Clara," Jenny breathed, seeing Clara lying out in the snow, surrounded by broken bits of ice.

Vastra pulled out a small scanner, holding it up to the window, getting a read off Clara...

"Dear God!" Latimer gasped, "Oh, dear God. Where did she fall from? We have to get her inside," he turned, about to leave.

"Those things will _kill_ you!" Vastra called.

"She's hurt."

Vastra looked at her scanner, at the reading, no life signs detected, "She's dead."

Ayla gasped and leapt up, rushing to the window, pushing herself on her tiptoes to look out of it, "Mummy! Daddy!"

They turned when the sound of the TARDIS reached them to see the box dimly appearing around Clara.

"What is that?" Latimer asked, "What is happening?"

Ayla just took the man's hand, knowing he liked Clara quite a lot and that he was very worried, she was too, "They're bringing her home."

~8~

Angel knelt by Clara as the Doctor finished the materialization, the girl appearing on the floor of the console room just beside her, "How could I have not _sensed_ it?" she wondered quietly, feeling so SO guilty, feeling tears in her eyes threatening to spill.

How could she NOT have? There hadn't been a clue, at all! No sensation, no feelings, no visions, nothing till it had been too late. She hadn't...there was...it...there was _nothing_. And now...Clara was gone. She could feel it, the girl was...was dead. It was too late for her to heal her, it was too late for her to do anything to help. The last time she'd done something like that, she'd created Jack, and she knew what his life had been like, what it would lead to, she...she didn't want anyone to suffer like that. Jack was...special, he was cut from a unique cloth, he could handle the life that he'd been blessed with. But she wasn't sure others could. And...she doubted she had enough control, she doubted she ever would, to do something like that, to bring someone back from the dead and not make them immortal for it. She...didn't want to risk doing that and losing complete control of the Vortex either.

The Doctor paused in what he was doing, in bringing the box into the manor, before he headed over to kneel beside her, knowing she needed comfort, she needed to be able to focus for them to stop what was happening and help Clara, "You've said it yourself, you can't see everything dear."

She shook her head, "No...it's not that..." she frowned, trying to find the words to describe it, to describe what she'd felt and why it was so...wrong, "It was like...I COULDN'T sense it. I wasn't _meant_ to sense it," she blinked, another sensation hitting her gut, a startling and staggering realization of why she'd felt absolutely _nothing_ till the very end, "I wasn't supposed to save her," she frowned, shaking her head again, "But why?" she looked at the Doctor, "Why shouldn't she have been saved?"

"I don't know," he murmured, reaching out to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, "But we need to get her back, and we need to get back too."

She nodded, taking a breath as she stood, moving to help him bring Clara home.

~8~

Vastra stood by the door to the TARDIS, looking at Clara, lying on a table in the study with a faint red light falling over her as Strax used his full nursing abilities to try and revive her. He'd succeeded, but barely. And, unfortunately, it was only his technology that was keeping her alive, and only for a short while. It was like a...data ghost, but still in the body, a consciousness that could exist a bit beyond death, but wasn't really there. Doing what Strax was...it was making it impossible for Angel to heal the girl, because she'd already died, her life had already ended. It was like a human being on life support, the machines were keeping her alive and not Clara herself. There was no life to heal.

"That green woman said she was dead," Latimer commented, standing beside Clara as Strax worked on a small device, "How can she be alive now?"

"This technology has capacities and abilities beyond anything your puny human mind could possibly understand," Strax remarked, before offering an odd smile, "Try not to worry."

Vastra shook her head and turned to enter the TARDIS, immediately spotting Angel sitting on the side chair, Ayla on her lap as the girl rested her head on her mother's chest, clutching her mother's shirt as she had tears in her eyes for the pain Clara must've been in, Angel stroking her hair, her arms wrapped around her daughter, as she watched the Doctor working away at the console, scanning the remaining bits of the governess they'd collected from around Clara.

"Isn't the creature still a danger?" Vastra asked as she walked up, "It could reform."

"No," the Doctor sighed.

"She can't in here," Angel added.

"Aunt Idris is _very_ protective," Ayla chimed in.

Vastra smiled at the girl, before looking at her parents, "Then you should be with Miss Clara."

"She's going to be fine," the Doctor cut in, "I know she is. She _has_ to be," he paused and looked at Angel, ' _Will she be?_ '

Angel frowned and looked down, trying to get a feel for it…but…it was so weird, it was like Clara was invisible to her at times, like she could sense her one moment but then the next...just...nothing, ' _I don't know,_ ' she admitted sadly, ' _I think…_ ' she nodded, ' _I think she will be but…_ ' and frowned again, ' _Not in a way we expect._ '

And that was all she could say for certain, and even _that_ was fuzzy at best. This was...so frustrating! She'd never had that happen before. She'd never met someone invisible to her senses one moment and then so clear the next. It was like...a ripple or something. When it struck the water it was so strong in the center but faded the further out it went. Or...like an echo, strong at first but fading. She...didn't understand it.

"Doctor," Vastra shook her head sadly, "Her injuries are severe," she glanced at Ayla before adding quietly so only he, and by extension Angel in his mind, could hear, "That equipment will bring back anyone for a while, but long term…"

"It was my fault," he cut in again, " _I_ am responsible for what happened to Clara. She was in my care," and so it was his fault, because HE had been the one to give in, to accept her as a companion, as HIS companion, and look where that had gotten him.

"Oh my love," Angel smiled softly and stood, Ayla in her arms as she walked over to the Doctor, reaching out to cup his cheek, "It was OUR fault, WE are responsible for what happened to Clara, she was in OUR care," she stroked his cheek as his gaze softened, "You are _not_ alone."

He had to smile, able to remember now, the same words she had spoken to him when they'd first met, when they'd gone to Satellite 5 to face the Daleks. He leaned into her hand a moment, reaching out to hold it to his cheek a moment longer before pulling it away and kissing her palm, "Thank you dear," he whispered.

She just leaned in and kissed him, "You've got me now," she reminded him, another meaning to her words evident, he had her back, she had him back, they were together again, and no force in the Universe would tear them apart ever again.

"And me!" Ayla added, leaning over to hug her father, half-moving out of her mother's arms and onto him as he wound an arm around her waist to hold her to him, Angel taking the sonic from him to put in his pocket so he could hold their daughter, "Don't forget about me daddy!"

He smiled at her softly, his free hand absently patting his shirt where the angel pendent Angel had given him for Christmas was safely nestled around his neck, beneath his clothes, his girls, his angels, "Never ever," he promised her.

She held up her pinky to him, "Promise?"

He laughed, pinky swearing to it, before adding, "Cross my hearts," he crossed one over his right heart.

Vastra had to smile, the Doctor had come very close to blaming himself as he always did, but there was Angel, doing what she always did and pulled him out of it.

"Are we going to save Clara now daddy?" Ayla asked him, her eyes wide, "And the town…and the world too!"

He nodded, "Yes sweetheart," he looked at Angel who smiled at him again, "Yes we are."

She held up a small lunchbox with the London Underground on it that she'd placed the ice shards in as he took her hand and they headed out and into the study with Vastra.

The Doctor set Ayla to the floor as they looked sadly at Clara, before the girl tugged his hand and led them over to the woman.

"Hello," Angel breathed, reaching out to stroke Clara's hair as she stood nearest to it, the Doctor beside her, Ayla on the other side of the small table, clutching the woman's hand as she knew people did that to make others feel better.

Clara slowly blinked awake, seeming very weak as she cast a glance at the others around her, "They all think I'm gonna die, don't they?"

"Well we know you're going to live," the Doctor told her.

"'ow?"

Angel just smiled, "I never really know how," she repeated, "Just who."

Ayla turned Clara's hand over and put the key she'd scooped off the floor of the TARDIS back in it, knowing that was Clara's key, "Mummy's psychic," she whispered as a reminder.

Clara smiled softly at the girl before looking at the Time Lords, "The green lady," she looked at the Doctor, "She said you were the saver of worlds once," she smiled, thinking of Angel's name as well, "The guardian angels of the Universe. Are you going to save this one?"

"If we do," the Doctor began…

"You should come with us after," Angel finished.

Clara gave a weak nod, "I'd love to."

The Doctor nodded, standing up taller, tweaking his bowtie to straighten it.

Angel smiled and stepped closer to him, reaching out to tug it perfectly right, patting it down before she smiled at him, "THERE'S my Mate," she leaned in and kissed him quickly, "Welcome back."

He just grinned and kissed her in return before turning to snatch the lunchbox from Jenny as he headed to the front door, Ayla remaining behind with Clara, intent to watch over her as her parents watched over everyone, while Angel made her way into the TARDIS to prepare her sister for their trip.

The Doctor took a breath before shoving the front door open, holding up the lunchbox before Simeon could even speak, "I have, in my hand, a piece of the Ice Lady. Everything you need to know about how to make ice people. Is that what you want? See you at the office," he turned and shut the door in Simeon's face, dashing back into the TARDIS, to see Vastra waiting with Angel, who pulled a lever and sent them off.

"So then, Doctor," Vastra looked at him, a bit surprised at the smoother ride, but owing it to Angel piloting, "Saving the world again? Might I ask why? Are you making a bargain with the Universe? You'll save the world to let her live?"

"Yes and no," he nodded, moving to kneel beside the console, opening the box as he shuffled around with some items, "Yes, because, after all this time and everything I've ever done, I am owed this one. And no, because my girls would _never_ forgive me if I let the Earth down. All three of them," he smiled up at the box, which hummed in what he knew as agreement with his words.

"I don't think the Universe makes bargains," Vastra remarked.

"I think it does," Angel smiled softly, reaching out to take the Doctor's hand, squeezing it. He knew what she was thinking of, how they had lost everything but found each other again, how she had bargained for Ayla being safe if he never remembered, and so many other little things.

"Well then," Vastra laughed, "Better save the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Clara :( I wanted to save her, but I think the events needed to play out the way they did in order for them to find her in the modern day :)


	28. The Snowmen: Winter Will Pass

Simeon sat in his carriage as it sped through the streets of London, his face impassive as he barely paid any heed to the buildings passing him, only looking out to keep track of how near to the Institute they were getting. The carriage pulled to a stop just within the gates and he stormed out of it, striding down the halls, till he reached his study, throwing the doors open...to see the Doctor sitting at his desk, his feet up, with Vastra on one side and Angel on the other, her arms crossed as she stared at the snow swirling in the globe with a frown on her face.

"You promised us something," Simeon glared, walking right up to him, "Have you brought it?"

"Big fella here's been very quiet while you've been out," the Doctor didn't answer, just nodded at the Intelligence, "Which is only to be expected, considering who he _really_ is. Do you know what this is, big fella?" he stood up and held out a hand to Angel who handed him the lunchbox for him to hold up to the Intelligence.

"I do not understand these markings," it replied, speaking, something it hadn't done since they'd arrived, despite the Doctor whacking it with a fire poker to try and test a theory, but it had been quiet.

"A map of the London Underground, 1967. Key strategic weakness in metropolitan living, if you ask me, but then I have never liked a tunnel."

"Enough of this. We are powerful, but on this planet we are limited. We need to learn to take human form…"

The Doctor frowned, watching as Angel stepped closer to the globe, the girl moving to kneel beside it before she put her hand on its edge, tilting her head as a faint golden energy drifted out of her, making it faintly glow gold as well for a moment. He looked at the globe instead when it's voice changed pitch, becoming more child-like.

"The Governess is our most perfect replication of humanity."

"What's happening to its voice?" Vastra frowned.

"It was a disguise," Angel murmured, stepping back from it, alarmed that it sounded like a little boy now, her mind immediately going to Ayla as she realized the horrible truth.

The snow, whatever it was that was using the snow as a telepathic field, had been manipulating Simeon his entire life, since he was a boy. She couldn't help but think of their daughter, of River as well, how close Ayla had come to River's fate, to being manipulated and used her entire life. That was not the sort of childhood anyone was meant to have.

"You stripped it away," the Doctor nodded, taking her hand and pulling her back to him, "Let's see if we can't make it permanent…" he flashed the Intelligence with the sonic.

"No, stop!" it cried, its voice fluctuating for a moment before it became a child permanently, "Stop that. Cease, I command you."

"It sounds like a child," Vastra commented.

"That's because it IS," Angel nodded, turning to look at Simeon, "It's Simeon, when he was just a little boy."

"The snow has no voice without him," the Doctor agreed.

"Don't listen to them!" the Intelligence called as Simeon fell back against his desk, sitting on the edge, looking completely flabbergasted and startled at what was being said, at hearing his own voice reflected back at him, "They're ruining everything!"

"How long has the Intelligence been talking to you?" the Doctor wondered.

"Since he was little," Angel answered, tilting her head as she eyed the man, reading him, "His snowman started to talk to him...didn't it?"

'… _they're silly…_ '

"But snow doesn't talk, does it?" the Doctor countered, "It's just a mirror."

'… _I don't want to talk to them. They're silly…_ '

'… _they're silly…_ '

"It just reflects back everything we think and feel and fear."

'… _I don't need anyone else…_ '

'… _don't need anyone else…_ '

Angel blinked, shaking her head as she seemed to see into Simeon's past. It was like her dream earlier, but...more. There was the sweet little boy, the lonely little boy, playing with the snow, making a snowman. The snowman speaking as he rushed off...only to be lured back by what the snowman was saying. That little boy was so...innocent, and now he'd become so twisted. It broke her hearts.

The Doctor winced, seeing her thoughts, his nightmare of Ayla coming back, of her suffering the same fate as River had, of her being twisted by the Silence into a murderer. It was much like Simeon was, the poor boy growing up into this. And they knew that the man had indirectly killed others, there were reports of men going missing all over the town, last seen working for Simeon. He shook his head, firmly reminding himself that this man...was NOT Ayla, "You poured your darkest dreams into a snowman and look," he gestured at the globe, "Look what it became!"

"I don't understand," Vastra took a step towards them, eyeing the globe.

"Whatever's infected the snow is a parasite," Angel explained, staring at Simeon sadly, "It clung to a lonely little boy and twisted it into the sickness of an old man."

"Carnivorous snow meets Victorian values and something terrible is born," the Doctor nodded.

"We can go on and do everything we planned!" the Intelligence called, trying to reach Simeon again.

"Oh yes, and what a plan. A world full of living ice people. Oh dear me, how very Victorian of you."

Simeon glared, seeming to find his strength again at the slight against the plan he'd spent decades working towards, "What's wrong with Victorian values?" and snatched the box from the Doctor.

"Are you certain you should open that?" Angel frowned, seeing the man move to do just that.

"I have always been certain," he sneered at her, before tearing the lid off…

Only for the Memory Worm to pop out and bite him instead.

Angel watched sadly as the man fell to his knees, the worm sucking his memories from him. She really _did_ hate to use the worm, memories, good and bad, made you who you were. Pain and love defined them in ways that nothing else could, what else were they but a condensation of all their experiences? The Doctor...when he'd forgotten her...had been like a different man, and not just because of regeneration. He...acted differently, reacted to threats differently, especially when River got involved. Forgetting her and all he felt for her, all she'd done for him, had made him...different. Remembering that he was stronger in general, more resolute in his decisions more...kind and merciful. Memories made personality and made you...you.

Though, she supposed, she had to see the Doctor's reasoning, who Simeon was a danger to all of humanity, the man would not be able to be reasoned with or talked out of this plan. The Intelligence had been whispering in his ear for far too long.

"Good," the Doctor knelt down before the man as he stared, wide-eyed, his gaze growing vacant as everything he was was pulled from him, "I'm glad you think so, since your entire adult life is about to be erased. No parasite without a host. Without you, it will have no voice. Without the governess, it will have no form."

"What...what...what's happening?" the Intelligence called, the lights flashing around them as the snow swirled furiously, "What's happening? What did you do?"

The Doctor turned and stood, facing the snow, "You've got nothing left to mirror anymore. Goodbye."

"What did you...did you..."

The Doctor smiled as the lights faded, the snow stilling. He reached out to take Angle's hand, only to see her staring at the globe with a frown, "What is it dear?" he asked, knowing that she was far too tense to just be sad.

"Winter is coming," she repeated in a whisper.

And then the lights went out and the snow started to fly within the sphere at a startling rate, "Did you _really_ think it would be so easy?!" the Intelligence cried, its voice deeper, more menacing.

The Doctor looked over at it, stunned, "That's not possible. How is that possible?"

"Doctor?" Vastra frowned as the Doctor stepped closer, making her way to Angel's side as the Time Lady rubbed her head.

~8~

"Aunt Jenny…" Ayla called, standing on her tip toes to peer out the window, "Look!"

Jenny moved quickly to Ayla's side, looking out and gasping, "They're growing! The snowmen are growing!"

"What should we do?" Latimer asked, frantic.

~8~

"But you were just Dr. Simeon!" the Doctor shook his head, "You're not real. He _dreamed_ you. How can you still exist?"

"Now the dream outlives the dreamer and can never die!" the Intelligence shouted, "Once I was the puppet…"

Angel let out a little shriek as Simeon jumped up behind them, grabbing her arm in a frigid grip, seeming to be partially frozen, his skin unnaturally pale, his eyes ice blue, his skin cold to the touch, "Now _I_ pull the strings!" Simeon added, his voice echoing with the Intelligence, "I tried so long to take on human form. By erasing Simeon, you made space for me. I fill him now."

Vastra moved to attack the man, to free Angel, but Simeon just pushed her aside, shoving Angel to the floor as he grabbed the Doctor when he too attacked.

"More than snow, more than Simeon. Even this old body is strong in my control!"

"Argh!" the Doctor cried as he was pushed to the floor by Simeon, the man unnaturally strong for being a puppet.

"Doctor!" Angel yelled as Simeon pressed a hand to the Doctor's face, freezing it.

"Do you feel it?" Simeon/Intelligence grinned, Angel closed her eyes tightly, feeling the power starting to swirl within her, fighting it, trying to keep it from attacking without her command, but...it was uncontrollable, "Winter is coming!"

The Doctor screamed as his skin started to freeze.

"Winter is coming!"

Angel's eyes snapped open as the Doctor screamed in pain, swirling with fierce gold...

~8~

"No…" Ayla breathed, blinking, "Mummy…"

~8~

"Winter IS coming!" the Intelligence/Simeon laughed.

"No," Angel stated, her voice strong.

Simeon turned to see her standing right behind him, glowing gold, wind and energy blowing her hair around her, the power of the Vortex emitting from her, the heat he could feel rolling off her making him cringe, the immense power making him tremble in actual fear.

"No!" he shouted as she reached forward.

She reached, power and energy gathering in her hand, as though about to attack...when her face scrunched, seeming pained, before she staggered forward and knelt down with a gasp, the power fading from her hand as she appeared to struggle with herself. She placed a hand on his shoulder, the golden starting to seep into him instead, making him cry out in pain before he fell back onto his side, peach colored again.

Angel looked down at the Doctor, panting with effort, seeing him struggling to move, nearly entirely frozen, before she offered him a small smile and leaned down to kiss him, sharing the warmth flowing through her with him.

He gasped as he was released from the Intelligence's frost, reaching up a hand automatically as soon as he could move to her cheek, his hand drifting back to curl in her hair as he deepened the kiss, slowly starting to sit up. He was breathless by the time they parted, resting his forehead to hers...

"What have you done?!" the Intelligence, only in the globe this time, cried.

The Doctor watched as Angel's expression seemed to...fade, turning blank as her gaze turned to the globe. She stood and made her way to the Intelligence itself, him eyeing her warily, still weak from what had happened but more concerned with her and what she would do than anything.

"No!" it cried, feeling the heat radiating off her the nearer she stepped, the power of the Vortex flaring out from her more and more the closer she got, "No, stop! Stay away."

"You tried to kill _my_ _Mate_ ," she told it, the Doctor frowning as he heard a sort of...edge creep into her voice, "You attacked _my_ _daughter_. You nearly destroyed the world with an endless, bitter winter…" she stepped up the platform, the Doctor watching her, concerned at what she might do. He could tell, right at that moment she was consumed in the Vortex, what she'd do next, he honestly didn't know, even though it was _Angel_ , and that...worried him.

She stopped before the globe, staring at the snow frantically swirling within, small droplets of water already forming in the front where she as standing, melting it with just the warmth of the Vortex's energy.

"You are cold and bitter, and evil," she told it, before reaching out to place a hand on the globe, the snow screaming in sheer and utter pain within, "I am warm and kind and…" she smiled, "Good," she blinked, "And I will protect this world to the end. You _cannot_ have it. Winter will pass."

The Doctor watched, wide-eyed, as the snow started to melt into water within the globe, before drying up.

~8~

"No," Strax shouted suddenly, making them all look at Clara as she struggled to breathe, "You must fight. Hang on and fight, boy."

Ayla ran to her side, "You can do it Miss Clara!" she tried to encourage.

"Captain Latimer," Clara gasped, looking at him as he knelt beside her, "Your children. They're afraid," he looked at them, at his son and daughter, standing with Alice, tears in their eyes, "Hold them."

"It's not really my area…" he murmured.

"It is now," she breathed, a single tear running from her eye as Ayla leaned forward to wipe it away.

Outside, the snowstorm that was raging...turned into rain.

~8~

The Doctor pushed himself to his feet and slowly made his way over to Angel as she just...stood there, her hand lowered, but her still glowing, the Vortex still swirling through her and around her. He could see her shaking, see the power actually starting to build up once more. He was...worried, terrified really, that she might try to melt the snow throughout the entire town, make sure that all traces of the Intelligence's control was gone...and with the power building up...he was truly frightened it would be too much for her.

He had to stop her, before she ended up killing herself.

"It's alright dear," he whispered, reaching out to place hand on her shoulder, feeling her trembling and tense beneath his hand, before he slowly turned her, lifting her head to look at him, staring into her eyes, feeling her start to relax as she gazed upon him, "You've stopped him, the Intelligence is gone for now and Simeon," he looked back at Vastra as she checked the body to see her nod, a small smile on her face as he too grinned, "He's alright too...you've saved all of us..."

Angel closed her eyes, her face scrunching in pain as she concentrated as she tried to war with the force within her for control of herself once more. He smiled softly and stepped closer, not worried at all about himself, no matter what he knew she wouldn't _ever_ hurt him, putting a hand on her cheek, "Come back to me dear," he said softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

A moment later...Angel's eyes fluttered open, the gold fading, managing to offer him a small, relieved smile...before her legs gave out and he caught her, helping to steady her as she stumbled. That had taken too long, it never took that long to call off her power before, not even when she'd attacked the Daleks, according to Rory, she'd just sort of passed out once it had finished. He...he was actually starting to truly worry now...because this...this wasn't Daleks, this wasn't a supreme enemy, it was...snow. And she'd nearly lost control of the Vortex, she...she HAD lost control. He'd seen her struggling with it, when she'd stopped Simeon, he'd seen her about to attack the man, openly attack him, and only manage to hold back at the absolute last second.

And that...that wasn't Angel.

"The snow," Vastra called, interrupting his thoughts, her gaze on the window, "Look..." they looked over to see that it was turning to rain now and slowly made their way over, "What's happening?" she looked at Angel, "I thought you stopped the Intelligence."

"I did," she nodded, "That's..." she winced and rubbed her head, "I don't know," her mind was...fuzzy, her head pounding, a severe headache striking her.

"The lingering telepathic web," the Doctor explained, "The snow mirrors, that's all it does. It's mirroring something else now. Something so strong, it's drowning everything else..." he pushed the window open and held out a hand as did Vastra, "There was a critical mass of snow at the house. If…if something happened there..."

Vastra tasted the rain, grimacing, "It's salty. Salt water rain."

Angel looked out sadly, "Not rain...tears."

The Doctor stiffened at that, "The only force on Earth that could drown the snow. A whole family crying on Christmas Eve," he quickly turned, helping Angle back to the TARDIS. They had to get back to Ayla...now!

~8~

Ayla stood beside Clara, her hand holding the woman's, trying to be a comfort to her. Her other arm was tucked beside the woman, her head resting on it as she watched over the woman...till she stood up straight and looked over at the back of the room, "They're back," she called a moment before a wheezing sounded.

Everyone turned to see the TARDIS slowly appear, the Doctor and Angel stepping out moments later.

"I'm sorry," Strax told them, "There was nothing to be done. She has moments only."

The Doctor nodded as they headed over to Ayla, standing on either side of her, "Did you watch over her sweetheart?" Angel asked her daughter, running a hand through the girl's hair.

"She needed an angel here," Ayla nodded, "And you're my mummy."

The Doctor smiled, "Yes she is, and you are _so_ her daughter," he dropped a kiss to her head as Clara slowly blinked awake, hearing them speaking in hushed tones, "We saved the world, Clara, you and us. We really, really did."

"Are you going back to your cloud?" she asked, her voice weak and soft.

"No," Angel smiled, knowing that it was true, "We won't, never again."

"Why not?"

"Children were crying," she whispered, leaning forward to kiss Clara's forehead, seeing the tear line down her cheek, not just speaking about Digby and his sister but her as well, being so old...everyone was a child to them.

A tiny spark leapt from Angel to Clara as the woman gasped, even though Angel couldn't heal her, the only think keeping her alive being Strax's equipment, she could give her a small boost, the last boost her body could take. And she needed that, needed just that little bit of energy to say what she NEEDED to say to the Time Lords, "Run. Run, you clever boy, you golden girl. And remember."

The clock struck midnight just as Clara died, leaving all in the room heartbroken.

"It's Christmas," Digby sniffled, "Christmas Day," before he turned and hugged his father and sister tightly, the man taking Clara's last request to heart and holding his children in his arms.

Ayla leaned forward and kissed Clara's cheek, "Goodbye Oswin," she whispered, so quietly that her parents couldn't hear.

"Goodbye," the Doctor squeezed the woman's hand before gathering his girls to him to hug them tightly.

~8~

The Time Lords stood, dressed darkly in respect, in the graveyard, watching as Latimer, Frannie, and Digby paid their respects to Clara's grave.

"And what about the Intelligence?" Vastra had to ask as she stood beside them with Jenny, "Melted? Along with the snow?"

"No," Angel sighed, "I may have stopped the physical form, but I think it learned to survive beyond that."

Jenny shrugged, "Well, we can't be in much danger from a disembodied Intelligence that thinks it can invade the world with _snowmen_."

"Or that the London Underground is a key strategic weakness?" Vastra looked at the Doctor.

"Tunnels are icky!" Ayla agreed with her father, they were so dark and small...she liked big and warm, like the TARDIS!

"The Great Intelligence," the Doctor murmured, looking at the business card he'd kept from Simeon's home, "Rings a bell. The Great Intelligence."

"Come along my love," Angel whispered, tugging him forward when the family left, the three of them kneeling before the gravestone to pay their own respects to the girl...only to frown and stiffen when they saw the name etched in the rock.

_Clara Oswin Oswald_  
_Remember me,_  
_We shall meet again_  
_Born November 23 1866_  
_Died December 24, 1892_

"Angel?" Jenny called as Angel reached out to trace the inscription, her finger hesitating over the woman's middle name.

"We never knew her name," the Doctor murmured, taking her hand, "Her full name," both of them thinking about Oswin Oswald, the Junior Entertainment Manager of Starship Alaska.

"Soufflé girl!" Ayla cheered.

He nodded, "Oswin. It was _her_ ," it was too much of a coincidence, both women, both of them dying to save him, both of them telling them to run, to remember, calling them 'clever boy' and 'golden girl,' "It was soufflé girl _again_. We never saw her face the first time with the Daleks, but her voice, it was the _same_ voice..."

Angel believed him. She'd heard a Dalek to the very end, but he'd heard Oswin's voice for longer. It wasn't till she had tried to awaken the human in Oswin that they'd heard her real voice, it had been too brief for her, too short, she hadn't recognized it in Clara. But...thinking on it now...it really WAS her! But...how?

"Doctor?" Jenny called this time to him.

"The same woman, twice," Angel breathed, "She died each time."

"The same woman," he nodded.

"Doctor, Angel please," Vastra cut in, "What are you talking about?"

"Something's going on. Something impossible, something…"

"Fantastic!" Ayla giggled.

He beamed at her, poking her in the stomach for the word, making her giggle more, "Right you are!" he took her hand and helped her up as Angel did the same, "Right, you two stay here. Stay right here. Don't move an inch."

"Are you coming back?" Vastra shouted after them as they turned to rush out of the cemetery.

"Shouldn't think so!"

"But where are you going?"

"To find Clara!" Angel told them.

"But Clara's dead," Jenny shook her head, watching them run around the corner, out of the graveyard, disappearing from sight, "What're they talking about, finding her?"

"I don't know," Vastra sighed, but smiled, "But perhaps they were right, perhaps the Universe makes bargains after all..."

~8~

Decades later, in that very same graveyard, a young woman with brown hair, in a black dress with white spots and a red purse walked past the grave of Clara Oswin Oswald, now faded and eroded and covered in vines.

"Where are you going?" her friend, a lovely black girl called from a distance away.

"Short cut!" she called back, not even turning.

"Through there? I hate this place! Don't you think it's creepy?"

"Nah," she smiled, turning to grin at her friend, revealing Clara in the flesh, "I don't believe in ghosts," she laughed, "Come on! It'll be something to tell Angie and Artie."

"It'll give Artie nightmares," her friend remarked, walking up to her, "YOU, Miss Oswald, are not someone I'd want as my nanny, scaring the poor boy."

"And YOU, Mrs. Maitland," she joked back, "Will just have to pay me more to keep quite," she laughed as they walked through the cemetery."

~8~

The Doctor ran around the TARDIS, flicking buttons and setting knobs, till he brought up an image of Clara on the monitor, "Clara Oswin Oswald," he smiled, "Watch us run."

"In a moment though," Angel called as she and Ayla walked back to him, changed out of their period clothes and into their normal attire, as she moved to the console and put in a new location, "We have a stop to make first."

He frowned and moved to see where she was taking them, his eyes widening as he looked at her, concerned, "I need to do this," she told him quietly, "They deserve to know that Christmas will have to be at someone else's home," she told him.

Their companions, they all got together for the holidays, keeping together, staying strong, keeping their memory alive and just...being a family. The Ponds had been responsible for Christmas and they were gone now, the rest of the family needed to know what happened, not just for that but because they were losing a brother and sister-in-law in what had happened.

He nodded, kissing her temple, "And someone misses her granddad, doesn't she?" he guessed as Ayla nodded, hugging his legs, "Let's go then," he pulled a lever and the TARDIS appeared just across the street from the Ponds' old hose, which Brian had moved into to be closer to his son in a way, taking care of the plants. He lived at home, alone when his wife had passed on and to lose his son...he'd just wanted to be closer to the boy he'd raised and that was the only way he knew how.

They stepped out, staring at the lights of the house, all of them on, Christmas music playing out into the street, audible even that distance away. They could see people there through the windows, vague silhouettes that resembled their past companions. The Doctor frowned, perhaps Rory had told his father about their traditions and Brian had taken it up? He looked at Angel, but she seemed just as confused. So they stood there, till Ayla took their hands and pulled them on, across the street and up to the TARDIS blue door, knocking on it excitedly.

A moment later Brian answered, actually _smiling_ at them, "Hello!"

"Granddad!" Ayla squealed, hugging him tightly as he scooped her up.

"My you are getting big!" he smiled at Ayla, "How old are you now beautiful? 10?"

"103," she replied, even though she did look only 10 years old.

Their people, the Time Lords, grew at a what was much like a human rate until they reached age 8, when they looked into the Untempered Schism, in which case they started to age much slower. After that they would only really age, in appearance, 1 Earth year for every 50 years that passed, till they reached majority, at around age 500 and looking nearly Earth 18. By then they would stop aging though sometime they could manipulate their bodies to suspend that immortality, for only their first body. If they so chose, around that age, they could allow their bodies to grow old naturally, which the Doctor had done, wanting to live out a full life and, for some reason the Time Lords found barmy, wanting to experience death through old age. It was truly the only time that could really occur, to grow that old, in their first body. After that, regeneration and the regenerative energy would keep a Time Lord essentially immortal barring any accidents.

They had found Ayla when the girl was but six years old and, two years later, they had...managed to devise a way for her to look into the Untempered Schism, well...AN Untempered Schism. There were a handful, very, VERY rare gaps in the fabric of reality scattered through space. The one on Gallifrey had been the ONLY one on an actual planet, which was why their people had evolved so and had the traditions they had. But it was not the only one ever throughout the entirety of space. With the TARDIS's help, they had found one, had hovered the box before it, and allowed Ayla to look into it...

The girl had...stared into it, as they thought she might given her sensations and feelings, if that wasn't the sign of her potential as a Visionary like Angel, then her staring into the gap until she got bored and looked at them asking what it was supposed to do was another. The Doctor wasn't quite sure if he was happy or sad that Ayla appeared to be one of the very few who weren't a runner or mad or inspired, but a Visionary. He knew that it was dangerous to be one, that the risk of going absolutely mad ran high, but he trusted Angel, trusted that she'd be able to overcome that, she hadn't fallen into madness so far and he truly doubted she would, especially not with him, a doctor, watching over her mental wellbeing. And if Angel could control that, then there was a chance that Ayla would be fine too. He was happy she was like Angel in that regard, he hadn't wanted his daughter to go mad, but...he was also sad because he'd had a small hope she might run away like he had. But she was still every bit his daughter, she loved the excitement and the running as much as Jenny (his other daughter) did.

After that they'd felt Ayla was ready to really begin her lessons on the Universe and in being a Time Lord (even though the TARDIS had tried to sneak a few lessons past them). It was typical upon turning 8 for the Time Lords to really begin learning all they would need to know. The TARDIS had helped teach her quite a lot about flying and piloting a TARDIS and about space, with Angel taking care of the effects of time travel and the different periods of history, while he taught her all about science, about math, and literature. Together they were the perfect team of teachers and Ayla was just thriving. She was SO clever...like him he liked to think.

She had been 8 when that happened, and they'd been travelling around for about _nearly_ 100 years since Angel's 'death' at the lake in Utah. While she'd only appeared to have aged 2 years, looking 10, she was really more than a century old.

Brian though, blinked, startled at that, "Well you're looking good for your age," he laughed, it was so easy to forget she wasn't really his granddaughter or even human, to remember that she was an alien, like her parents, and speaking of... "Hello!" he reached out to half-hug Angel with Ayla still in his one arm, kissing her cheek, before shaking the Doctor's hand, only for the man to give her two Gallic air kisses.

"Hello Brian," Angel smiled, "Merry Christmas!"

"Sounds like a party," the Doctor remarked.

"Oh yeah," he nodded, leading them in, gesturing for them to follow, "Was just going to have a quiet sit-in but these people just showed up..."

The Doctor winced, Brian hadn't met their other companions, "Sorry about them, we were about to tell them not to come but..."

"Why wouldn't I want them to come?" Brian frowned as they entered a room.

The Time Lords stopped dead, seeing four people they didn't recognize paired with four other people as well, along with quite a few children, standing among and mingling with their companions throughout the room. Their companions immediately noticed them and ran over to greet them, while the four strangers and their (possible) spouses and families waited behind, staring at the Time Lords.

"Hello, hello," the Doctor greeted as Angel gave them hugs, Ayla laughing as he was scooped up and passed around by all her uncles, even Owen (who she knew had a sweet spot for her, he always gave her a candy bar or a cookie when her mother wasn't looking when she'd visit Jack at Torchwood), despite being bigger than the last time they'd met her.

"Hello," Angel smiled and walked over to the other four humans that were hanging back, not wanting to be rude and ignore them, especially not when she recognized who they were, "I'm Angel, nice to meet you," she held out a hand as the Doctor joined her, Ayla being held back a bit by her Godfather Jack who had refused to pass her on to Mickey Smith, leaving the men bickering.

"And I'm the Doctor," he added, shaking their hands as well, a bit thrown by their rather stunned expressions.

"Oh right!" Brian rushed over, "Um, Doctor, Angel, this is Vincent," he patted the shoulder of the oldest man, a tall boy with light brown hair, slightly curly, going a bit more gray than brown at the moment, with a slightly large nose, standing with his arm around another woman, a ginger, "And his wife Krista."

"Hello," Krista shook their hands.

"My God," Vincent breathed, staring at them, all with clear American accents but Vincent with just a hint of a lingering different one, "It's really you?"

"It's really us," the Doctor laughed, a bit...confused.

Angel just smiled as a woman stepped over, with brilliant ginger hair that hadn't a touch of gray despite the slight wrinkles to her face, "I'm Isabella," she shook their hands, excited, "And this lump is my husband Chris," she nodded at a man with black hair rolling his eyes beside her, "Sorry! Big fans."

"That's nice," the Doctor nodded, growing more confused.

"This is Lizzie," Brian continued, pointing to a girl with light brown hair just a touch darker than the eldest male, that fell in waves.

"Elizabeth," Lizzie corrected, shaking their hands, "Hello. My husband Mark," she put her arm around a slightly plump man with a shaved head, "It's so great to finally meet you!"

"Pleasure," the Doctor shook their hands.

"And I'm Elliot," the final man, the youngest of the bunch added, stepping forward to hug them, his hair a bit of a lighter red, "With my wife April," he nodded to a woman with blonde hair, "We've heard so much about you!"

"Have you?" the Doctor nodded, "That's lovely."

Angel laughed a bit at that, he was missing it, again. Oh her Mate could be quite oblivious couldn't he?

"Are they the Doctor?" a small boy ran over, a child, one of the many they didn't recognize as being related to Martha or Gwen or Tosh, "And Angel?"

"Is that Ayla?" another girl pointed at the girl in Jack's arm as she looked over at them, watching her parents interact with the strange, yet oddly familiar, people.

"Yes," Elliot knelt down beside his daughter, "That's our cousin Ayla."

The Doctor nodded, before his eyes widened, "Cousin?!"

Angel laughed, "Meet the Ponds, generations 2, 3, and 4!"

The Doctor gaped at them, _finally_ recognizing the adults before him, they were the same men and women that had been in Angel's vision of the future, of the life Amy and Rory led.

"Hello," they cheered in chorus.

Vincent laughed, "Sorry, mum and da told us about how they used to do Christmases and we thought...why should that stop? You need a Pond doing Christmas, so here we are, an ocean of us."

The Doctor laughed at that, tears in his eyes, so happy to see the proof of Amy and Rory's happy life in the flesh. He looked down, sniffling when he saw Ayla tugging on his jacket sleeve, having been set down by Jack...who had Mickey in a headlock as the two 'wrestled' over who should get to hold her...and looking up at him worried, "What's wrong daddy?"

"Nothing, sweetheart," he smiled, "Nothing at all. In fact...it's very...right."

Ayla frowned, confused, before she looked at the four older adults that were smiling at her, eyeing them intently, before her gaze landed on Vincent. She blinked, tilting her head as she stared at him, studying him, "You look like Uncle Rory," she remarked.

Vincent beamed at that, "Thanks. I get that a lot actually. He's my dad, he's our dad," he gestured at his three siblings.

Ayla's eyes widened, "You're Uncle Rory's children?"

Vincent nodded, moving to kneel down before her, a bit slow as he was a little older than Brian, and took her hand, "We are," he glanced at the Time Lords, "I hope you don't mind but...dad had something he wanted us to give her the moment we met her."

Angel smiled, as though knowing what was coming, "By all means," she gestured them on, knowing he was asking for permission to bestow the gift from Rory before the actual presents were given out.

Vincent smiled and reached out to hug Ayla tightly, his siblings coming around to hug her as well...followed by their children, and _their_ children, making the largest group hug any in the room had ever seen before, all of them watching with tears in their eyes when they heard Vincent whisper, "Dad was right, best hug in the Universe."

All of them just...so touched that Rory had told his children, his family, about the girl and her parents, to know they were all still so important to the Ponds even now.

~8~

The dinner that the Pond family had prepared was just...amazing, a blending of British and American and Scottish tastes that made it a very memorable evening. And the gifts that followed had been just...fantastic, and quite spoiling for everyone. The numerous Ponds had gotten gifts for all their 'family,' having been raised on the tales of Jack and Donna and Martha and Mickey and Sarah Jane and all of them. Amy-O had sadly turned down the visit this year. She'd been told about what had happened, apparently the Pond children had explained their parents' fate to the family individually, long before Christmas had happened, contacting Jack who had arranged for them all to meet and discuss what happened. He'd contacted Amy-O and the woman had been saddened to learn what happened to her younger self and Rory, and, seeing the family they had made...hurt too much. She was sad she'd miss that year's festivities, but to be around all of them, the reminders of the life she and Rory could have had in one lifetime or another, and...to be around Ayla, knowing the girl was still mourning the loss of her Aunt Amy as well...she hadn't wanted to make it harder for either of them.

The family had gotten gifts from the Ponds, and the Ponds...had gifted Ayla with numerous ones as well. But...there was one that it seemed they were reserving for last, the best.

"This..." Elizabeth held out a small box to Ayla as the night slowly winded down, "This is from mum, with dad's help."

"And us!" Jack called.

Isabella rolled her eyes, "Yeah, and Jack and the others adapted it, made it from all of us."

Ayla blinked and looked at the box, slowly opening it to see a small...heart-shaped locket on the inside...with a tiny pink bow engraved on the front of it. She let out a breath, it was very pretty, simple yet elegant, and she KNEW her Aunt Amy had picked it out, "Thank you..." she whispered.

"That's not even the best part," Elliot told her, "Open it."

Ayla looked at them before opening the clasp, holding the locket open...only for a holographic image to project above it. She gasped, seeing the image that came with it, more like a series of images. There were pictures of Rory and Amy, at their wedding, when their children had been born, so many little but immensely important moments, and it wasn't just them...it was Jack and the team, it was Martha and Mickey, Donna and her family, Sarah Jane and all of them...all her family, hundreds of pictures of them shifting to the next every few seconds, like a...scrapbook, like a holographic scrapbook of her family, clearly the work of Torchwood and UNIT and Mr. Smith to adapt an old locket with such technology.

Ayla smiled, feeling tears in her eyes, knowing her mother was crying and her father was comforting her but teary himself behind her, "Thank you," she breathed, looking up at the Pond family, at HER family.

"No problem A," Vincent winked at her as the girl clutched the locket close to her hearts.

"Come here sweetheart," the Doctor moved over to her, crouching down beside the small armchair she was sitting on, taking the locket from her to put it on her around her neck.

Angel watched, silently crying happy tears as Jenny stood beside her, her arms around her mother, the two of them watching the little girl hug her father, the Doctor mouthing 'thank you' to the newly-expanded family over her head. They knew it was hard for Ayla to bear the loss of Rory and Amy, the little girl had lost her Aunt and Uncle in one go. For them...their relationship with the elder Ponds had built up over time, become what it was, but for Ayla...they had ALWAYS been her Aunt Amy and Uncle Rory, they had always been there, right from the start...and then they weren't. And it had hurt her twice as much, to see them giving her a gift that would allow her to keep all her family with her forever, to see them whenever she wanted...it meant so much to them.

Angel watched as the Doctor gently rocked the sniffling girl back and forth, placing a kiss to her hair, and felt her hearts swell. It was moments like that where she couldn't believe how lucky she was to have him for a Mate. So many people would wonder why she loved him so much. He had done terrible things in the past, he had committed genocide, he often left destruction in his wake, and his temper and darkness could give nightmares to the bravest of souls...

But looking at him just then, the man in the bowtie with the child in his arms, comforting her...would it be possible to NOT love him?

The Doctor had been there for her, from the moment she'd been released from Van Statten's, he'd protected her instinctively. She had noticed his subtle gestures in the museum, how he had focused on her, made sure she was ok, done all he could with the limited resources to see her taken care of, had gotten Goddard to protect her from the Dalek's sight, had tried to keep her safe from the Dalek and had destroyed it for 'killing' her. Everything he had done, from the moment he'd met her, had been to protect her and keep her safe, see her happy and healing and growing stronger. He always protected her, even when he wasn't aware that he was. How he pushed her behind him, how he stood to face the enemies, the drive he felt to save her and rescue her. His care for her, for their daughter and their family knew no bounds.

He had accepted her, when no one else in her entire life had ever done so. Right from the start, learning about her odd abilities, he had _supported_ her. He had encouraged her in a way no one ever had. He helped her with her visions and her abilities as they grew, he trusted in her, he believed in her. His faith in her meant the world to her and made her feel stronger because of it. She knew she wouldn't be where she was in her abilities if it hadn't been for his love and support. She would have kept hiding them, kept being ashamed of them, if not for him. He had accepted her so wholly and completely that...he'd made her love herself as well. He'd made her accept herself and all that she was. He made her feel like she was worth something and special and dear.

Yes, he had done terrible things in the past, but that was where they were meant to be left. She knew that the memories of the war, of the genocide, haunted him to that day, and she didn't want to add to it. The past was meant to remain in the past, even for time travellers they couldn't interfere with their own past. And...the things he'd done, had been for the sake of the entire Universe, he had cared about the lives of each and every being in the entire Universe so much that he had done a terrible deed that hurt him deeply to keep them all safe. The guilt he felt, the drive to do better, to be a better person made her love him even more. It was like he'd said to Amy once, feeling guilt meant you had a conscious, it meant you felt for others, it meant you weren't a monster. And all the destruction that happened around him, it always came from him doing his best to protect those around him, to keep the destruction from being truly terrible.

He was flawed, yes, he had a temper and he had an arrogance to him and a darkness, but he tried, SO HARD, to be better than that. To be a better man and a better Mate and a better friend and a better father because of it. He tried to protect every person he could, he tried so hard to not be a 'monster' that he saw himself as. And that effort...he strove to be a better person and he was succeeding. She felt an enormous respect for him, to have lived through what he had, to have made the decision to do what he did, for the sake of the Universe. He was the strongest man she knew and that inner strength was something to respect and something she cherished.

And to see him with Ayla, to see him reading tales to her and playing with her, protecting her and caring for her and tucking her into bed...the love and adoration he felt for their daughter was touching. He loved that little girl more than anything, he loved all children. How much it pained him to see any child sad or hurt or upset was a testament to how deeply he truly cared for every single soul. He had a genuine kindness in him, a deep-rooted concern for all living things that couldn't ever be taught, it was just...him. He was gentle and kind and did everything he could to help other people and make them feel better and that was...remarkable.

HE was remarkable, her remarkable Mate. She just...loved him, so much. He proved to her over and over and over again with everything he did that he was one of the most deserving men of the love people showed him. He meant the world to her, his hearts, his mind, his soul...everything about him just...made her love him all the more. He had always been there for her, even when he'd forgotten her he had _still_ been there in a way, protecting her, worrying for her, rescuing her. He was everything she had never known she wanted in a Mate, having never thought she would find a Mate before.

And now...she couldn't imagine her life without him.

Everything she had, everything she was, was because of him. Her abilities being as focused as they were and getting sharper. Even the Vortex within her had happened because she'd been with him in his TARDIS. The home she had built with him in the old box. The family she now had surrounding her. The happiness and love and...completeness she felt. It was _all_ because of him.

She loved him, so much.

"Yes," she nodded, shaking herself from her thoughts as she stepped over to the Doctor with Jenny, kissing Ayla's head as she ran her hand down her daughter's hair, smiling at the family, "Thank you."

The Doctor leaned back as Ayla pulled away, wiping at her nose with the back of her hand before she turned and took Jenny's hand, wanting to show her big sister her present (as though Jenny didn't know what was in it, a few pictures were of her as well), leading her off. The Doctor stood, winding his arm around Angel's shoulders as he looked at the family, smiling at them as the beamed back at him.

"Um..." Vincent began, "We...we also have a gift for you as well Aunt Angel," he added, making Angel blink at the title they'd given her.

She looked over as the man handed her a rather...old envelope. She blinked, much like Ayla had and took it from him, hesitating a moment when she saw her name in Rory's handwriting on the front. She swallowed hard, taking a breath, and opened it, pulling out the small letter.

_Angel,_

_Hello sis. I hope Vinnie will keep his promise and deliver this message to you. The kids have been swearing that they were going to see the family for the holidays for ages, and I think they might soon when the time comes for Amy and I to disappear to New York. I just wanted to say Angel, I know Amy wrote the afterword for the Doctor and...I wanted to give you an 'afterword' of your own. I wanted to say...thank you. So much. You have no idea what you've done for me Angel, over the years of knowing you. I look back sometimes when I'm gardening, at the shy, insecure boy that took a picture of a man with a dog and wonder how I possibly became who I am. I'm a doctor now, did quite well with it, married Amy, bought a house with a garden, had children, and they had children and...I'm happy. I wanted you to know that I am, I'm very happy. I'm getting on now, hair's gone grey, haven't gone bald though. I got old, but this time I got to do it with Amy._

_So I wanted to say thank you for that. You promised me once that you'd see me live to an old age, me and Amy, together. And you did. You've always kept every promise you've ever made to me, even the ones I never thought would happen. I'm...stronger because of you. I like the man I am. I'm happy with the life I've lived. And I wanted to truly thank you for all of it. I never would have had this life, become this man, or been this happy if I'd never met you._

_Thank you Angel._

_So much._

_And know that I will miss you terribly._

_Please know that I love you sis, you and Ayla and even the Doctor. And know that I'm happy and that I lived a good life. And it's all because of you._

_Your brother,_  
_Rory_

Angel let out a breath, wiping below her eye with her hand, feeling the tears starting to fall and herself unable to stop smiling. She...HAD promised Rory would live to a ripe old age together with Amy, hadn't she? She'd nearly forgotten that. And...to know that he had, that he HAD lived that amazing human life to the fullest, that he'd been happy and content, and that she'd had a small hand in it.

Best Christmas Ever.

"You alright?" the Doctor whispered, reaching out to brush away one lone tear that had escaped her efforts to wipe it away. He hadn't read the letter or pried into her mind to see what it said, if it was for her from Rory, he could tell it was something Rory had likely only wanted Angel to read, at least for the moment.

She nodded, taking his hand and kissing his knuckles, "I'm fine," she sniffled, "Happy tears," she reassured him, "Just...my brother was happy," she told him, SO happy about that as well.

He smiled, understanding what the letter had been, Rory's 'afterword' to her like Amy's had been to him. He was very relieved that Angel's 'brother' had been happy in the end...which reminded him, "Oh!" he laughed, "Jack...before we forget," he smirked, "We expect something rather magnificent for November 5th."

Jack's eyes widened as he punched the air, "Yes!"

The entire Torchwood team groaned, knowing that giving Jack full access to any sort of explosives was probably not a good thing...

"You're taking another companion?" Martha asked, guessing what he meant from that remark. Jack had mentioned one Christmas that he had been hoping for November 5th when they'd all been selecting the holidays they wanted to get together during...but had gotten stuck with Boxing Day.

"'Bout time!" Donna cheered.

"That's wonderful," Sarah Jane smiled.

"We will be," Angel nodded, "We just...have to find her again."

"You lost her already?" Mickey laughed at that.

"Did she wander off?" Jenny called with a smile, knowing how her father felt about that particular rule.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and told them all about Clara Oswin Oswald, hoping that, maybe, if one of them saw another her, they could find her as well.

~8~

As Ayla settled down for the night, having been tucked in to bed by her parents, the Time Lords stepped out of the room and headed down the hall to their own, the Doctor turning to pull Angel to him as soon as the door shut. He nuzzled his nose into the side of her head, smiling, "You came back," he murmured, speaking of how the Vortex had taken her over.

She smiled at him softly, "YOU brought me back," she replied, recalling how he'd always said that _she_ brought him back from the darkness, it seemed he was able to bring her back from the light as well.

It worried her a great deal though, to know that the Vortex had done that to her again. She...she had barely been able to keep herself from harming Simeon, she had felt it, the desire to stop the man, at any cost, and she had fought against it, fought as hard as she could and only barely managed to refrain. It...scared her, that it happened, because she knew, she could feel it...it wouldn't be the last time...

The Doctor tugged her closer, winding his arms around her, feeling her growing tenser before, hearing her thoughts, and just...did the first thing that came to his mind to do to calm her. He began to sing, swaying her gently with him as they danced in the hall outside their room, "I just want you for my own..." he murmured in her ear, resting his temple to hers as they swayed, feeling her relaxing against him, feeling her smiling against his cheek, "More than you could _ever_ know. Make my wish come true," he pulled away, just...smiling at her, gazing at her with love and adoration in his eyes, "All I want for Christmas is you," he he whispered, leaning in to rest his forehead to hers, his nose brushing against hers, " _All_ I want for Christmas...is _you._ "

She let out a small laugh, stepping back before he could lean in to kiss her, her hands sliding down his arms to his own hands. She stepped back again, "Well then," she remarked, "If you want me...you have me," she gave him a mischievous smirk, the door to their room opening behind her as she tugged a rather grinning him into the room with her, the sounds of her laughter cutting off as the door shut and lips descended on her own...

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice little parallel there eh? Sometimes the light can be as powerful as the dark }:) I hope you liked the little ending :) I'm not sure who the girl was with Clara in the cemetery, I have this thought that it's Mrs. Maitland, that what we see is the 'Clara coming to stay' and Mrs. Maitland dying :(
> 
> I also hope you liked the ending Christmas moment with the family and the letter from Rory, seems Angel DID keep her promise after all ;) I did say that the Ponds would be coming back in some way, and now we've got a rather large...body of them :) I can say that I have Ayla's next 2 Christmas gifts picked out and I'm VERY excited to get to them.
> 
> I take Ayla to being about 103 in that she was 6 years old, plus 97 years (the Doctor was 1103, then 1200 in ATCM, for 97) which is 103 ;) Just basing it on the Doctor's age, I know he lies, but so far that's how I picture it ;)
> 
> Next chapter though...nightmares are coming ;)


	29. When a Good Man Falls

The Doctor aimed the sonic at Amy, standing before him in her jeans and red plaid shirt, his setting set to melt the Flesh that he was certain she was. This wasn't Amy, this was a Ganger, he _knew_ it was, it HAD to be, the scans had said that she was, that she was pregnant but not pregnant. He didn't even have to scan her with the sonic, now having a trace of the Flesh, to know. All the signs were there, her lack of change in clothes, how she was both pregnant and not pregnant, how she saw that woman with the eye patch. It was all reality bleeding through.

And now…he had to break the signal.

He had to wake her up wherever she was, because she deserved to be awake. There was an…odd signal that was interfering with the TARDIS, he'd noticed it when Angel brought it to his attention after they'd dealt with Idris, the woman having spotted it when putting in the firewall. They'd traced it, all the way through time and space, to a base called Demons Run, an asteroid. And now…he was afraid they had Amy, they had to have, why else would the signal be hitting the TARDIS?

He flicked the sonic on, trying to ignore the tears in Amy's eyes…when nothing happened, the ginger girl just stood there, perfectly fine, perfectly solid and not a melted mess on the floor.

"But…I don't understand?" he frowned, bashing the sonic on his hand, "You're Flesh!"

"I'm not Flesh," Amy rolled her eyes.

Angel frowned, eyeing the girl…she'd seen it all in the Doctor's mind, all his thoughts about the Flesh, the tests, the reasons why he thought she wasn't real…and felt her hearts breaking, terrified that…that maybe it wasn't AMY that was the Ganger.

"Doctor?" Angel called hesitantly, her voice shaking.

But he ignored her, "You're Flesh!" he insisted to Amy, "I ran the tests!"

"Um…I don't think she is Doctor," Rory stepped back to Amy's side, though his gaze was pulled to Angel, the woman seeming pale and frightened.

"Well that's just…cheating!" he huffed, before stalking to the TARDIS, "Then why are they broadcasting their signal here?" he wondered…pouting a moment before grinning, "Only one way to find out!" he ran around the console, pulling levers and pushing buttons, not seeing Angel slowly make her way to the jump seat, as though in a daze. Amy came to help him, though Rory went over to Angel to check on her.

"And…we're here!" he cheered as the TARDIS set down with a thump. He grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her to the doors.

"Doctor wait!" Rory shouted, his eyes wide as he turned from talking to Angel, the girl hunched over, her head in her hands, "I just…" he glanced at Angel, "Shouldn't we…make sure no one's out there with guns?" he supplied genuinely not sure how to bring up Angel's fears to the man when it seemed they were about to find out anyway.

"Yeah Doctor," Amy agreed, "I don't want to nearly get shot by Americans again."

"I ran a scan," he waved them off, "No life signs onboard save for three people. Which, given the four of us, we can handle. Now come on!" he grinned running out of the TARDIS.

Angel sighed, taking a deep breath before she stood, starting to follow.

"Angel…" Rory began.

"I need to know Rory," she whispered, she needed to know if her fears were founded, she needed to know who was out there, what was out there.

Rory nodded solemnly and followed her out, seeing Amy had already stepped out with the Doctor. They were in a large hanger sort of room, dark, nearly empty, and they would have thought it was abandoned if not for a single light on in a room on an upper level. They could see it from there, the stark whiteness of the room above. The light was making it even brighter, the single illuminated thing in the darkness.

"Well," the Doctor remarked as they stared up at it, "I don't have to be you Angel to know that's where we ought to go," he grinned and pulled out the sonic to scan ahead, making sure no one was there as they crept quietly through the base.

It was odd, it was really odd, how empty it was, how desolate and abandoned. For a church-run army base, there should have been people there, weapons of some sort, leftover bits…but there was nothing. There was hardly any light, any sound, anything at all, save for the soft whirr of the Doctor's sonic as they moved.

Angel swallowed hard though, starting to hug herself at how dark it was, she had…never liked the dark, at all, ever. But then…she looked over and felt someone take her hand, Rory. He looked at her, concerned, and squeezed her hand, he knew about her fear of the dark, she'd told him so. She told him a lot when they'd talk and they always did, talk that is, about a lot of things, everything really. He knew, right now, she was really and truly afraid, not just of what was coming but of the dark in general.

She offered him a small smile of thanks when they reached a door at the top of the stairs they'd been climbing, the light visible from just under it. Two large, dark doors all that stood between them and finding out what was inside that room, the room the signal the TARDIS had found was coming from.

"Ready?" the Doctor looked at the others, grinning despite the fact he himself felt nervous as well.

"Geronimo," Amy smiled, though…she was nervous too, it was like they could all tell that something through that door would change everything.

The Doctor flashed the door and they ran in…stopping short at the sight before them and turning to stare at Angel.

Angel blinked, feeling tears in her eyes before she stepped past them to the person lying in an advanced harness before them, flat on her back, her stomach well and truly swollen, black hair contrasting against the stark whiteness of the room, making angel shake her head as she dropped her hands to her stomach, wrapping them around her not quite as round. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening…

But there was only one way that SHE could be lying on that harness right at that very moment…the real her was unconscious and controlling a Ganger, HER.

"Angel," Rory breathed, "Is that you?"

"What's going on Doctor?" Amy shook her head.

But the Doctor just stared Angel, horrified.

"Doctor, what's going on?" Amy demanded again.

"Angel…" the Doctor just looked at her.

Angel shook her head, "I don't…I didn't…" she couldn't even form complete sentences she was so shocked to see herself lying there, connected to a harness. She looked at her hands, they look like her hands, she felt like this was her, and yet…that person lying before her…she could tell, she just _knew_ it was her, it was the _real_ her.

Amy hadn't been the Ganger all that time, it had been HER.

"Doctor…" she looked at him, completely terrified.

He just shook his head, "I don't understand…"

How could he have not known? He _should_ have known, he should've realized! Angel was the last of his people, how could he have not known that she had been taken away from him and replaced with a Ganger, with a replica, with a clone? It was glaringly obvious to him now, looking back at everything, at all the instances that should've tipped him off. Like how every time he scanned Amy, Angel was right there, she was always too close to the ginger. Like how she connected and felt for the Flesh more than any of them had, but he just thought it was her intuition…now he knew it was something so much more. And the Vortex! She hadn't used it much, if at all, during the entire time they'd been together, months, nearly a year on end. She'd only just recently used it to save Jen.

He looked at Angel, feeling tears prickling in his own eyes at how he hadn't noticed. He noticed _Amy_ , had thought it was HER, but he hadn't noticed _Angel_. He should've realized, he should've realized it wasn't her.

"Angel…I'm so sorry," he breathed.

Angel shook her head and looked at him, "Wake me up," she pleaded.

"What?" he frowned.

"Wake me up," she demanded, her voice a little stronger.

"Angel I…"

"Wake me up Doctor!" she shouted, "I can't let them take her! I can't let them take my baby!"

The Doctor froze at those words, his eyes drifting down to the stomach of the woman lying there on the table, widening as he saw, for the first time, that she was indeed very _very_ pregnant, "What?" he shook his head, staring at her, completely horrified. This was even worse than he imagined, "What?! I…I don't…I don't understand. What!?"

He looked between her and the stomach of the woman lying on the table. How? It didn't make any sense! The only way for Angel to be pregnant was if she'd been with a Time Lord, their species having evolved to the point where they could only procreate within the species. As far as he knew, there was just him…and the Master. He doubted that Angel had found a third Time Lord when she'd been with Jack for a short while, she would have told him. And he knew it couldn't have been the Master. He would have realized that, she would've been more pregnant and had the child long before he'd regenerated. And he knew the Master hadn't had a chance to do anything, the last time they'd met, he had been with them both the entire time. And if it had happened on the Valiant, it was the same, she would have already had the child and he knew she wasn't pregnant when she'd been dying the second time.

That just left…him…but it couldn't be! He knew it couldn't be him either, he would've remembered something like that! He would've remembered being with Angel in such an intimate way. He'd fantasized about it enough times to know he'd certainly remember the difference between a dream and reality…he winced, feeling his hearts racing, reminding him that he _had_ had dreams of being with Angel in such an intimate way but…dreams were not reality.

He looked at her, knowing SHE would know better than him, "How did this happen?!"

But Angel just shook her head, "Wake me up first," she whispered, "They're going to take her away if you don't!."

"Doctor just disconnect the connection or whatever you were going to do to Amy," Rory shouted, seeing Angel growing more frantic, seeing her panting and nearly hyperventilating, as though having a panic attack. This would not be good for…well, he supposed, it wouldn't affect the baby at all if the real baby was in the woman on the table and she was just a Ganger. But still, seeing her getting so worked up was alarming, "Doctor just…just wake her up!"

But the Doctor could only stare at her in shock as his mind raced, trying to push past a sort of pressure that was building in it, trying to work out who the father could possibly be.

Amy looked between them for reaching out and grabbing the sonic off the Doctor, flashing Angel with it, melting her into the pile of goop.

"Amy what have you done?!" the Doctor cried, yanking the sonic out of her hand, about to rush around the table to look at the goop…when Angel jerked up on the harness, gasping, screaming really, a scared look in her wide eyes.

Rory was at her side in an instant, putting his jacket around her as she was wearing only a white hospital gown and nothing else and it was quite chilly, and also as comfort, knowing she needed to feel secure and safe after a shock like that one. He remembered what the Doctor had been saying, that he was ging to try and disconnect the connection as humanely as possible…he doubted Amy knew what setting or what the Doctor had learned that he was sure he could do that. And that pained him to know that Angel might have 'died' in pain just then.

"Angel calm down," he tried to get through to her as she shook and gasped for breath, staring around the room looking more frightened than he'd ever seen her, "Angel we're here. Breathe. We're all here. You're alright, you're safe…"

Angel looked at him, tears in her eyes, "No…" she shook her head, "I'm not safe. They're here."

Rory glanced around the room, "It's just us…"

"The Doctor picked up _three_ life signs," she whispered, "I was one of them…"

Just then, before they could respond, before the Doctor could even begin to ask her what she was talking about or what had happened, what was going on, the doors to the room opened and a woman with an eye patch walked in. There was a black man in military garb just beside her, at least a dozen Headless Monks following her, the Monks not registering as alive on the scans.

"Oh," the woman mock-pouted, "You woke her early," she sneered, "Well, we'll just have to improvise from here then, won't we?"

"Who are you?" Rory asked, stepping in front of Angel.

"The least of your problems," the woman answered, a moment before Angel screamed in pain.

"What's wrong?!" Rory leapt back to her side.

The Doctor strode past him, glaring at the duo, lifting his sonic threateningly, which made the Monks lift their energized swords in preparation, "What have you done to her?!"

"Me?" the woman laughed, "I have done nothing. It was waking her the way you did that's causing this. That sudden shock…" she smirked.

"What's going on?" Amy shook her head, moving to Rory's side, seeing Angel hunched over and grabbing her stomach.

"She's going into premature labor," the woman laughed.

"What?!" the Doctor shouted…so shocked that he actually dropped the sonic…which was quite terrible luck on his part as the woman quickly ordered the Monks to seize them.

~8~

The Doctor had never felt so shaky in his life, felt so utterly terrified as when he'd been standing there, watching as Angel went into labor. The Headless Monks had grabbed them, him and Amy and Rory and pulled them back and tied them up across the room, forcing them to watch. It wasn't even that they could see much from their vantage point, but they could see Angel's face, they could see her crying and the pain she was in and how scared she was. The sonic was across the room, out of reach of the Doctor and they were handcuffed to instruments off in the back, with no way to go help Angel , no way to free themselves.

The only one who managed to be let go was Rory…because he was a nurse. They didn't rust the Doctor, why would they?, to help them, to do what had to be done for Angel. They knew he'd use that opportunity to fight back, to get to them, to think of some clever way to get them all to escape and they were not going to risk that happening. So they'd taken Rory over instead, knowing he was a nurse and more capable of doing what they needed him to do…

Deliver the baby.

The Doctor was well and truly scared for the baby in question, a little girl if Angel's insistences that they were going to take 'her' away from her were anything to go by. The length of a Time Lord pregnancy was very specific, unlike Human births where a child could be born weeks early and be just fine with proper care and attention…it was infinitely more dangerous for Time Lords. For a child to be born early, even by a week was not a good sign and…he felt like…like he knew something about Angel, about her family, her mother. Like…pregnancies were difficult for the women of her family and that made him even more worried.

And…he was starting to…feel something else. There was a force building inside him, the fear was growing more than he knew it should be. He'd been worried, yes, when he'd thought Amy was pregnant, when he thought she was about to have the baby somewhere alone. It should have been worse with Amy, she would have been alone, but he was THERE with Angel and…he was terrified, for her and the baby. There was something about the baby…something inside of him was struggling to cope with. It was like…like he had a connection to the child already and that alarmed him. Because the only reason he should feel so connected to the child was if…it was HIS child.

But how?

His thoughts were cut off rather abruptly when he heard Angel scream…and not a good scream, not a final push scream but…a horrified, broken hearted one. He looked over at where she was, feeling tears gather in his eyes as he felt something in his hearts…empty.

"Dead," he heard the general that had come with the eye-patched woman speak.

"No…" Angel sobbed.

The Doctor felt the air leave him, as though sucked out of him at those words, at the heartsbreak on Angel's face. The baby…the baby had died, and he felt like HE couldn't breathe, like his own hearts were breaking, like his soul was shattering. It felt like…like…like he'd just seen his child die before him. The baby…the baby really WAS his wasn't it? How though? How as it possible, he would remember that!

He looked up when Rory was shoved into the open, the Headless monks dragging him away from Angel as the girl twisted and turned where she was lying.

The eye-patched woman stepped out, glancing at him before turning to a Headless Monk, "She's of no use to us anymore," she sneered, "Kill her."

"NO!" he shouted, struggling with his bindings, needing to get there, needing to stop them, to protect Angel, to do something.

But the bonds were too tight, he could see Amy sobbing beside him, having tried to escape as well and failed, he could see Rory trying to break free of the Monks holding him, but to no avail. The woman just smirked and strode right up to him, staring down at him as they watched as one of the Monks picked up, not its energized sword, but a dagger. The Doctor frowned, seeing an odd sheen to it, like…like the blade had been coated in something.

"The Poison of the Judas Tree," the woman grinned, "The most potent poison ever," she glanced at the Doctor, "Can kill a Time Lord dead, no regeneration."

"What?!" the Doctor demanded, "No!" he struggled, seeing the Monk about to lift the dagger, Angel not even bothering to fight back, not using the Vortex, whether from exhaustion or the loss of will he didn't know, "Please stop! Kill me!" he offered, making the Monk hesitate, "Please! Take me instead, just…just let her go!"

The woman chuckled, "As though we would take that risk," she tsked, "We are by no means stupid Doctor. We release them, they'll find a way to save you. We release you, you'll do the same. No…" she shook her head, "This is the best way to kill you as well, two birds with one stone, rid the Universe of all the Time Lords left in existence."

The Doctor shook his head, "What do you mean, kill me too?"

The woman laughed heartily at that, "You still haven't figured it out, have you? Well, it appears the reports of your intelligence are greatly exaggerated if even you couldn't overpower the command of a Silent."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to bide his time, the longer he talked, the longer he had to work out a plan, the Monk not striking the final blow just yet.

"We kill your Mate Doctor, we kill you too," the woman remarked, "That IS how the stories go, isn't it?"

"But I don't have a Mate!"

"Oh but you do," she grinned, seeming to take infinite pleasure in how utterly he believed his statement, "Shall we test it out?" she turned and nodded at the Monk.

"NO!" the Doctor screamed, but he was too late, the Monk brought the dagger down…stabbing Angel in one of her hearts.

The girl gasped, in pain, her body tensing for only a moment before it fell back on the table. He knew what had happened, she should have regenerated, she still had her other heart to keep her going…but the poison…it was being pumped into her, right IN her heart, it had reached the place that it needed to be to shut her down completely.

"No…." he felt himself grow cold, felt a sharp pain in his heart as well, the same on that Angel had been harmed in, "What…." he breathed, looking around, feeling himself growing light headed, feeling the world spinning around him.

"Well, what do you know?" the woman smirked, "It appears the stories are true."

The Doctor looked at her blearily before he turned his gaze on Angel, seeing her head lull to the side, breathing out her last as the poison took full effect, the girl passing on. He blinked a few times, realizing that…something had happened, with the Silence, with his mind, and…Angel was apparently his Mate…but he couldn't remember her. He couldn't remember anything about that.

But he _was_ dying, he could feel it, he could feel his life slipping out of him, his heart hurting. It was true, Angel was his Mate, and now…the only thing he could think as he felt his world grow black was…that he hoped she would forgive him…

~8~

"Oomph!" the Doctor grunted as he landed hard on the floor, he'd jerked awake slightly…only to find he'd been sitting on one of the side chairs of the TARDIS console, having fallen asleep sitting there and landed on the floor.

He blinked blearily, confused for a moment as to why he was on the chair in the first place and not on his bed before he remembered. They'd been trying to find Clara again, find another her. To meet two of her…there had to be more, there had to be at least 1 more, but they weren't having luck. He had…foregone sleeping for quite some time really in the vain hope of avoiding a nightmare. While he didn't want them to stop, didn't want to tell Angel and have her help them stop, he didn't want to have them. It was more…when they came he accepted them, but it didn't mean he strove to have one every single time he closed his eyes. The last adventure, it…unsettled him. He could think of scores of nightmares he could have had given everything that had happened in Victorian London. Anything from the snow triggering thoughts of the first Christmas he'd had with Angel that he'd forgotten her during to the ice woman reminding him of another living statue that tended to haunt them and had surrounded Angel in a forest to even thoughts of the times Angel had lost control of the Vortex during the amnesia era.

Of all he thought he might dream of…it should have been obvious what it would be. Vastra, Strax, and Jenny, in one spot, all of whom he'd last seen in Demons Run? It should have been quite clear what he'd dream this time. And it was even more disturbing how it had twisted the events of that moment. If he'd never given Angel the chance to speak, if he'd gone right there instead of having a plan, if…well, that was the MOST disturbing portion was that…even after learning she was his Mate, that she was having his child, he STILL hadn't remembered her. THAT part killed him terribly.

"Are you alright my love?" he heard Angel call as he saw her appear in his vision, helping him up from where he'd pushed himself onto his hands, "What happened?"

"Nothing," he insisted quickly, "Just…dozed off, must have slipped off the controls I was leaning on."

Angel gave him a look and he immediately knew that she knew he was lying…

But before she could comment, Ayla appeared, "Are you alright daddy?" she asked, keeping Angel from bringing up what she was suspicious of with their daughter there, not wanting the girl to know or realize something was bothering her father.

"Just fine sweetheart," he grinned at her.

She nodded, "Are we going to the park now?" she asked.

They'd been searching for Clara or Oswin for ages now and being cooped up in the TARDIS for all that time…she was starting to get antsy and there was only so much a child could do in the garden, alone, with walls all around her. She was as much her father's daughter in wanting to get out there and experience life as anything. He had promised that they'd take her to a park, just to play, just to have some time out in the fresh air but the Doctor had sort of drifted off as Angel was talking with Ayla about who she wanted to see or where she wanted to go or what time to visit…till just then.

"Yes," he nodded, "We're going to the park," he walked over to the console, yawning as he saw Angel watching him, concerned. He shook his head and went to put in commands…only to see Angel had already done so. He smiled, reaching out to a lever instead and pulled it, the TARDIS jolting slightly as she flew and landed on Earth, but about twenty or so years ago.

They smiled warmly as Ayla grabbed their hands and pulled them out into the park to play…

~8~

A little girl with brown hair, tied into braided pigtails, sat on a swing, beside a girl with strawberry blonde hair, pulled into the same style as her, smiling at that. She loved it when she had her hair the same as someone else by chance, it was always a way to start a conversation and she did love meeting new people.

"Hello!" she cheered as the girl looked away from watching two adults standing on the other side of the small park they were in.

"Hello!" the girl smiled back at her.

"Are those your parents?" she asked, glancing at the two adults.

One was a man in a tweed jacket, braces, and a bowtie, while the woman across from him was wearing a white sort of poncho-shirt with thick blue stripes running across it, dark pants tucked into boots, her hair the same shade as the little girl beside her. The man was smiling softly at the woman, reaching out to rub her arm, his other hand holding hers as the woman gently touched his cheek, though her smile was far smaller than his.

"Yeah," Ayla smiled as she looked at her parents again as they spoke quietly with each other.

"Are they alright?" the girl frowned.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Ayla turned back to her, frowning as well.

"They look upset," she shrugged.

"They're not," Ayla nodded, "Well, not really. Mummy's frustrated and daddy's just worried."

"What are they frustrated and worried about?"

"They're trying to find a friend of theirs," she sighed, "Mummy's frustrated because she's usually very good at finding people but she's having trouble right now. And daddy's worried because mummy can't find her and that might mean they won't ever find her again and because, well…they've met her twice already and they lost her both times. He doesn't want to again."

The girl nodded as though she understood, even though it was quite vague, "They lost something."

"Yeah. They've been looking everywhere for her."

"When I lose something, I go to a quiet place, and I close my eyes, and then I can remember where I put it!"

Ayla giggled, "Daddy would think that's brilliant!"

The girl beamed at that, "Have you lost anything?"

Ayla's smile fell just a little, "I lost mummy and daddy once, well, they lost me. A mean lady tried to take me away from them," she looked down, the toe of her shoe making a little pattern in the dirt, mostly spelling TARDIS in Gallifreyan, "She _did_ take me away, but mummy and daddy found me again. Oh! And Aunt Idris! She helped."

The girl reached out and touched her hand curled around the swing's chains, squeezing it, "I'm glad they found you. I wandered off once, mum went _mental_!"

Ayla giggled, "That's daddy's most important rule, don't wander off."

The girl nodded, looking back at the adults as she remarked, "I'm always losing things. I lost my best pencil, my school bag, my gran, and my mojo."

"Not your mojo!" Ayla cried.

"Don't worry," she smiled at her, "I got it back."

"That's good!" Ayla cheered as they swung a bit, when she noticed two women off to the side of the park, talking, one with dark hair who looked a lot like the girl beside her, "Is that _your_ mum?" she nodded at the woman.

"Yeah," the girl sighed, "I better go and see if she's alright."

Ayla nodded, "Mummy and daddy do that all the time."

"How are your parents gonna find her?" she looked at Ayla, "Their friend."

"I dunno," she shook her head, "They bumped into her the last two times," she eyed the girl, "I think they'll see her again though, like destiny."

"That's rubbish!" the girl laughed.

"Not as much as you think," Ayla smiled at her.

"You should tell them to find a quiet room and have a good think about it instead," the girl nodded.

Ayla giggled, nodding, "I will."

"Good," the girl got up, pleased she could help, "Goodbye!" she turned to run off to her mother.

"Bye Clara!" Ayla called.

Young Clara stopped a moment to look back at Ayla, tilting her head at how the girl had known her name, sure she hadn't said it, but Ayla just smiled and waved. So she shrugged and waved back, running off to her mother.

"Who was that beautiful?" Angel asked as she and the Doctor walked over, hand-in-hand.

"A new friend," Ayla beamed up at them, before kicking her legs, "Daddy will you push me?"

"Of course sweetheart," he smiled, kissing her on top of her head before moving behind her to give her small pushes, not seeing Angel turn to watch Clara walk off with her mother, a curious smile on her face.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Doctor :( I wanted to sort of throw in a nightmare where, even in the end, he didn't remember, which I think would be even more heartsbreaking for him :( But! I also added the prequel to TBOSJ to this ;) I hope you liked little Ayla and little Clara :)


	30. The Bells of Saint John: Spoonheads

All around the world, people of varying cultures, of varying ages, and in varying places, sat with their friends and families, or even just by themselves, just surfing the internet, using the Wi-Fi, that glorious connection between people, invisible, never seen, but always there.

One particular man sat before his computer screen, like an ad playing, one that would have been ignored by all who saw him had he not shouted, "Danger!" the moment he appeared, "This is a warning. A warning to the whole world. You're looking for Wi-Fi. And sometimes you see something...a bit like this," he lifted a sign with odd, almost alien symbols on it, "Don't click it. Do. _Not._ Click. It."

~8~

And all across the world, the symbols popped up as people searched for Wi-Fi

~8~

"Once you've clicked it, they're in your computer. They can _see_ you. And if they can see you, they might choose you. And if they do...you die. Within 24 hours, you're dead. For a while people's souls are being uploaded to the internet. Some people get stuck. Their minds, their souls, trapped in the Wi-Fi. Like echoes. Like ghosts."

He swallowed hard, looking up, swearing he could hear people shouting, "I don't know where I am! I don't know where I am!" over and over.

"Sometimes you can hear their screams. On the radio. On the telly. On the net…"

He closed his eyes, the repetition hitting again, "I don't know where I am! I don't know where I am!"

"This _is_ real. This is not a hoax. Or a joke. Or a story. This is real and I know that, because..." he swallowed, his voice breaking, "I don't know where I am. Please, if you can hear me...if you can hear me, I don't know where I am!"

~8~

All across the world, people clicked on the Wi-Fi button, finding themselves unconscious moments later…awakening lost and scared…on hundreds of monitors lining a wall of a dark room, trapped.

~8~

In Cumbria, 1207, a young monk rode his horse through a forest, as fast as he could while still being careful as there was another horse following behind, unmanned. He paused when he reached a clearing, tethering the horses to a branch and making his way to it, to the place where the abbots had told him the 'Mad Monk' had gone. Though he was sure that the man wasn't really a monk, he had a wife and daughter with him, but the three had resided in the monastery, had been welcomed in large part due to the 'Mad Monk's' wife apparently, the Blessed Angel the abbots had called her. He hadn't known who the three were, the abbots themselves had only known the two elder members of the little family but cherished the little girl that had appeared with them.

The abbots swore on their very souls that the Mad Monk's wife had to be an angel in the flesh, the woman was so kind and pure of heart and good…just a blessed soul, that anyone who met her was said to agree. Her daughter was just the same, had the makings to be as kind as her mother and as brilliant as her father. The Mad Monk was something of a tinkerer, a scientist, a scholar, brilliant…and yet very much mad at the same time. But the abbots didn't seem to mind, apparently the two had done a great service to the monetary in the past and it was the lest the abbots could do to offer them shelter and solitude.

He paused, seeing them in the clearing, they appeared to be on a picnic of some sort, the man was sitting by a tree, the girls before him as he sketched them, the clouds were white, the sky blue, the breeze gentle, the weather warm and he could hear their laughter from there, see their smiles. He smiled himself and turned to go, the message he had come to deliver with such haste…it _could_ wait, he was sure. Because he knew it was the sort of message that would end their happy day.

"Don't try to sneak off Paul," a voice called and he winced, it was the Angel, and turned to see she and the girl, her daughter Ayla, had turned to look at him, having known he was there without seeing him.

"My apologies ma'am," he bowed his head as he turned back and stepped into the meadow.

"Would you like to join us?" the Doctor asked, gesturing at the blanket, smiling, "We've plenty of food to spare."

Paul just shook his head when Ayla tilted hers at him, "What's wrong?"

He smiled, he'd been warned that the girl and her mother had an extra sense about them, a sort of intuition, God whispering in their ears the abbots had claimed, "I've a message, I'm afraid."

The Doctor pulled off the round spectacles on his face and looked at him, serious, "What's happened?"

"The bells of Saint John are ringing."

The Doctor nodded and looked at Angel as she looked at him, the two of them nodding, more serious now, and getting up to silently pack up their picnic. He flipped the sketch book closed, past a picture of Clara and her message 'Run you clever boy, you golden girl, and remember,' and closed the basket, "We'll need a horse," the Doctor began as Ayla helped her mother fold the blanket.

"I've brought an extra," Paul told them, gesturing to the second horse with his own.

"Excellent," the Doctor patted his back as they headed to the horses, readying them.

The Doctor pouted as he stared at the two horses, knowing it would be rude to ask Paul to head back to the monastery on foot but…if he was on one horse, he'd have to pick between his Mate and his daughter for who would ride with him. If he was on the other with Paul, well then they'd be on a horse together and it would be terribly awkward as he wanted to ride with his family not a monk. But if he rode with one of them, the boy would get the other and it wasn't that he didn't trust Paul, he trusted all the disciples that resided in the monastery, but…

"Can I go on Billy, daddy?" Ayla asked as one of the horses, the one Paul was tending to, the one he'd ridden, nuzzled her cheek, snorting against her as she pet him, making her laugh, "He likes me."

The Doctor smiled at how she'd taken care of that debate for him and nodded, "Of course sweetheart," he smiled, moving over to lift her up, setting her on the horse after Paul had gotten on, "You take care of my daughter," the Doctor pointed a warning finger at the young man, seeming to be calm but the boy could detect a threat in his words.

"Of course," Paul nodded, swallowing hard at the fire in the Doctor's eyes.

Angel smiled softly and stepped over, taking the Doctor's hand, "Come now my love," she whispered, turning his head with a gentle hand, "Do you think I'd let our daughter ride with someone else if she'd be harmed?"

He sighed, "No," he admitted, smiling at how she always knew when he was growing upset.

It was just…Ayla was his daughter, his little girl, and he'd failed so often to protect her. In his nightmares at least, it was starting to get to him, to keep straight in his mind what was real and what was a dream. He'd woken up more times than he could count fully believing that Ayla had died or that she'd been harmed and rushed to check on her. The same went for Angel though it was a bit easier with her, when he woke she was right next to him most of the time. So he only really had a heartsattack some of the time then.

He smiled and kissed Angel's forehead, turning to lead her to the other horse, Angle smiling as she glanced over her shoulder to see the young monk cross himself the moment the Doctor's back was turned.

~8~

In the Maitland house, a girl who looked very much like Clara and Oswin, paced in a kitchen as she waited on the phone for the helpline to pick up, glancing at the young black girl sitting at the kitchen table on a laptop, "Angie, is the internet working? Trying to phone the helpline, they won't answer."

"It's working for me," Angie shrugged, giving a rather short answer.

"Can I use it when you're finished?"

"More than one person can use the internet at a time, Clara," Angie rolled her eyes.

Clara frowned at that attitude but sighed, "You done your homework?"

"Shut up, you're not my mum!" Angie snapped.

Clara's expression softened as she put her hand on Angie's back, "And I'm not trying to be," she gave Angie a meaningful look, "Ok?"

She looked back when she heard Mr. Maitland, Angie's father, enter the kitchen with Angie's brother, Artie, trying to find his keys as he patted his pockets. The poor man was going through so much the last year, ever since he'd lost his wife. The stress of it all and the heartbreak had seemed to age him ten years and seemed to make him just as frantic and tired, "Right…" he began, only for his son to hold up the car keys, "Yes!" he patted Artie's head and looked at Clara, "Angie's probably fine on her own, you could probably have the night off."

"I'm ok," Clara shrugged, "I'll be upstairs trying to figure out my computer."

"Anyway, the adverts are in, so hopefully we'll find someone," he moved to the front door to put on his jacket.

"I'm here as long as you need me," she reminded him with a smile.

"Good! Right, come on, Artie, time to go," he opened the door and headed out.

Clara though, quickly took the book Artie was holding and smiled at it, 'Summer Falls' by Amelia Williams, "What chapter you on?"

"Ten," Artie smiled.

"Eleven's the best," she winked, "You'll cry your eyes out. And then twelve'll make you not stop smiling."

Artie grinned at that, excited, when his father called him, "Artie!" he sighed and headed out the door.

Clara looked at her phone, seeing it was still connected yet still no one had answered the helpline "Oh, come on, just answer, just pick it up, pick it up, pick it up," she started to mutter to herself as she headed up the steps, leaving the kitchen, heading to her room at the top, more like a converted attic.

She walked to a post in the middle of the room and grabbed it, using it to spin herself around before she plopped at her chair, before her desk and tapped the laptop, but nothing happened. She frowned, moving the cursor to the Wi-Fi icon, searching through the connections. She saw two, one for the 'Maitland Family' and some funny looking one under it with weird symbols…

~8~

The Doctor hopped off his horse, which Angel had had a lovely conversation with on the way over, and turned, grinning up at her as he held up his arms, resting them on her waist as he helped her from the horse, his arms sliding more around them as he pulled her close, leaning in to brush his nose against hers, smiling at her with a soft look in his eyes. He was so…lucky, so SO lucky to have her in his life, to have her as his Mate. She was truly one of the most important things in his world, she made him so…happy, all the time. He couldn't ever not smile when she smiled at him or laugh when she laughed or refrain from wanting to hunt something down whenever she was hurt. Just…being around her, knowing her, he was sure had made him a better person. He felt…less guilt about the war, had endured hardships better with her there to hold his hand through it, offering her comfort and warmth to him.

He truly couldn't imagine where he'd be without her…quite alone he was sure, sad, burdened, without a daughter, the TARDIS probably falling apart around him. She was truly…an angel, his own personal angel gifted to him by the Universe for something he wasn't sure he'd done to deserve her to…save him. He was sure of that, because she had, she HAD saved him in more ways than he could count, saved his life, saved his friends, saved the people he was trying to help, even saved him from himself on numerous occasions. He really just…he felt so warm thinking about it like that, she was his, she was his angel, his Mate, just…HIS.

He'd just leaned in to kiss her…when he heard a giggle behind him. He turned to see Ayla grinning as she sat on the horse, Paul having gotten off, trying to hide her laughter behind her hands as she seemed to be in the habit of doing and grinned at her, "And what's so funny missy?" he walked over to her as Angel tethered the horse to a branch.

"Nothing," Ayla said innocently, sounding a bit sing-song.

"Are you lying to your daddy young lady?" he asked her, a playfully suspicious look on his face, "I may not be your mum but I _can_ tell when my daughter's fibbing."

Ayla giggled, reaching out to put her hands on his shoulders as he scooped her off the horse and held her, "You and mummy are funny though."

"Oh, funny are we?" he laughed, before starting to tickle her, making her squirm and laugh as well, till she did the one thing she knew would make him stop…she hugged him. He smiled at that, hugging her tightly back.

"I love you daddy," she whispered, she always did that, said that to him and her mother, because she knew how important those words were and how true they were and how much her parents deserved to hear them said as much as they could.

His hearts swelled at that, they always did, each and every time one of his girls said that to him, "I love you too sweetheart," he kissed her cheek and set her down, taking her hand as Angel took her other, the three of them leading the way into the cavern where they'd hidden the TARDIS.

It was a bit dark though, no light at all.

"I have a torch…" Paul began, having followed them.

"No need," Angel smiled before looking at Ayla, "What would you like beautiful? A sun or stars?"

Ayla put a finger to her chin in thought, "The sun!" she cheered.

Angel nodded and held up her hand as a fist, squeezing it, Paul's eyes widening as he saw her hand start to glow golden, before she threw it up, the light flying out of her fist and into the air, hovering there like a small…sun.

"By all that's holy…" he breathed, crossing himself but staring in awe, not alarmed, not at all…that was a trick he imagined an angel really _would_ be able to do, create such perfect and warm light.

"Come on," the Doctor smiled, kissing Angel's cheek as he led the way further in, the small sun following them, lighting the way like a gravity globe.

The Time Lords walked down the path and into the small cavern the old blue box waiting in the back of it. They paused though when they heard the phone ringing. The Doctor and Angel stiffened the last time that had happened they'd ended up being chased down by Nancy's nano-gene-changed brother. It had been a bit scary to be honest, bad things happened when the outer phone to the TARDIS rang. Though the opposite could be true as well, that bad things happened when the inner phones rang as well, when Martha had called they'd learned Angel was dying, when the Earth had called they'd ended up on the Crucible and Angel had died…yes…ringing phones in the phone box were never good.

They glanced at each other before Angel hesitantly opened the instruction panel and took the phone, "Hello?"

"Ah, hello!" a cheery voice called on the other side, a woman, Angel frowned, she sounded familiar… "I can't find the internet."

She blinked, "The…what?"

"It's gone, the internet. Can't find it anywhere. Where is it?"

"The internet?" Angel looked at the Doctor, shaking her head, not having a clue what to do…either by how they were talking about the internet in the early 1200s…or how to find it, she really was rather rubbish with technology in this body.

The Doctor reached out and took the phone from her, hearing the woman speaking, "Yes, the internet. Why don't I have the internet?"

He checked his watch quickly when Angel put her hand on his, "It's 1207," she reminded him.

"It's 1207," he repeated to Clara.

"I've got half past 3:00. Am I phoning a different time zone?"

Ayla started to giggle at that, hiding her mouth behind her hand like she always did, she could hear the girl over the speakers, the connection was fine but it appeared the TARDIS wanted them to hear her. But that brought up another thing…if the TARDIS was putting the call through different times…then the girl had to have called the TARDIS first. But how did she get the number?

"Yeah," the Doctor laughed as well, turning to run his hand through Ayla's hair a moment, smiling down at his daughter, "You really sort of are."

"Will it show up on the bill?"

"Oh, I dread to think," he looked at Angel, confused, but the girl could only shrug and pat the corner of the TARDIS.

"What is it Sissy?" she asked the old box, the TARDIS was starting to hum now.

"Listen," he started to pace, turning around after he'd pulled the cord quite a ways out of the box to see Ayla was jumping over it, he smiled and started swinging it around, helping her jump rope while he talked. He loved moments like that, little moments he got to share with his daughter, little memories they got to make, "Where did you get this number?"

"Woman in the shop wrote it down," the girl replied on the line, "It's the helpline, isn't it? She said it was the best helpline out there. In the Universe, she said."

Angel looked over at that, frowning, a feeling like…the woman in the shop ought to be familiar to her, like…she knew her. Well they'd _have_ to have. Who else would have the number to the TARDIS except people who had already been on it? But…all the companions who still had the number, they would have called them, told them if they'd found Clara. They had asked them too at Christmas, to keep an eye out for Clara and to let them know if they found her, not wanting to risk her getting hurt before they could get to her.

They would have called, and anyone else wouldn't just give the number to a complete stranger. They'd find some way to contact them and ask them to come down or they'd have contacted them themselves and asked for help.

So who was it? She had the feeling it was a friend, so…it wasn't River, but then again…it just might be. River was…odd. They never knew where she'd be in their timeline whenever they ran into her. The last time had been near the end, before that right at the start, before that in the middle, it was all over the place and they never knew if they'd be seeing the River Amy had begged to be a 'good girl,' the…well, friend…or the River who still had delusions that the Doctor could possibly be hers, the foe.

She knew the Doctor would rather not see River period, ever, but…she couldn't help but feel guilty about it. River was who she was because SHE had interfered and tried to stop it, and in trying to stop it, her own daughter had been taken. Ayla had been lucky enough to escape, River had not, and everything River had to endure had been worse because of it. They still didn't know everything that the Silence had tried to do with Ayla. They got the feeling though that it had only started with stories about how the Doctor was to blame for everything. They couldn't have started to try and hurt her or train her too early as they didn't know what a Time Lord could or couldn't handle, and Ayla seemed to have fought them every step of the way.

Good on her.

But by Ayla doing that, by the Silence failing to get to _her_ , they had to have started earlier on River then, made sure that she'd hate them from the start and she had…well, she hated her, she loved the Doctor though.

She blamed herself for what happened to River, for Amy and Rory knowing that their technical daughter was a psychopath because of her. She couldn't help but feel like…because of that…how could she ever be cruel or mean to River? River was who she was because of what _she'd_ done. It was her fault, and so, she always tried to make up for that, getting the Doctor to let her out of Stormcage for her birthday and other occasions. She was, technically, her niece as well, Rory, her brother's, daughter.

She knew River did NOT see it like that at all. To River, Rory was NOT _her_ brother, not biologically, and that biologically River was Rory's daughter. That couldn't be argued with. But the fact that she and Rory didn't share blood or DNA but just a bond of siblinghood, made River consider her NOT an aunt. Which made it possible for her feelings for the Doctor to manifest. To River…she was just the woman who had torn her family apart.

And that killed her, River had never been carried in Amy's stomach, had never been born, experienced even a scrap of love from the time she was a baby to now. Her parents were wary of River due to how she treated her, they didn't trust her, the Doctor hated her with a passion not even SHE could calm, and Ayla existed because she and the Doctor Mated, and Ayla's existence was the reason River existed as well.

It really _was_ all her fault.

' _Oi!_ ' she heard the Doctor call in her mind, ' _Don't you dare Nella,_ ' he scolded lightly, ' _River brought that on herself. She's Amy and Rory's child, she had all the potential in the world to break her training, to fight back like Ayla did, to be inherently GOOD…and she CHOSE not to be. She chose to hurt you, to KILL you._ '

' _But she never would have if I hadn't left her to that fate, made it so._ '

He shook his head, much like he knew Angel would never be able to make him not hate River, he knew he would never be able to make her not blame herself about that. They had Ayla, she was safe and loved and happy and growing up as normally as a Time Child could in a time travelling spaceship made of wood…River hadn't been so lucky.

"Daddy?" Ayla tugged on his pant leg, seeing him get distracted, "What lady?"

"Right," he nodded, winking at Ayla, "Thanks sweetheart," and picked the phone up again, sending Angel a look that told her they'd have to talk about that later, "What woman? Who was she?"

"I dunno," the girl on the phone replied, "The woman in the shop. So why isn't there internet? Shouldn't it just sort of...be there?"

"Look, listen, I'm not actually…this isn't..."

Angel leaned forward and gave him a peck, "Be nice my love."

He sighed, leaning in to kiss her forehead, "You _have_ clicked on the Wi-Fi button, haven't you?"

Ayla beamed as she watched her parents, it really was magical to see how much her mother could get through to him with just a simple gesture or look or touch. Her parents had to love each other very much, as much as they loved her! She saw them sometimes, just…look at each other and it was like they'd spoken, she knew they weren't really talking, not even in their minds, but they communicated. It was amazing to see because she knew it meant they…understood each other in a way many didn't.

"Hang on," the woman murmured, "Erm...Wi-Fi?"

The Doctor nodded, absently looking at Angel's hand, playing with her fingers with one of his hands as he spoke, "Click on the Wi-Fi. You'll see a list of names. Is there one you recognize?"

There was a clicking noise and the girl was back, "It's asking me for a password."

"Is it ok if I go and see Nina?" a young girl asked distantly, "You can call her mum."

"Sure. What's the password for the internet?"

The Doctor shook his head fondly at that, she reminded him a bit of Donna, forgetful, didn't really know how to work things…well, the Old Donna then. The New Donna often gave him a run for his money. There was a time last Easter he believed, or the last Easter they'd been around where he and Donna had gotten into a debate…he honestly couldn't remember what it had been about…but apparently it had irritated the others and they'd ended up locked in a cupboard, STILL going back and forth about the topic…till they'd realized they were locked in a cupboard without the sonic and demanded to be let out. He was always grinning from those debates, it was SO lovely to see Donna blossoming like Angel had into the most remarkable women. Of all his companions after the War, Donna had started with the least confidence in herself, so to see her now…was just wonderful.

"R-y-c-b-y-g-g-a-r-123," the girl answered.

"How am I supposed to remember that?"

"Did she forget you were there daddy?" Ayla asked as they heard distant mumble, the girl and the woman talking to each other but not talking to him on the phone.

"It appears so," he nodded.

"Is it an evil spirit?" the monk asked, having been standing in the background, watching them.

"It's a woman."

The monk crossed himself as Ayla laughed, "You're funny," she told him.

"How am I funny?" the young man frowned.

Ayla just walked over and tugged him down by the hand, waiting till he'd knelt down, "It's not bad," she told him, putting her hand on his shoulder, "Funny's brilliant! Right daddy?"

"Right you are sweetheart," the Doctor winked.

Ayla turned to the monk and kissed his cheek innocently, "Funny's the best."

The monk laughed and took her hand, kissing the back of it just as innocently, "Well thank you then."

Ayla beamed, happy she'd made someone happy.

"Hang on," the woman was back, "Just a mo."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at that…when Angel stiffened.

'… _run you clever boy, you golden girl, and remember_ …'

… _Clara was lying on the ground at the foot of the stairs, unmoving_ …

'… _there's something living in the Wi-Fi_ …'

"What is it?" the Doctor pressed the phone to his shoulder, turning to her, serious, having seen her stiffen, felt her alarm race through her.

But Angel ran forward and grabbed the phone, holding it up in time to hear, "Run. You. Clever. Boy. You. Golden. Girl. And. Remember. One!"

The Doctor and Angel looked at each other.

~oOo~

_They ran from the Dalek prison, hearing the Oswin-Dalek shouting, "Run, you clever boy, you golden girl and remember…"_

~oOo~

"Two…"

~oOo~

_Clara-Oswin lay on the table, looking at them weakly, "Run, you clever boy, you golden girl and remember…"_

~oOo~

"Three!"

"What did you say?!" the Doctor suddenly shouted, startling poor Paul, but not Angel or Ayla.

"Don't shout!" Clara spoke, "You made me type it wrong. It's thrown me out again. What do I do, how do I get back in?"

Angel reached out and grabbed the Doctor's hand, Ayla already running into the box and holding the door open for them.

"Bye Paul!" Ayla called, waving at the man who just waved back, confused…

Before the box disappeared before his very eyes.

~8~

Inside the Maitland home, Clara sighed as she tried to log onto the Maitland Wi-Fi once more, deciding, instead, to try the odd symbols below it…

~8~

A monitor blinked on, Clara looking through it, still on the phone, speaking to the Doctor, "It was just a thing to remember the password. Run you clever boy, you golden girl, and remember. Oh, hang on!" she huffed, putting down the phone as she heard a knocking from downstairs.

She pushed away from the camera and disappeared off screen, a man staring at the screens with a frown as she disappeared, all the other screens around hers of others trapped in them.

~8~

Clara made her way down the stairs, to the main hall, to answer the door where someone was still knocking. She rolled her eyes though, there were three people she could make out, a brown blob, a blue blob and a green small blob. One was knocking, the other tapping on the glass, and the third ringing the doorbell.

"Hello, yes, I hear you," she called, but they still kept on, "Yep. Uh huh," she opened the door, blinking as she saw the Doctor standing there, dressed in rather…odd clothes, like an old, brown monk's habit, with Angel and Ayla beside him, in period clothes as well. Angel was wearing a light blue long sleeved dress that appeared loosely corsetted on top, a sort of square neckline to it and a white cloth over her hair, covering it slightly while Ayla was wearing a more floor length green tunic with a brown belt wrapped around her waist. All of them looked rather odd, like they'd just stepped out of a period movie, "Hello?"

The Doctor grinned widely at her, "Clara? Clara Oswald?"

"Hello?" she repeated.

"Clara Oswin Oswald?"

"Just Clara Oswald," she blinked, "What was that middle one?"

Ayla squeezed her father's hand, "Daddy I don't think she remembers us."

The Doctor frowned at that and looked at Clara, "Do you remember me?"

But Clara just gave him a look, "No. Should I? I mean your daughter's adorable…" which made him smile, "But who are you?"

"The Doctor," he pointed to himself, then Ayla, "Ayla," and then to Angel, "Angel? No? The Doctor?" he turned to Angel, "Have I regenerated and not noticed?"

"No," Angel laughed, "Still as handsome as ever my love."

"Doctor who?" Clara shook her head.

"No, just the Doctor," he sighed, before smirking, "Actually, sorry, could you just ask me that again?"

"Could I what?"

"He wants you to ask, 'Doctor Who?' again," Angel explained, "Sorry."

"Doctor…who?" Clara blinked.

"Ok," he started grinning, "Just once more."

"Doctor who?" Clara shook her had.

"Oh, yeah," he stepped back, doing a little dance, taking Ayla's hands and swaying with her as he went, "Oh! D'you know sweetheart, I never realized how much I enjoy hearing that said out loud."

"I like it when other people say it too," Ayla told him, it was quite amusing.

"Thank you," Angel smiled at Clara for going along with it though, feeling relieved to see Clara standing there and alright instead of collapsed like in her vision. The fact that she had been able to SEE Clara had given her hope that, maybe unlike the last Clara, she'd be able to help protect this one.

Clara just nodded, eyeing them oddly, before shutting the door, "Ok."

"Oi!" the Doctor cried, banging on the door, "And you talk about ME being rude," he huffed, pounding on it again, "Hey, no! Clara, please."

"Clara, we just want to talk," Angel tried, "Please, listen?"

~8~

The dark room that was full of monitors in the back now had more to it, a number of desks with scores of people working at them, all on computers of their own. One had an image of Clara from when she'd been sitting before the computer earlier, information on the screen beside her.

A young Asian man followed an older woman in a pantsuit up a set of stairs, "Clara Oswald," he explained, "We've got a positive lock on her, but I think she's borderline. Very clever, but no computer skills."

"Upload her anyway, splice her a computer skills package," the woman waved him off, continuing on her way.

But the man rushed after her, "I'll activate a Spoonhead."

"Alexi," she turned to face him, stopping, "We call them servers, not Spoonheads."

"Sorry, Miss Kizlet," Alexi winced before heading to his desk, the one with Clara on it and getting to work.

Kizlet watched him go a moment longer before turning on her way, up the stairs and into her office, where another older man was waiting, "I'm ever so fond of Alexi, but my conscience says we should probably kill him," she remarked offhandedly.

"I'll inform HR," the man nodded.

"Actually, he's about to go on holiday. Kill him when he gets back, let's not be unreasonable," she stepped into her office, a rather large room with floor to ceiling windows that gave a great view of London, rather modern in design, black and chrome, "Didn't you want to speak to me?" she asked her assistant as she moved behind her desk.

"We're uploading too many people, too quickly. We're going to get noticed."

"If your conscience is bothering you, think of it like this," she sat, smirking at him as she picked up a tablet, "We're preserving living minds, in permanent form, in the data cloud. It's like immortality. Only fatal," she scrolled through the information on her tablet, a collection of all her staff profiles though ones that showed how they felt at that moment, till she reached the man before her, a Mr. Mahler, and looked at his vitals, his 'conscience' levels rather high, well that wouldn't do.

"My conscience is fine," Mahler stated.

"Good," she nodded, lowering the settings for that particular vital anyway, "Because our client has his needs."

Mahler shifted as Kizlet looked at the tablet to see the 'paranoia' setting rising. He turned to go, before stopping and looking back at her, "Did you just hack me?"

"Because you changed your mind?" she gave him an innocent smile.

He stiffened, "I hope I did," he remarked, leaving.

Kizlet sighed and lowered his paranoia for only a moment before smirking and setting it high once more. He was ever so fun when he thought everyone was conspiring against him.

~8~

Clara was sitting halfway up the stairs, the Doctor and the other women still at the door, still talking and knocking, "Please!" the Doctor shouted, "I just need to speak to you!"

"Please Miss Clara?" Ayla tried, knowing that the last two Clara's had had a soft spot for children.

Clara sighed and stood up, walking down the stairs and back to the door, pausing before turning to an intercom on the wall instead. She flicked it on to see the Doctor and Angel's faces there.

"Why are you still here?" she asked them, making the Doctor jump at the sudden voice. He smiled though and waved before ducking down and picking Ayla up so she could see Clara as well, the girl putting her arms around her parent's necks, "Why are you here at all?"

"You called," Angel smiled, "We came."

"Looking for the internet right?" the Doctor smirked

"That was you?" Clara frowned.

"Course it was us," he nodded.

"How did you get here so fast?"

"We just happened to be in the neighborhood," he gestured back at the TARDIS, "On our mobile phone."

"When you say 'mobile phone' why do you point at that blue box?"

"Because it is!" Ayla cheered, "It's a _very_ mobile phone."

Clara shook her head, coming from a child it was cute, her father…not so much, "Ok, we're finished now," she switched off the intercom.

"Oi, no, look..." she could still hear the Doctor speaking…when she turned, hearing a door shut upstairs and the floorboards creaking above her.

"Angie?" she frowned, calling up the stairs, she was pretty sure Angie had gone over to Nina's already but just to be sure, "Angie, are you upstairs? Angie, are you still here?" she listened as the floorboards creaked at the top of the stairs to see a young girl in a bit of an old-fashioned dress step down, her hair up in a braid along her head, stopping halfway down to stare at her, "Hello."

"Hello," the girl echoed back.

"Are you a friend of Angie's?"

"I'm a friend of Angie's."

"What where you doing upstairs?"

"I was upstairs."

Clara frowned, eyeing the girl closely, she was rather familiar, "I know you, don't I?"

"You know me, don't you?"

Clara's eyes widened as she recognized the girl, the same one on the cover of Artie's book! She backed away as the girl began to turn her head… _all the way around_ …to reveal a sort of dish in the back of it, like a bowl or…a spoon. There was a pattern of digital information running along it as she stared in horror, the light getting bigger as it shot out at her…

~8~

Ayla and Angel rushed after the Doctor as he entered the TARDIS once more, the man trying to tug off his habit and cloak at the same time, "Right," he muttered, "Don't be a monk. Monks are not cool, are they sweet heart?" he looked at Ayla, but the girl just giggled.

"If you're a monk daddy, then they _have_ to be cool," she beamed up at him.

He grinned, pleased with that, and headed down to the underside of the console, to a series of panels in the ground below the post that ran up to the main controls, opening them and searching through them for something to wear. He tossed handfuls of clothes over his shoulder, Angel laughing as she caught them, thinking of how he'd done much the same when confronting the Atraxi, how he'd kept flinging ties at Rory.

He grinned though when he found a fez, "Ha ha!" he cheered, turning to place it on Ayla's head as she crouched next to him, looking at the piles of clothes, trying to help but also…seeming a bit interested in them as well.

"What about that daddy?" she asked, pointing to a purple cloth.

The Doctor reached in, picking up his old tweed jacket and the purple cloth, which was actually a longer jacket. He grinned, it looked interesting, new, something he might actually like to try. He grinned, kissing Ayla's hair for it, she had a…rather remarkable eye for things like that, finding things that were interesting and fitting, unique, that made him smile. She was so creative.

"What do you think dear?" the Doctor turned to Angel.

"I'm more partial to TARDIS blue," she began with a soft smile, "But purple would look lovely on you my love."

Ayla cheered, "It will suit you very nicely daddy."

He beamed, that being all that he needed to hear to drop the tweed coat he'd pulled out and grab a handful of clothes, rushing to get ready. Ayla peered down at the clothes in a pile on the floor before smiling, grabbing one or two pieces and running after her father as Angel laughed and shook her head fondly, curious to see what her Mate and daughter would decide to wear now.

~8~

The Doctor spun on the purple coat, now dressed in a white shirt, buttoned up, with a lavender vest over it, his same typical pants and boots, but with the dark purple jacket over it. He buttoned the last button and felt his neck, realizing he'd forgotten a key component of his outfit.

"Now," he looked around, "Where did I put it?" he snapped is fingers and turned back to the panels, pulling out a small wooden box Ayla had given him for one of the Father's Days, and opened it to reveal a bowtie.

He grinned, putting it on as Ayla and Angel watched. The little girl had also gone for a change of clothes, being…older than when her parents had found her she thought it was time for a change from the floral prints and little frock dresses. The Doctor still thought she looked adorable though, but it might have been because her current outfit was quite similar to what the last version of Angel had worn. Ayla was now wearing a light green tunic style dress with three quarter length sleeves that went down to a bit above her knees. She had black leggings on and small black converse that reminded him of his own last self. Unlike Angel though she had foregone the belt, her hair out of it's pigtails and, much like Angel's current style, was clipped on one side, but with a bowtie clip, still wearing the locket her aunts and uncles had given her for Christmas. He was truly touched just how much of both of them their daughter was able to include in herself and her choice in dress. His last self's shoes, his current self's bowtie, Angel's last self's dress and current hair style. He really loved that about her, how she was such a blending of the two of them.

Angel walked over as soon as he'd finished tying his bowtie on, reaching out to tweak it, straightening it, "There's the Doctor," she smiled.

"Very cool father," Ayla nodded.

He grinned, taking Angel's hand and leading her off to the stairs, scooping Ayla up into his one arm as they rushed out of the TARDIS, eager to go see Clara.

They had just made it to the doors when Angel stopped suddenly, the Doctor spinning to her, "What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the expression on her face.

"Something's happened to Clara," she breathed.

He quickly turned, setting Ayla down as they ran out of the box and to the doors, "Clara?" he called, trying to knock on the door, trying to remain calm, if the bad thing hadn't happened yet, he didn't want to worry Clara too much by truly acting like the madman he was, "Clara?"

"Clara are you there?" Angel called into the intercom, "Can you hear us?"

"Hello?" Clara called out of it.

"Clara, listen, um, sorry to bother you," the Doctor joined Angel, "But can we come in now?"

"Please," Ayla added, trying to be polite.

"I don't understand," Clara remarked.

"Could you just open the door?" the Doctor pleaded, "Quick as you like?"

"I don't know..."

"Clara, I promise, we're here to help," Angel told her, the pit in her stomach growing more and more the longer Clara refused to open the door.

"Mummy…you're being rude now," Ayla told her, tugging on the edge of her skirt.

"What do you mean?" Angel looked at her daughter.

"Clara wasn't done talking," Ayla remarked.

And then Clara continued, "…where I am. I don't know where I am. Where am I? Please tell me, where I am! I don't know where I am!

The Doctor rushed to the door, flashing the sonic on the lock and running in with the girls, pausing when they saw Clara lying, unconscious, on the ground by the stairs.

"I don't know where I am!" Clara's voice was calling from somewhere else, somewhere that pulled Angel's attention over to a little girl standing on the stairs.

"Clara!" the Doctor ran to Clara's side as Angel remained standing, staring at the little girl, being sure to keep Ayla behind her, "Clara?" the Doctor gently flashed her with the sonic.

"Doctor…I think she's over here," Angel remarked, staring.

He looked up, realizing he could hear Clara's voice calling from the little girl, "I don't know where I am! I don't understand. I don't know where I am! I don't know where I am!"

He slowly stood, moving beside Angel as Ayla peeked out from between them, staying behind them, as the little girl's head turned all the way around, revealing the spoon-like dip in the back of her head. And they could see her, a faint image of Clara within it, calling out for help.

"I don't understand! I don't know where I am! Where am I? I don't know where I am. I don't know where I am."

The Doctor's jaw tensed, flashing the sonic at the robot…

~8~

On the other side of the town, Alexi sat at his computer, looking at Clara's picture, an upload bar beneath it, about halfway uploaded…everything perfectly normal…until an error began to go off, his screen turning red.

"I've got a problem!" Alexi shouted as he turned in his seat.

~8~

The Doctor continued toe flash the sonic at the robot, watching as the image of the girl flickered and turned into a robot, a very _very_ basic human form, but clearly a robot. He slowly lowered the sonic, reaching back to take Ayla's hand as he tugged her forward, deeming the robot safe enough at the moment.

"Well look at that sweetheart," he murmured, trying to make this less scary for her by doing as Donna always worried he'd do, turn it into a lecture, "A walking base station. A walking Wi-Fi base station, hoovering up data…"

"No," Angel shook her head, "I think it's uploading more than just data…" she looked at him, the pit in her stomach twisting, "I think they're trying to steal people too."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he ran up the stairs, following the source of the robot's power, having gotten a trace of it on the sonic, right to Clara's room where her laptop was sitting open on her desk, "Gotcha," he grinned, grabbing the notebook and rushing back downstairs. He sat down on the stairs where the base station was, seeing Angel and Ayla kneeling beside Clara, checking on her, he had to smile as a thought struck him, his two little angels watching over her. He shook his head and opened the laptop, quickly starting to type, hacking into the signal and tracing it back, "Oh, no, you don't," he muttered, "Oh, no, you don't…"

~8~

Kizlet and Mahler were standing around Alexi's desk, watching over his shoulder as he quickly typed as well, trying to stop the incoming hack on their systems, "It's like someone is trying to reverse an upload," Alexi shook his head.

"Is that possible?" the woman wondered.

Mahler shrugged, "If the upload isn't fully integrated yet, in theory, yes."

Alexi gasped as he saw the progress bar start to drop from 50 percent to 40 percent, "Oh, my God," he quickly began to type faster.

~8~

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor hissed, frustrated as he saw the progress bar start to rise again.

Ayla got up and went to her father's side, sitting beside him and putting her arms around his arm, "It's ok daddy, you can do it, you're the Doctor!"

He grinned, turning to press a kiss to her forehead quickly, "That I am sweetheart," he nodded, tilting his head left and right to crack it, rolling his shoulders, "Not this time, Clara, I promise you," and _really_ got to work.

~8~

"Can you stop this?" Mahler shouted as the bar started to lower again.

"No!" Alexi cried, as the bar hit 0, the process reversing.

~8~

Angel closed her eyes, concentrating, a soft golden glow coming from her as she tried to sustain Clara's body without her mind to keep it going. She feared that Clara wasn't the first to be attacked like this, but she doubted that the others had a Time Lord fighting for them, trying to keep them safe, she dreaded to think what had become of their bodies when their controlling minds were removed, she could imagine what others who found them thought. It looked, to the untrained eye, and probably even to medically trained eyes, that the person was dead. They weren't breathing, their hearts weren't beating, without the mind to keep things going, the body shut down. It hurt to think about all the other humans who had likely died because of whatever this was.

She looked up though when a whirring noise started from the robot, watching as a beam of light shot out of it and onto Clara. Angel let out a breath of relief when Clara gasped, breathing deeply, coughing, but restored.

"You did it daddy!" Ayla cheered, leaping at him and hugging him tightly, the man beaming, happy he'd make his daughter proud as he turned and hugged her back.

"Thank you sweetheart," he whispered, kissing the side of her head, "Angel?" he looked at her.

She smiled, "She'll be just fine," she nodded, stroking Clara's hair gently, letting her drift off back to sleep, "You're alright now Clara," she whispered, squeezing the girl's hand, "Everything will be ok."

~8~

Kizlet paced in front of her windows, angry, not even the beautiful sight of the London skyline able to calm her, when Mahler entered, "Well?" she snapped.

"Our hacker sent us a message," Mahler moved to the desk and grabbed a remote, turning to hit a button, a message popping upon a monitor in the back wall.

'Under Our Protection – The Time Lords.'

Kizlet's eyes widened at that, at that signature, knowing _exactly_ who they were, the ones she'd been warned about.

"I assume they're talking about the girl," Mahler sighed, crossing his arms.

"Get out," Kizlet began, a hard note in her voice that left no room for arguing, "I have to speak to the client."

Mahler gave her a single look before walking out of the room.

Kizlet waited a moment longer, making sure he'd gone before she walked over to the monitor and touched the right side of it, hitting a button that made it flicker to another screen, "Sir," she began, hesitant, knowing her client's thoughts on the species in question, "The ones you told me about. They're here. The Doctor and his Mate, their daughter, they're _here_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Family picnic :) And Billy the horse :) For some reason, I think Billy and Susan would be great friends ;) I'm so excited that we're finally on Clara! :) I've got BIG things planned for her ;)
> 
> I realized I'd forgotten to add Ayla's promised theme song to the end of The Snowmen. So here it is :)
> 
> Ayla's theme - Young at Heart by Future World Music ;)


	31. The Bells of Saint John: The Wi-Fi

That night in the Maitland home, Clara was lying, asleep, in her bed, Angel gently tucking her in, bringing the covers up to make sure she was warm as the Doctor set a pitcher of water, a glass with some in it, and some Jammie Dodgers by her bedside for her to snack on when she woke, no doubt she'd be hungry after the stress she'd endured.

Ayla was always thirsty when she woke up, he'd learned a short while after she'd returned to them. He always made sure to place a small glass of water at her beside every night so that it would be there when she woke up. He knew it wasn't much, but he always tried to make sure the day ended on a good note for Ayla at least. Angel, bless her, was quite the morning person in this incarnation, despite sleeping like the dead she was always awake bright and early and making sure that something 'yummy' was on the table for Ayla. She was of the belief of starting the day on a high note, with a good breakfast and cheer.

He was rather relieved that Angel had more cooking skills in this incarnation, it was...oddly nice, to wake up to the smell of food cooking, to walk into their small kitchen and see her ready with a plate of pancakes, warm and ready to be eaten. He felt like that might be what the men on those old Earth black-and-white TV shows felt when they came home from work to see dinner on the table and their wives smiling. It was...nice, to be taken care of in that way. It was just another way that Angel proved to him she didn't have to be his wife, but his Mate, in that he was always reminded his wife on Gallifrey hardly ever cooked him a meal. He'd asked Angel about it once, and she'd just smiled and said she liked knowing that she was taking care of her family.

As much as she liked making sure their day started right, he enjoyed seeing to it that they were all...happy, with how the day had gone and how it ended. He liked making sure Ayla and Angel were happy when they went to bed, that they were calm and peaceful and that no bad dreams would strike them. His own dreams were...well...he didn't want them to stop, he didn't want Angel to make him feel better and for them to stop, he needed this as a punishment for all he'd done to her and Ayla. But it wasn't that he welcomed them either, it wasn't that he went to sleep hoping for them. The way he saw it...when he had earned forgiveness, when he could forgive himself, the nightmares would stop. Until then...it meant he hadn't earned that.

But that didn't mean he wanted his girls to suffer the same. No. That was why he made sure Ayla was all snuggled up with her stuffed Aslan, with her stars for nightlights, her water beside her, all tucked in after he'd read her a bedtime story or told her a tale of his life on Gallifrey or with his past companions. He wanted to make sure she was happy and content before she slept. He and Angel, even though they didn't need as much sleep, it didn't mean he neglected his Mate either. He and Angel would slip off to different places in the TARDIS, working on repairing some minor things in the console room, or cuddling and reading in the library, or snuggling in their own bed to...sleep. Yes, because that was ALL they did in their bedroom when Ayla was sleeping, just...sleep. Of course.

Well, they would sleep afterwards, they'd be...um...quite tired after some particular adventures, that just so happened to take place in the bedroom.

He just...loved to make sure his girls were safe and sound and happy. He wanted to make sure his entire...family, was. Yes, that included the past companions as well. He'd been keeping a closer eye on Earth, making sure that there was nothing wrong that they couldn't handle. He did NOT want another 'bees disappearing' incident where he was off somewhere else and hadn't been able to help, leaving them all trapped and trying to contact him. He supposed that would extend even to Clara, he was quite certain, given Angel's cryptic remarks in Victorian London, that Clara was meant to be his next companion, Ayla and the TARDIS seemed to like her well enough, and...he already felt the need to take care of her.

"Is this ok mummy?" Ayla asked, rushing over with two objects in hand, one was a small bouquet of flowers.

"Oh that's just beautiful sweetheart," she nodded, taking them and setting them in a small vase the Doctor had brought over.

"What do you think daddy?" Ayla asked, holding up the second object, a folded piece of paper, to the Doctor as Angel glanced at the bookshelf and wandered over to it, looking at the books.

The Doctor smiled as he unfolded the paper to see it was a 'feel better soon!' card that Ayla had drawn for Clara. It seemed the girl hadn't inherited their drawing abilities…not that they really had much to speak of. It was a rather adorable picture of him, dressed as a knight, with her as a princess and Angel a fairy, with Clara, like a queen herself, being saved from a fire-breathing robot.

A rather interesting and, he felt, fairly accurate depiction of what had happened just before.

"It's glorious dear," he smiled, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, before setting the card in front of the flowers so that Clara would see it right when she woke up.

He looked over to see Angel looking at a book, '101 Places to See,' and walked over, noticing the intent look on her face that he knew meant that the book was important, just how important they probably wouldn't know till later, but it was important enough for Angel to notice.

"What is it?" he asked, moving over to her, gently winding his arm around her waist as he held her back to his front, resting his chin on her shoulder, looking at the book over it. There was a small line 'Property of Clara Oswald,' with various ages crossed off, from 9 to 26, 26 being the most recent, with a pressed leaf before the first page.

"There's…something about this book," she murmured, "About Clara…"

He nodded, turning to kiss her cheek, "Come on," he gently took the book from her, setting it down, "Let's give her some peace to rest and go see where that base station came from," he took her hand, leading her and Ayla out of the room, letting Clara get some sleep.

~8~

A short while later, Clara slowly woke to find herself in her bed, with flowers and cookies and a card on her bedside table. She sat up, confused as to how she'd gotten there, before pushing herself out of bed and heading to the window, hearing someone, a little girl, laughing outside.

She pushed a small round window open and leaned out to see the three people from before, the three people who had come to the house dressed oddly, sitting before the blue box in much more modern outfits.

The man, the Doctor he'd called himself, was sitting on a folding chair, the little girl on his lap, his one arm around her as he pointed to various bits of technology and things on what looked like a lump of metal set up before him. The other woman, Angel, was sitting beside them, the laptop before her, a small frustrated frown on her face as she tried to operate it, though she seemed to be more poking random keys with a finger. She couldn't help but wish the woman good luck with it, it appeared like she knew as much about computers as SHE did, which wasn't much. She knew that expression well enough, it was the one she always had when people asked her opinion or help on something, she hadn't a clue what to do.

She had just opened her mouth to call down to them, when the girl, Ayla, looked up and waved at her, "Hello Miss Clara!" which made her parents look up as well.

"Hi?" Clara looked at them oddly, still not sure what had happened to her.

"Hello Clara," the Doctor smiled.

"Are you feeling better?" Angel asked.

"I'm in bed," she stated.

"Yes," the Doctor laughed.

"Don't remember going."

"No."

"What did I miss?"

"Oh, quite a lot, actually," the Doctor reached into his inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a notepad, gently setting Ayla off his lap as he stood up, the girl skipping to her mother's side and watching her attempting to run random searches on the internet...and only succeeding in bringing up random boxes that didn't appear to do anything, while he spoke with Clara, "Angie called," he smiled, looking up at Clara, "Brilliant name, Angie, you know Angel goes by that sometimes, mostly when we visit her brother Jack and…"

"Focus dear," Angel called absently, still trying to work out the computer.

They'd debated who should do what, who should examine what. The Doctor had mentioned, due to her new-found inability to operate other technologies besides a TARDIS, that HE should work on hacking into the computer while she fiddled with the base station. She'd argued that, if she crossed the wrong wires, she'd probably end up causing it to explode, whereas, the worst she could do on the computer was let a virus in or erase the data...and even then a quick flash of the sonic would help bring it al back.

It really was safer for humanity if she stayed away from technology. The last time she'd attempted to work some sort of computer system she'd nearly set missiles to fire at Venus...which, now that she thought about it, she probably should have just let the Doctor handle BOTH technologies. But still, this computer as Clara's personal one and, unless the girl had secretly hacked into UNIT or some other government programs like Mickey once had, it should be safe enough.

So far all she was managing to do was get a sort of alien symbol to pop up under the 'Maitland Family' Wi-Fi button, and she knew enough to know not to click it given what happened to Clara. She really was rubbish with tech that didn't fit or resemble a TARDIS.

"Right, yes," the Doctor nodded, not put off his stride at all, "She's going to stay over at Nina's. Apparently that's all completely fine and you shouldn't worry like you always do, for God's sake, get off her back," he flipped a page, "Also, your dad phoned."

"Oh he's just lovely Clara," Angel smiled up at her, "We had a wonderful chat."

"Mainly about the government," the Doctor added, "He seems very cross with them, I've got several pages on that," and, true to his word, he flipped several pages, "I said we'd look into it but Angel says it's ok for now so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Ayla," he pointed at her, "My brilliant girl, helped me out with quite a few other tasks, didn't you sweetheart?"

"Oh yes," Ayla nodded excitedly, stating to tick off on her fingers, "I helped daddy fix that rattly noise in the washing machine, we organized the cupboards in the kitchen, helped get some more sunlight to the plants, _and_ put together that quadrocycle."

"Put together the what?" Clara shook her head.

"I found a disassembled quadrocycle in the garage," the Doctor told her, "And my girl helped me build it up again."

"I don't think you did."

The Doctor blinked and spun around, pointing at Ayla, "Hear that sweetheart, you helped invent the quadrocycle!"

"Did I?!" Ayla grinned, excited as she ran to hug her daddy, she _loved_ inventing new things, creating new things, it made her feel so…clever! Just like her father!

The Doctor smiled at her, patting her head, wondering, briefly, if she might choose the name 'The Inventor' or 'The Engineer' or 'The Mechanic' or something when she was older, though he couldn't quite see it. Actually...she'd be nearing that age rather soon, the age where they picked their names. Oh he was curious to see if she'd pick one or if she would remain just Ayla. Either way he would support her, though he got the feeling, given how much she appeared to aspire to be like both him and Angel, that she'd pick a new name or title to go with.

"What happened to me?" Clara asked them after a moment.

"You don't remember do you?" Angel asked, understandingly, as she closed the laptop, giving up on her rather poor attempts to be of use, to look up at her.

"I remember I was scared. _Really_ scared. I didn't know where I was."

"But you do now, yes?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, you should go to sleep," the Doctor smiled, "Because you're safe now, we promise," he crossed his hearts, not seeing Angel and Ayla doing the same behind him, "Goodnight, Clara," he turned to the robot, moving back to the chair…when Clara closed her window…only to open it a moment later.

"Are you guarding me?" Clara wondered.

The three exchanged a look, "That's one way to look at it," Angel remarked, "We prefer protecting, er...watching over."

"Like guardian angels eh?" the Doctor smiled at her, he LOVED remarking on that, reminding her of just how much of an angel she really was. She was HIS angel, his light in the dark, one of them at least. The woman who healed him in ways he knew he wouldn't have been able to heal himself despite his title.

Clara smiled at that, able to see the fond look in the Doctor's eyes directed at Angel even from there, "Are you seriously going to sit down there all night?"

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, pulling his gaze away from Angel to look at Clara, "We promise. We won't budge from this spot, will we?" he looked at the girls who shook their heads, Ayla beaming excitedly, Angel with more of a knowing smile on her face, "There you have it then."

"Well, then," Clara nodded, "I'll have to come to you!"

And with that, she closed her window, ducking back inside.

~8~

Alexi, Kizlet, and Mahler were gathered around Alexi's computer, watching a live feed from security cameras and street cameras of the Maitland from across the street, having tracked Clara's address.

"I take it the girl's inside?" Kizlet muttered, "And alive?"

"Yes," Mahler nodded.

"Alexi," she started to grin, "I need you to do something...creative about that," she looked at her tablet, bringing up Alexi's information and vitals, raising his IQ as the man stiffened and started to type.

~8~

Clara stepped out of the house a few minutes later with a tray of teacups in one hand, a chair in the other, displaying incredible balance for someone with such precarious beverages in one hand. They could see Clara the barmaid shining through in her movements.

She swung the chair around and set it down, "Here we are," she smiled, holding out the tray, "Big cups of tea for the adults, and…" she leaned in, whispering to Ayla, "Hot chocolate with marshmallows for the kids."

"Ohh," the Doctor pouted at not getting hot chocolate too.

Not that he would have wanted any, not with marshmallows at least, it just...didn't seem right to drink hot chocolate like that, at least to him. He seemed to have become addicted to drinking dark hot chocolate with golden sprinkles in it in this incarnation. He couldn't count how many times he'd had that beverage after he'd regenerated, all through the adventures with the Ponds until he'd remembered Angel, and even after that. Though now he knew what it was, it had been because the drink and the sprinkles had reminded him of one of her past incarnation's eyes, the eyes that had suited her ginger hair perfectly. He could remember now remarking on those eyes, how they pulled him in, much like her current eyes still did. He felt so daft looking back at himself now that he remembered, truly, he had seen Angel in everything he did back then, it should have been obvious to him that he'd felt something more than just friendship for her even when he'd forgotten her.

It really was remarkable just how much of her stuck with him even when he'd forgotten who she was to him. It was like…he broke the TARDIS more because he knew it meant she'd fix the box and he'd get to spend time with her. He drank hot chocolate like it was water because it was just like her eyes. He clutched a pillow to him as he slept because that was how he and Angel used to sleep, with her in his arms. He couldn't look at blue on other women without thinking of her as well and just...there were so many little things that should have clued him in. Unfortunately, this him was rather...oblivious.

He really _had_ been Mr. Thick Thick Thickity Thick Thick from Thicktown, Thicktania hadn't he? Thank God he'd gotten better...at least when it came to Angel.

"What's with the face?" Clara asked him.

Angel laughed, sipping her tea, "He wanted hot chocolate," she sipped again, swallowing, "Though he should really try the tea, it's lovely Clara thank you."

Clara beamed at that and moved to sit down in the chair, backwards to face them, crossing her arms over the back of it.

The Doctor looked at Ayla, playing with her marshmallows, moving them into a pattern of a smiling face, before he gave a long-suffering sigh and sipped the tea, the women looking at him expectantly.

He swallowed, the tea was…really rather good. Not as good as Angel's, no he was quite sure no one's ever would be because Angel made it, but it was…very good, but instead of admitting that, he just went for, "We like your house."

Clara gave him a look, as if wondering if he was serious, before shaking her head, "It isn't mine, I'm a friend of the family."

"Are you their nanny?" Ayla asked Clara.

"Am I whose nanny?"

"The children," Ayla remarked.

Clara frowned at how they knew that, suspicious that they might have been watching her and that didn't sit right with her. She was always and had always been rather protective of children, her mother had been a teacher for the young ones, she'd grown up helping her and seeing her interact with the children, teaching them. It was something they both shared, a love of the innocence of children, it always made her feel more protective and concerned for them.

"We saw pictures of you and two children," Angel explained, "Angie and Artie I think?"

Clara let out a breath, _that_ made sense, something had happened, she'd ended up in her room so someone had to have moved her, protected her, so it made sense that they would have seen the pictures of Angie and Artie everywhere and some DID have their names on it.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"You're a governess," the Doctor nodded, "Just like..." he looked down when Ayla poked him in the leg, putting a finger to her lips like it was a secret and he laughed, nodding and doing the same, telling her he wouldn't spill it.

"Just like what?" Clara asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Like Angel thought you were, we had a bet going," the Doctor supplied instead, nodding at Angel, "She thought you were a nanny, I thought you were the maid."

Clara let out a slightly offended noise, "I'm _not_ the maid," though she certainly felt like it at times, Angie was going through a 'shirk her responsibilities' phase which often meant SHE was the one picking up after the girl.

"And that's why you should never bet against Angel," he told her, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially, "She's psychic."

Clara looked at Angel who just shrugged and sipped her tea, a secretive smile on her face.

"Are you going to explain what happened to me?" Clara shook her head, going for that instead.

"A bad person tried to hurt you," Ayla stated simply, "But daddy stopped him!" she cheered.

"Or her," Angel corrected, knowing better than any that monsters didn't have to be men, Kovarian and the Wire had proved that among others.

"Or both!" Ayla agreed with a smile.

The Doctor laughed, setting down the tea to pick up Clara's laptop, giving it a quick look through this time, "There's something in the Wi-Fi. Ok? This whole world is swimming in Wi-Fi."

"Like soup!" Ayla supplied.

"Yes," he pointed at her, "We're living in a Wi-Fi soup! Suppose something got inside it. Suppose there was something living in the Wi-Fi, harvesting human minds, extracting them. Imagine that. Human souls trapped like flies in the World Wide Web!"

"Trapped there, forever," Angel murmured, frowning as she looked at the laptop, "Shouting out for help but no one can hear them…"

The Doctor looked at her, reaching out to take one of her hands as it rested on her lap, squeezing in, bringing her back to the present. She smiled at him, squeezing his hand as well before lifting it to kiss the scars on his knuckles. She still couldn't believe he'd smashed the mirror on the console and let himself be scarred again just because he'd been cross with himself for letting her get taken by Kovarian. It was rather foolish of him and had to have hurt.

' _Nothing hurt more than realizing you'd been taken from me,_ ' his voice whispered in her mind, ' _In more ways than one,_ ' he reminded her sadly.

Angel eyed him a moment, hearing something else in his mental voice, seeing him grow distant as well, as though his mind were drifting to something else. She hesitated a moment before nodding to herself, about to peek into his mind, to see if, perhaps, his mind had drifted to the nightmares she was sure he was having, that maybe she'd be able to get a small look into what they were about...but the Doctor had shaken himself from his thoughts by then.

"Isn't that basically Twitter?" Clara asked, as though sensing something was bothering them and wanted to try to cheer them up.

"Twitter is terrible," the Doctor lamented, "I can never keep up with those twitterings…twits? Tweets?" he looked at Angel for help.

"I can barely work a computer my love, what makes you think I'd know what Twitter is?"

He started to nod, before he stopped, looking at Clara, alarmed.

"What's _that_ face for?" Clara asked.

"A computer can hack another computer. A living, sentient computer...maybe that could that hack people. Edit them. Rewrite them."

"Why would you say that?"

The Doctor looked at Angel who frowned, not quite sure why he was looking at her the same way he was looking at Clara...before her eyes widened, and she turned to Clara as well, realizing what he had, "Because before you were calling us about the internet, you didn't know a thing about it," much like, she felt, SHE didn't know, "…and you just made a joke about _Twitter_."

Clara frowned, before realizing she really HAD made a joke about twitter, "Oh. Oh. That's weird. I know all about computers now in my head. Where did that come from?"

"They gave it to you," Ayla shrugged, playing with her marshmallows again, not really paying attention to the conversation but offering her own input. Angel smiled, nodding at that, she'd gotten that sense too, it had been something Clara had come away with from her time in the base station's upload.

The Doctor looked at Clara, explaining when she looked confused, "You were uploaded for a while. Wherever you were, you brought something extra back…" he trailed off, seeing Angel stiffening and start to look around, "What is it?"

Angel could only shake her head, not quite…certain of it just yet but, "I feel like…whatever it was they gave her…they want it back."

The Doctor slowly stood, sensing the hidden words in her remark, and turned to look around. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck start to rise as he practically felt the danger around them, around his family, his Mate and his daughter. Being around Clara, having saved her this time…whoever it was that had given her that knowledge would come after her. Because she'd escaped, she could talk, and he knew well enough that the enemy always wanted them silenced.

"Daddy?" Ayla asked, going to take his hand, "Why's the funny man looking at us?"

He looked down at her and she pointed across the street to where a man in a hoodie was standing under a street light, staring at them. And he could recognize the signs, the stiffness of the man's posture, his intent focus…he didn't need to be psychic like his girls to know that it was another base station.

It had found them.

He had to get them out of there!

"Everyone," he began, starting to step back with Ayla as Angel stood, "Inside that box, now."

"I'm sorry?" Clara swallowed a mouthful of her tea, giving him an odd look.

"Clara please," Angel moved to take her arm and tug her on, feeling…the Vortex rising inside her and she didn't want it to come out.

The Doctor rushed back to them, as though sensing that as well, and took Angel's hand, squeezing it in reassurance before heading to the doors of the TARDIS to get her out of there.

"All of us?" Clara shook her head, there was NO way they'd all fit in that box! And the man was clearly married or something _and_ had a child so why would she _ever_ want to be THAT close to him? The only thing they really had in common was that they were the same age, it seemed.

"Trust me," he called over his shoulder to her as he unlocked the doors, not letting go of Angel's hand as Ayla stood right beside him, knowing that her mummy needed him more than she did right now.

She was…worried about her mummy, because she knew her mummy was worried as well. She'd noticed her mother tended to not use the Vortex as much lately and it worried her because…how would she be able to use it one day if her mummy couldn't? Her mother was the strongest woman in the world and if she was scared of the Vortex then there was a reason to be scared of it. She didn't want the yellow light to make her do things like it seemed to make her mother do. And she could tell that her mother was concerned about what that meant, she didn't say it, she rarely showed it around her, not wanting to worry her, but she _did_ see it, she saw it in how her mother didn't talk about it.

Her parents seemed to have forgotten that she was quite a bit intuitive too. Her mother had spent _centuries_ pushing down that feeling and ignoring it, not exploring it, but her father always encouraged her to do so, to go with her feelings, explore them, trust them. She wondered where her mother might be if she'd done the same as a child instead.

"You'll understand once we're in there," the Doctor added, pulling Ayla's attention back to her parents.

"I bet I will," Clara muttered.

"Clara," Angel looked at her pleadingly, "Please…"

"What is that box anyway? Why do you have a box?"

"Clara!" the Doctor got the doors open, urging Ayla in, calling back to Clara to join them.

"Is it like a snogging booth?"

THAT made him pause though and look over at her, "A…what?"

That made Angel laugh as well and, for the moment, forget the danger to her family, "A snogging booth?"

"Well is it?" Clara wondered, "Is that what you do, you bring a booth? There's such a thing as too keen," she sipped her tea, "I don't need to see you and your wife…"

"IT's not a snogging booth!" the Doctor shouted, at the same time that Angel calmly stated, "I'm not his wife."

' _We really DO have to sort that out one day,_ ' he remarked to her, ' _We've a daughter now._ '

' _Yes, and plenty of humans have children with people they aren't married to,_ ' she reminded him, though she knew it was more like a joking discussion now that he'd realized why she was so intent to be just his Mate and not his wife.

Before he could reply, he noticed something happening in the houses just behind her, all the lights were turning on, far too close to each other to be happenstance, "Clara, look around you!"

Clara frowned, seeing their expressions and their gazes, turning to follow them, to see the lights as well, all down the street, turning on one by one, "What's going on? Is the Wi-Fi switching on the lights?"

"No," Angel frowned, "I…I think that the Wi-Fi is infecting the people, making THEM turn the light on. Which means…"

"What?" Clara looked at her as she trailed off.

"Which means we're surrounded," she swallowed, "The Wi-Fi is building an army against us."

The Doctor squeezed her hand, knowing where her mind had gone. They'd faced Daleks in the past, their worst enemy ever, they'd faced Cybermen, an enemy she had a personal dislike for, but…in all that time, she hadn't been able to bring herself to truly harm them or kill them, until the Asylum. In the Asylum she'd attacked the Daleks, destroyed them, and hadn't even realized or remembered that she had, it had truly frightened her to realize that. If she could attack their enemies like that when she hadn't in the past…what would be there to stop her doing it again, with other enemies, or threats, or…friends.

THAT was what was really worrying her. Especially about their current situation, what if the Wi-Fi built an army of humans and set them on them? Would she lose control and attack them? Hurt them? Innocent humans being controlled? She'd never forgive herself is she did that and the Doctor knew it was really bothering her, how she seemed to be losing control of the Vortex the way she was.

But he had all the faith in the world that she would NEVER hurt someone like that, but still…he knew the situation was making her tense and he wanted to get her away from there.

They looked over when they heard Clara gasp, to see her staring at the base station as its head started to turn around, revealing the groove of its head, "What _is_ that thing?"

"A walking base station, you saw one earlier," the Doctor said, not looking away from Angel, worried for her.

"I saw a little girl."

"Because you saw a little girl earlier," Angel remarked.

The Doctor nodded, "Must have taken an image from your subconscious, thrown it back at you. Active camouflage!" he smacked his forehead, "They could be everywhere!"

"Doctor!" Clara called, "Angel!" she reached out blindly and grabbed the Doctor's arm, tugging him over with Angel to point out how, all behind the houses, the lights of London were going _off_ , "What's going on?"

~8~

Kizlet stood with Mahler, behind Alexi, watching him work, "Do we need _another_ London-wide activation?" Mahler complained, "We can't always pass it off as a riot."

~8~

Clara frowned, looking around, "All our lights on, everyone else's off. Why?"

"A light in the dark," Angel breathed, "Like a lighthouse, a beacon."

The Doctor nodded, looking up, realizing why the only lights on _their_ street had to be on, because it could only be seen from the sky, "Some planes have Wi-Fi."

"I'm sorry?" Clara looked at him.

He swallowed, squeezing Angel's hand, "We must be one hell of a target right now," he whispered, and they could hear it, the roar of an engine above them, before they could see a small black dot in the sky with blinking lights heading right for them.

"Come on!" Angel shouted, grabbing Clara's hand and pushing the Doctor towards the box. They ran in to…stop short at the sight before them. Ayla was standing by the console, on her tip toes, clearly trying to help get the box ready go to but was just a little too short still.

The Time Lords shared a fond smile before they shook their heads and ran over to her, "Thank you sweetheart," the Doctor smiled, dropping a kiss onto the top of Ayla's head, "We'll take it from here."

"Why don't you go help Clara adjust," Angel suggested to her daughter.

Ayla looked over to see Clara standing by the railing, holding onto it with one hand, her teacup in the other, staring at the box in awe.

"It's…" Clara began as Ayla walked over.

"A spaceship," she cheered, skipping over to Clara as her parents attempted setting the box down on a smoother trip.

"It's…"

"Bigger on the inside," she nodded.

"It's…"

"Made of wood," Ayla agreed, her parents smiling behind her at the little bit of 'psychic' peeking through in their daughter.

"But...but...but...it's..." Clara began as Ayla took her hand and helped lead her into the TARDIS more.

"Shut up, please," the Doctor ran to the side panels, typing in commands, "Short hops are difficult."

"They're really not," Angel called playfully from the other side of the console.

"Yes, well not everyone…"

"Passed their exams," Angel smiled, her own 'psychic' coming through now.

"Grew up in a TARDIS," he shot back with a stick of his tongue.

"Bigger," Clara blinked, falling back to sit on the chairs in the side panels, "On the inside. Actually _bigger_."

The Doctor pulled a lever, that made the TARDIS spark and him jump back.

"Wrong lever!" Angel called, rushing around to release it, "Sorry Sissy!" she patted the rotor as she twisted another knob, "There we…go!" she cheered, beaming as the TARDIS set down with a gentle thump.

"Brilliant," the Doctor smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her quickly...three times...before he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the doors, "Come on Clara!" he grabbed her hand as he passed her as well.

"Are we going back out there?" Clara pulled her hand away.

The Doctor turned to face her as Angel and Ayla moved to the doors, "We've moved. It's a spaceship, we flew away."

"Away from the plane?" Clara cautiously followed him as he inched closer to the girls.

"Not exactly!" he grinned, rushing over to throw the doors open, nearly falling out into the middle aisle of the plane, the TARDIS now parked right in the middle of it, Angel and Ayla tumbling out after him as Clara clutched to the door frame.

"How did we get here?" Clara shouted.

The Doctor tried to make his way to the cockpit, battling the turbulence of the plane going down, "It's a ship, I told you, it's all very science-y!"

"Is this the plane, the actual plane?"

"Yes," Angel started to groan, "And I don't think this was the best idea my love!"

The Doctor looked back to see Angel had fallen onto one of the side seats, luckily empty, but that she was swirling with the Vortex.

"What is that!?" Clara gasped, jumping away from Angel at the sight of the golden energy flashing around her.

The Doctor ran back to her, seeing Ayla standing worriedly beside her mother as the woman seemed to struggle to keep the power contained at the danger around them. He knew she was struggling to do so, he hadn't been using much of the Vortex lately, she used bits of it, tiny portions, but…sometimes, things happened and she just…lost control. It was like the Vortex was reacting to something but they didn't know why when they'd been in equally (and worse) dangerous situations in the past.

"Angel," he knelt before her, taking her hands, ignoring the warmth blazing from them, "Angel breathe…"

"Can't," she struggled to get out, as though talking would release the Vortex, "It's…trying to get out…"

He looked around, knowing they didn't have time, he would take all the time in the world to try and help her, but the plane was crashing and they'd set down in the series of events and the event was a crashing plane!

"So let it out," he whispered to her.

She looked at him, her blue eyes swirling with gold, the specks of gold in them blazing, "What?"

"Maybe it's a...a...a build up," he said quickly, "Because you haven't used it much, it's excess that has to be released, so release it."

"Doctor…"

"Protect the plane," he cut in, "Use it to make a shield in case I can't get it working again," he told her.

She swallowed and nodded, before pushing herself to her feet and turning, leaning over the person passed out on the chair next to her to press her hands to the wall of the plane, Clara watching with wide eyes as a golden energy started to ripple out of her hands, into the walls…surrounding the plane.

The Doctor let out a breath, well that was one less thing to worry about, if the plane crashed, they'd all still be alive at least, but he didn't want it to crash. He turned to Ayla, "Watch your mum for me?" he asked her.

"Yes daddy," she nodded, turning to do just that, watch her mother.

He smiled, leaning in to kiss her head quickly, before he rushed down the aisle once more, Clara shaking her head as she followed after him.

"Are they all dead?" she asked, seeing the people lying in their seats, unmoving.

"Asleep," he corrected, even less pleased with the situation and whoever was after them, that they were willing to crash a plan full of innocent people, "Switched off by the Wi-Fi, never mind them!"

He flashed the sonic on the cockpit door and burst through, well…crashed through was more like it as the turbulence hit again. He really had to be quick though, he knew no matter how much excess energy Angel might have, she shouldn't use that much of the Vortex for so long. He nearly stumbled into a sleeping stewardess before he pushed himself through the door and into the cockpit, spotting the two pilots asleep, able to see the houses looming closer and closer. He pulled out the sonic and continued to flash the panels, trying to switch everything on, or at least get the steering working again.

"What is going on?" Clara gasped as she spotted the ground coming closer, "Is this real? Please tell me what is happening!"

"I'm the Doctor," he said quickly, reaching forward to try and grab the throttle, "Back there's my Mate, the Angel, and our daughter Ayla. We're aliens from outer space. Angel and I are over 1,000 years old, Ayla's just a little over 100 though, we've all got two hearts. And I can't fly a plane, can you?"

"No!" Clara screamed.

"Ooh! Fine, let's do it together!" he pulled back on the throttle, Clara closing her eyes shut tight and grabbing onto him, trying to help him as he struggled, both of them yelling as the house got FAR too close, the golden light brightening…

And then the plane skimmed over the top of them, just barely missing them.

The Doctor let out a breath of relief at that, smiling as he saw the plane control panels starting to come back on, lighting up once more, and flashed them quickly, blocking the Wi-Fi permanently. He glanced back at Clara to see her still clinging to him with her eyes squeezed shut tight, STILL holding onto the teacup and had to laugh. She…reminded him a bit of someone he knew on Gallifrey, quite the 'scaredy cat,' someone he had loved to tease give a little spook to here and there…mostly because of the playful anger that followed and the whack he'd get for it, before being chased away. It was all in good fun though.

But Clara was acting just like that, her eyes squeezed tight, clinging to him, not wanting to look even after it was over.

And he felt his hearts tug a little at that, he missed his people dearly…his friends, his family, and then his mind went to two others he loved even more, "Angel!" he shouted, pulling away from Clara, leaving the girl blinking and staring out the window at them flying once more, the captains starting to wake, before she turned to see him running down the aisle to Angel.

Angel was on the ground of the plane, panting, pushing herself up to a kneel, a difficult thing to do in such close quarters, but she did it, "Angel," the Doctor moved to kneel before her, "Are you ok?" he reached out and took her face in his hands, he could see vague tears in her eyes, and she was panting, there was a small layer of sweat on her brow and it worried him, because she'd looked like that after saving Amy-O...just before her hearts had given out.

She reached out and pressed his hand to her cheek, leaning into it, "Are they ok?" she whispered to him instead, "Is everyone safe?"

He smiled at her concern, nodding, "Yes," he kissed her forehead, "Everyone's just fine."

"Ayla," she looked over for her daughter, holding out a hand as the girl came and knelt before her, hugging her tightly.

Ayla smiled in her mother's hold, she loved that, she loved seeing how super cool her mother was, she had so much power but she used it for the absolute best intentions, and it was just amazing to see how many people her mother could save all on her own. She hoped that, one day, she'd be as amazing as her mother and father were, that she'd be able to save people and help them too, make them into better, stronger people, the people they were born to be.

"Are you ok?" he whispered again, squeezing Angel's hand so she'd look up at him.

She nodded, "I think so," she squeezed his hand in return as he helped her up, "But…I could do with a bite," she admitted.

He laughed, winding his arm around her shoulders and taking Ayla's hand as they headed back into the TARDIS…only for Ayla to dash back and grab Clara's hand, "Come along Miss Clara!" she cheered, tugging her on to the TARDIS.

~8~

Kizlet, Mahler, and Alexi were staring at the screen displaying the outside of the Maitland home, stunned, "I don't understand what's happened!" Kizlet remarked, "That box, where's it gone?" she looked around the dark room, at the others working away, and shouted, "Find that box!"

The workers winced and quickly got to work.

~8~

The Doctor looked across the console to Angel as she sat in the side chair, Ayla curled up beside her, playing with her mother's fingers, trying to keep her mother's mind off her exhaustion. The TARDIS was humming around them, and from the fond look on Angel's face and how she was stroking the panels beside her, it was in concern.

He was worried as well, but he knew, he could feel it, that she was just…tired, and hungry, one of which he knew he could take care of right now. He knew that Angel would refuse to really rest until they had worked out what was after Clara this time, he knew that not being able to save the last Clara (or Oswin) had upset her and she wouldn't risk it this time. So while he knew he wouldn't be able to convince her to sleep, he could still feed her.

Oh the TARDIS was stocked with numerous things, but he knew exactly what she needed, and it would be better found outside the TARDIS than the in the stuffy old (amazing) kitchen.

"Ok," Clara began as she took a final sip of her tea, really impressing the Time Lords with how much she was able to hold onto it.

The Doctor shot Angel a small smile over the console, sensing her thoughts and how they had drifted to him with it. He was probably famous now for how tightly he could cling to things himself, how closely he guarded his Mate and daughter now. Clara had held onto that teacup through a crashing plan and still managed to have tea in it to sip, that was…impressive.

"When are you going to explain what the hell is going on?" Clara asked.

"Oi!" Angel laughed, covering Ayla's ears a second before Clara had said that, "Language please," she nodded at Ayla.

Clara flushed, "Sorry," she smiled apologetically.

"Breakfast," the Doctor threw a switch, making the TARDIS lurch and Clara nearly fall over. He made his way around the console to Angel's side, "How does that sound?" he asked her and Ayla.

"Fantastic," Angel laughed at the word, making him beam.

He held out a hand to her and Angel took it, standing and swaying just a little when he wound his arm around her waist to steady her, letting her rest her forehead to his chest and take a moment. He kissed her hair, knowing that she really wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but that she wasn't going to risk Clara or Ayla's safety.

"I know just what you need," he whispered to her, before turning to head to the doors, but Clara rushed after them.

"What?" Clara shook her head, "I ain't waiting till breakfast."

"Aunt Idris is a time machine," Ayla told her with a giggle, "It's breakfast right now."

The Doctor laughed and threw the doors open, letting _sunlight_ filter into the box, and…applause?

"Thank you!" he grinned at the cheers as they stepped out of the box, Clara frowning as she followed the small family. She stopped short when she saw a crowd of people standing there, clapping, and the Doctor waving at them, "Thank you," the Doctor repeated, "Yes, magic blue box," he pulled a fez out of his jacket pocket and held it out to them, "All donations gratefully accepted," he passed it around to collect some money, "Roll up, roll up, give us your dosh. Pennies, pounds, anything you've got," he handed it off to Ayla, "Go nuts sweetheart," he winked at her and Ayla ran into the middle of the crowd, Angel keeping a close eye on her as she collected some more, "Just popping back to the garage!" the Doctor called to the others, before heading into the TARDIS.

Clara looked at Angel, "Garage?"

"You wouldn't believe the things we've kept in that old box," Angel laughed, leaning against the corner of the TARDIS, resting a bit more, her eyes still on Ayla.

Clara couldn't help but watch the little girl making friends with adults and collecting money as well, never having liked children to wander off very far either. She never wandered herself, she hated the thought of getting lost. But she could see parents digging in their purses and pockets for more money to give up and was quite sure that had been the Doctor's plan, Ayla was adorable.

~8~

In the TARDIS, the Doctor picked up the laptop on his way down the stairs, to lower levels that led to the halls…heading left…before pausing and turning to go to the right instead.

"This way," he muttered, still not quite used to the new TARDIS just yet.

~8~

"Mummy look!" Ayla shouted as she ran over to them, holding up the fez for her to see what she'd collected.

"That's brilliant sweetheart," Angel smiled, "You did wonderful!"

Ayla beamed at that as Clara watched the mother daughter interaction.

Angel looked at the TARDIS and back at Clara for a moment, "Can you watch her a mo, Clara?"

She nodded and Angel headed back into the TARDIS, knowing that the Doctor needed some help with the transportation.

"So…" Clara looked at Ayla as the girl poked around the fez, trying to count the money for her father, "This is tomorrow, then? Tomorrow's come early"

"That's silly," Ayla shook her head, "Tomorrow is still tomorrow, we just took a shortcut."

They looked at the doors to the TARDIS when they heard an engine roar, two engines really, before the Doctor drove out on a red motorbike, Angel behind him on a blue scooter though, all the other people cheering and clapping at the new sight.

"Thank you, thank you," the Doctor waved at them, "Tomorrow, a camel!" he pointed at Ayla, "Come along sweetheart."

"Can I ride with mummy, daddy?" Ayla asked, handing him the fez, "Mummy's bike is blue!"

The Doctor laughed and put a hand on her head, stroking her hair, "Of course, blue is very cool," he winked at her. Ayla beamed and hugged him quickly before rushing over to her mother and taking a small white helmet from her, putting it on to hop on behind her mother.

"Here we are," the Doctor handed Clara a red helmet of her own.

Clara eyed the back of the motorbike as she put her helmet on, "Is…is this alright?" she asked, glancing at him and then at Angel, who was focusing on securing Ayla's helmet.

"Course it is," he smiled, "Why wouldn't it be?"

Clara blinked, "A strange woman on the back of your bike?"

The Doctor laughed, seeing what she meant and…was really rather relieved that she was worrying about Angel's thoughts on it. Even though he couldn't remember Angel earlier, he knew that Amy's affections and her interest in him (much like River's) bothered and upset her, mostly because he hadn't really done much to stop it. But not only was Angel more secure in their relationship, Clara was being considerate of it as well.

And that meant the world to him, he really would rather have a companion who was _just_ a friend right off the bat, like Donna and Martha and Rose and…well, a lot of companions had been. It was odd, to think of it now, that Amy had been the first to really try and 'woo' him as it was, and it had been the first time he hadn't been close to Angel. He liked that, think that Angel was the reason other women stayed away, because really…he just wanted her, and only her.

"It'll be just fine," the Doctor reassured her, hoping it would be.

He...didn't much like women touching him recently, ever since he'd remembered actually, since the lake with Angel. He'd rather be as far from women as as possible, but...he felt like Clara might be ok. He was really only alright with his companions touching him, because he knew that they all cared for Angel and wouldn't ever try something with him, they were friends, JUST friends and...clearly Clara fit into that category. She was worrying about Angel's thoughts on it and hesitating to touch him because of it. And that meant a lot to him. Maybe it meant Clara would be one of the few women he'd feel comfortable hugging and things. If she was going to be a companion, if Angel and even the TARDIS liked her, then she must be ok to be around, safe, someone who wouldn't try to take him from Angel.

"You're not strange, you're just Clara."

Clara hesitated only a moment, "If you're sure…"

He nodded, "Come on, we'll be late!"

Clara hopped on the back of the Doctor's motorbike, actually starting to think it was better this way, if it had been a scooter she'd definitely be too close for comfort. The Doctor put the money Ayla had given him into his pocket and placed the fez on the head of a young boy nearby before he tensed, feeling Clara put her arms around him for safety. But...unlike with most other women...it wasn't quite as uncomfortable as it could have been. He wasn't exactly thrilled that it wasn't Angel with her arms around him, but...he didn't feel the typical pain that came with other women touching him, so that was a plus and a good sign.

Angel glanced back at a girl, posing for a picture in front of the TARDIS, before she and Ayla scooted off with the Doctor, a pit forming in her stomach, she didn't want to be too far away from him at the moment.

~8~

"Sir!" Alexi called as a photo of the girl and the TARDIS popped up on his screen.

Mahler walked over, "What's happening?"

"Blue box. South Bank! Definitely wasn't there five minutes ago," he turned back to his computer and began typing as Kizlet walked over.

"Are we _sure_ this time?" Mahler had to ask, "Earl's Court was an embarrassment!"

~8~

The Doctor drove the motorbike towards Westminster Bridge, Angel just a short distance behind him, Ayla behind her, all of them laughing at the sight of travelling by motorbike and scooter again.

"If you've got a flying time machine, why are we on a motorbike?" Clara called over the roar of the engines.

"Sissy's cross with him!" Angel shouted to her, "For taking Ayla into a crashing plane!"

"Oi, don't TELL her that!" the Doctor huffed as Ayla giggled, "We just…don't take the TARDIS into battle."

"Because it's made of wood?" Clara wondered.

"Because Aunt Idris is the best ship ever!" Ayla cheered.

"And we don't want her falling into the wrong hands," the Doctor held up both his hands, before putting them back on the steering quickly, "Ok?"

Angel glanced over as they drove past the Horse Guards Parade, seeing another photo go off, feeling the pit in her stomach growing.

~8~

"I do love London," Kizlet smirked as she saw them on their bikes pass the Parade, "So many cameras."

They watched as the two bikes continued to appear, under Admiralty Arch as well, tracking their journey the entire way.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Angel :( The Vortex is still acting up. But I hope you liked the chapter :) I'm very excited for the next one, we might just get a confrontation about the nightmares ;)


	32. The Bells of Saint John: The Shard

Eventually the Time Lords and Clara made it to a quaint little café, sitting on a rooftop patio of it, munching on some fruits and pastries with their teas. Angel had discovered that she favored coffee and…smores in this incarnation of herself. She really loved that, how her tastes changed with each version of her, yet some things always stayed the same, like her love for her family, how she felt for the Doctor, those wouldn't ever change. Nor would her desire to see all her companions and all the Doctor's companions together, staying strong and connected and a...family. She'd lost hers on Gallifrey, as had the Doctor, and they had only had each other and their companions for a long time. Rose had been the first, the girl much like a sister to her, reminding her so much of her own sister, that...it just sort of happened, treating the girl like a sibling. Jack had been an accident, a happy one, him admitting she was like a sister to him, making her realize she had started to consider him a brother as well. After that...it just sort of became a tradition of sorts, especially with her and Donna being gingers together.

And she liked that, it was like having a family again.

And speaking of her family, she would have to speak to Jack and the others after they figured out what was happening. She'd called them up in the TARDIS when they'd been waiting for Clara to wake up the first time, wanting to warn them about the Wi-Fi, it seemed they already knew. Jack and UNIT had been popping up wherever flares of alien technology or reports of people suddenly collapsing registered, making sure that all the victims were taken to hospitals instead of buried, which she was thankful for. It meant that the bodies were still all ok and so was her family.

"So if we can travel anywhere in time and space," Clara began, finishing the last of her fruit, "Why did we travel to the morning? What's the point in that?"

The Doctor barely looked up from his work at the laptop, Ayla sitting beside him, eagerly watching as her father trying to hack into the people who had tried to hurt Clara. She was very excited about this, watching her father work like that, beating technology with just his mind, her daddy was brilliant! And, secretly, being very careful so her mother wouldn't find out, he'd been teaching _her_ how to hack into things too!

She was nowhere near as good as her father was, but it didn't matter, she was just so excited! Her parents were so wonderful, she learned so much from them, far more than she knew she'd have learned in that stuffy old Academy, even though they taught her quite a bit from it. Her father, when he'd left Gallifrey, had tried to stock up on all he could of the archives of their people, their cultural history, their teachings, the school books and instruments, and encyclopedias and just anything he could think of that would preserve the knowledge of their people. He didn't want it to be lost forever with just his mind to keep it alive. His mind was already so full of so many other important things that he was afraid there wouldn't be room or that some things would be lost on accident, so he'd gotten as many books as he could.

And her mother was just fantastic with time! And TARDISes! Having grown up around them, worked on them her whole life, all she really knew were the amazing old boxes. She knew her mother wasn't as worried as her father was about forgetting things like that. She hadn't paid nearly as much attention in school as her father had and she hadn't learned or retained what the other Time Lords did, but she knew her TARDISes better than anyone! And history as well, she DID know that very well too. It was like…her father knew all about their people, their knowledge, and her mother knew all about their TARDISes and the time that made them the Lords of it.

Angel looked at Clara, seeing the Doctor too invested in what he was doing to notice Clara had spoken, "Because, for us, it was only moments, but for the people who tried to take you Clara, it was _hours_ ago," she got up with a small cup she'd finished and took Ayla and the Doctor's finished plates, heading over to a rubbish bin to throw it out.

"Are you tired Miss Clara?" Ayla looked at her, kicking her legs as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"Yes," Clara said, smiling a bit at how the girl kept calling her 'Miss Clara.'

"Then imagine how they feel," the Doctor smirked, "They came the long way round," he kept typing, squinting as he looked at the codes flying across the screen, Ayla's face scrunching as she tried to follow along, but they were moving a bit too fast, for all her love of reading she could admit she was a bit slow at it, she liked learning from first hand experience, and she loved hearing her father read to her instead, he did voices better than anyone, "They've got to be close, definitely London, going by the signal distribution. I can hack the lowest level of their operating system, but I can't establish a physical location, the security's too good…"

"Are you an alien?" Clara asked, he didn't talk like any human she knew.

Angel walked over to the Doctor, moving behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders as she squeezed them, massaging them as he leaned back, starting to smile at her work. She knew he was frustrated about that. They both knew that he'd be able to hack the higher levels, if he had time, but with the people after Clara aware of her and able to follow her and control others, they didn't have the time to spare. He was getting worked up and cross about that and she just wanted him to relax. He always did his best work when he was calm and relaxed, when he was worked up was when he started to make mistakes.

"We are, yes," he looked at Clara, "Ok with that?"

"Fine, yeah," she nodded quickly.

"Take a moment Clara," Angel told her, not wanting her to say that now and then freak out later.

She took a breath, "I think I'm fine."

"Oh, good," the Doctor laughed, amused.

"So what happens if you _do_ find them? What then?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "I can't tell the future, I'm not Angel, I just work there."

Clara frowned, "What do you mean 'you're not Angel?'" she looked at the woman, "Can YOU tell the future?"

Angel laughed, "At times, yes."

The Doctor scoffed, "My modest Mate," he patted her hand, before leaning in to talk to Clara, though Ayla and Angel could still hear him, "Angel is, without a doubt, the _most_ powerful psychic and the most far-seeing Visionary the Universe has ever seen," he winked at Clara who looked at her with wide eyes.

"Where were you when I played the lottery last week," Clara murmured.

"1207, Cumbria," Angel answered.

Clara blinked, about to ask something when Ayla spoke, "Time machine," she reminded the girl.

Clara let out a breath, she'd forgotten that for a moment, sitting there…with the three people before her, it was so…normal, it was like she couldn't help but feel like everything that had just happened was a dream or something. The Doctor bloke was odd, yeah, but his wife or…Mate as he kept calling her, was very kind and his daughter was sweet and the way he acted around them was just lovely and…fatherly, he was just like her father acted with her.

"DO you actually have a plan?" she had to ask, unable to help wondering that.

"You know what I always say about plans?" the Doctor smiled.

"What?"

"I don't have one," he laughed, "Eh?" he pointed at Ayla.

"People always have plans," Clara countered, taking the last sip of her drink.

"Well daddy has things," Ayla informed her, "He makes them up as he goes along but he does it brilliantly, right daddy?" she looked at him.

"Right you are sweetheart," he laughed as Angel shook her head at them.

Angel glanced over at Clara to see her watching the Doctor and Ayla, amused, "How long have you been taking care of the children Clara?"

Clara looked at her, "About a year, since their mum died."

"Ok," the Doctor nodded, "But why _you_? Family friend, we get that, but there must have been others. Why did it have to be you? I mean, you don't really seem like a nanny."

Clara pushed aside her cup and grabbed for the laptop, not wanting to talk about that at the moment, "Gimme!"

Angel couldn't help but burst out laughing at that, making the Doctor and Ayla and Clara look at her oddly, "Sorry," she shook her head, "But it's just…she sounds JUST like you, my love," she looked at the Doctor, "And fighting over a _laptop_ to boot."

The Doctor frowned in confusion a moment before starting to laugh himself, recalling Jeff and his laptop and his repeated use of 'Gimme' during that entire encounter, "Oh does she?" he asked, putting his hand on top of hers with one hand, the other having reached out to keep Clara from really taking the laptop.

"Very much," Angel nodded.

He shook his head and looked at Clara, "And what are you going to do with it?"

Clara leaned forward, "You need to know where they physically are. Their exact location."

"Yes," he nodded slowly.

" _I_ can do it," she tried to tug the computer closer.

But he lunged forward with both his hands this time to grab it back, "Oi! I need that!"

"You've hacked the lower operating system," she tugged it again, "I'll have their physical location in under five minutes. Go and get a coffee."

But he pulled it back, "If I can't find them, you can't."

"Have faith in Clara my love," Angel remarked, reaching out to play with the hair at the back of his neck, smiling mischievously as she knew it would distract him.

Clara barely contained her laugh at seeing his eyes fall closed and the man nearly…purr in contentment it seemed, that woman certainly knew her husband/Mate/whatever the hell he was didn't she, "They uploaded me," she continued, "Remember? I've got computing stuff in my head."

The Doctor's eyes snapped open when he felt Clara try to pull the laptop away and he turned to point at Angel, "Cheater."

She laughed, holding up her hands innocently, "I've no idea what you mean."

He rolled his eyes playfully, "And you say _I_ teach Ayla bad habits," he muttered, before turning back to Clara, "I have stuff in my head too."

Ayla laughed as she watched her father and Clara basically play tug-of-war with the laptop while they argued back and forth, bickering like she saw her Aunt Donna and Uncle Jack bicker whenever she visited for holidays, "I have insane hacking skills," Clara countered.

"I'm from space, and the future, with two hearts and...27 brains!"

"Liar," Angel murmured, watching them quite amused as well, they were both like small children fighting over the last crayon in a box or something. It was...rather entertaining to see. She knew the Doctor was rather like a big child at heart, but Clara, being a nanny, she almost expected the girl to be a bit more mature so it was nice to see her having fun with the Doctor. She supposed he just brought out the inner child in everyone and it was such a wonderful thing to see.

"And I can find them in under five minutes, plus photographs," Clara added, before frowning, "27?"

"Ok, slight exaggeration," he admitted.

"Coffee, go get," Clara ordered, taking the laptop completely, "Five minutes, I promise."

The Doctor leaned back, pouting, "The security is absolute."

"It's never about the security, it's about the people," she said simply, opening the computer and starting to type.

The Doctor sat there, still pouting, till Angel shook her head, and moved over, taking his hands and opening his arms…sitting down right on his lap, making him smile widely and wind his arms around her, nuzzling his nose to the side of her face, making her shiver at the sensation and close her eyes. She loved that, so much, how she could make him smile like that by such simple actions. She had once said that...he made her feel stronger, more...powerful, because of the affect she had on him. She liked knowing that she was the only one who could make him blush or make his hearts race the way she did, calm him down when he was upset. That...meant the world to her to know she had such a profound affect on him. But it was only fair, he was equally as effecting to her.

Clara couldn't help but smile at them, seeing Ayla smiling as well, the two were very obviously very much in love.

"I could use a coffee as well," Angel remarked to him in a whisper.

"Well, in THAT case," he grinned…before standing up suddenly, making Angel squeal as he stood with her still in his arms before she started to laugh as he spun her around.

He finally set her down, though he wound his arm around her waist, keeping her close, looking over at Ayla, "Want to come sweetheart?"

Ayla shook her head, "Can I stay here with Miss Clara?"

Angel nodded, "Keep an eye on her for us?"

Ayla nodded as well, getting up to go sit beside Clara, the girl turning slightly so that Ayla could see what she was doing…before Clara looked up a moment later to see the Doctor was _still_ standing there, eyeing her, "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Sorry," the Doctor blinked, not having realized he'd been staring, well, not REALLY staring, more like…just wanting to be sure she was safe for his daughter. They really had no idea how she could exist, but…Angel and Ayla seemed to like her well enough, the TARDIS as well it seemed, so he didn't think there was anything bad about her, no malicious intent, because his girls were quite good judges of character, "No, it's nothing. It's just...you're a nanny. Isn't that a bit...Victorian?"

"Victorian?" she scoffed.

"You're young, shouldn't you be doing, you know, young things?" Angel barely held in her laughter, Ayla having to hide her giggles behind her hands as the Doctor very badly attempted a few dance moves that reminded them of the twist but also of some sort of disco move, "With...with...with...young people?"

"What, like you, for instance? Down, boy!"

The Doctor grimaced, "No! No, I didn't...not with YOU," he stuck out his tongue, which made Clara shake her head at him and just turn back to the laptop.

Angel crossed her arms, eyeing him, amused, "Disco dear?"

"Shut up," he pouted, reaching out to take her hand and lead her into the café even as she laughed with him.

"Your dad's something else," Clara muttered to Ayla.

"He's funny Miss Clara," Ayla agreed.

Clara looked at her, "You can just call me Clara sweetie."

"Ok," she nodded, "But you shouldn't call me sweetie," she whispered, "Daddy says that's a _bad_ word."

Clara blinked, not quite sure what was wrong with the word, but agreeing not to use it for the moment.

~8~

The Doctor tugged Angel closer as they entered the café, winding his arm around her waist as they reached the counter, lined on top with different pastries. Angel laughed as she saw him pick up a plate of a chocolate cake, sniffing it as he carried it down to the order portion of the counter. She reached out and snagged another smore from the line of treats.

"Ooh!" the Doctor grinned, "Three more cappuccinos over there, please," he called to the man behind the counter.

"One moment, sir," the man nodded with a smile, turning to get to work.

The Doctor nodded, looking at the pastries…when he stopped, feeling Angel stiffen beside him, he looked at her to see her eyeing the old man intently, ' _What is it?_ ' he asked her silently.

' _Something isn't right Theta,_ ' she whispered.

He looked over, watching as the man turned around, "You realize you haven't the slightest chance of saving your little friend?"

He frowned, "Sorry, what?" he blinked, seeing a flash of blue around the man, who just blinked and smiled jovially again.

"I said one moment, sir," the man repeated.

' _Wait for it,_ ' Angel warned him.

Again, there was a flash of light as the man stiffened, but this time they saw it happen, "I said, there is not the slightest chance you can save your little friend. And don't annoy the old man, he isn't, in fact, speaking," the flash happened once more and he started working again, as though it hadn't happened.

The Doctor frowned, leaning in a bit to eye the man, when Angel grabbed his hand, ' _Behind,_ ' she called.

He spun around to see a young black waitress walk up to them, " _I'm_ speaking," the woman said, "Just using whatever's to hand."

~8~

In her office Ms. Kizlet stood before her windows, speaking into her tablet, "Oh, she's rather pretty, isn't she?" she made the waitress peek out at the patio, at Clara, "Do you like her? I can make her like you too, if you want," she tapped the tablet, switching off the waitress.

~8~

The Doctor leaned in, seeing a flash of light as the waitress jerked back at his sudden nearness, "You alright, sir?"

"Um, yes," he glanced at Angel who nodded, it wasn't in the waitress any longer, "Yes, fine.," he placed a scone on her plate, taking Angel's hand as they ran out of the café, to the patio.

They stopped short, seeing Clara and Ayla just chatting as Clara continued to type, "Are you alright?" Angel asked.

"Sure, setting up stuff, need a username," Clara remarked.

"Learning fast," the Doctor eyed her.

"Clara Oswald for the win!" Clara gasped with a cheer, looking at Ayla, "Oswin! What do you think?"

Ayla blinked, "I like it."

The Doctor and Angel couldn't help but look at each other, recalling Oswin Oswald of the Alaska.

"Come my love," Angel whispered to him, "I don't think it's over," she told him, ' _And it would be best to keep them distracted by us and away from Ayla._ '

He nodded, squeezing her hand and leading her back inside with one last glance at their daughter, best not to alarm her. He felt alarmed enough already at the thought that they'd been found by whoever was after Clara. He couldn't help his mind wandering to...what if it wasn't JUST Clara they were after? What if it was the Silence behind this? What if they were after Ayla too? What if they took his daughter away from him again? Took Angel!?

He swallowed hard, taking a deep breath, trying to keep his mind from straying too far to those thoughts. He knew it was the dreams acting up, getting to him. He knew, rationally, that he wouldn't even be considering the Silence if it hadn't been for his nightmares. It was just...seeing all those ways that things could have gone if he'd made one mistake, if he hadn't realized or remembered Angel was his Mate when he had, seeing all the different ways his family could have suffered because of it. It terrified him.

And what's worse...this was just like something the Silence would do, so he couldn't even be certain that it wasn't them. The Silence operated in the shadows, they affected human minds, they manipulated things around them without people knowing, infected them without them realizing. It could very well be the Silence. Whoever it was was operating in the shadows, stealing human minds, infecting the Wi-Fi and manipulating the humans that used it, and they didn't even realize. Clara had had no idea where she'd been when she'd nearly been uploaded. What if it was like the Silence trying to do some sort of reverse Ganger thing? Instead of projecting someone's mind into a Ganger, they were stealing the minds now?

And that alarmed him, that...scared him, more than he was willing to admit. He just...he wanted to find out what was going on and who was responsible and he wanted to do it quickly. The sooner he found out if the Silence had found them, the better.

They had just entered…when they saw the waitress stiffen again and look at them, "Now I want you to take a look around. Go on."

~8~

Kizlet smirked as she watched them through her tablet, "Have a little stroll. And see how _impossible_ your situation is. Go on. Take a look, I _do_ love showing off."

She pushed a button and switched off the waitress who continued to work, selecting another user, a little girl this time, KNOWING it would _really_ get to the Time Lords to select one around their daughter's age, "Just let me show you what control of the Wi-Fi can do for one," she spoke, making the girl stand, "Stop!" she hit a button and everyone in the café froze.

"We saw what you can do last night," the Doctor said, visible in her tablet, looking rather angry.

"And clear!" she hit another button…making everyone walk out before she smiled, getting creative. She selected one of her other users…on TV right now, "We can hack anyone in the Wi-Fi, once they've been exposed long enough," she told them, now talking through a newsreader.

She watched as the Doctor and Angel turned, walking over to the monitor to speak to her more clearly, "So there's one of your walking base stations somewhere close," the Doctor reasoned.

"There's always someone close. We've released thousands into the world. They home in on the Wi-Fi like rats sniffing cheese."

~8~

In the office just outside Kizlet's, the workers moved along, working hard…not seeing their webcams flash one at a time, not even Mahler who was walking among them noticed either. It wasn't till Alexi looked up that he realized something was happening.

"There's something up with the webcams," Alexi called as Mahler walked over to his station as it flashed.

~8~

"Is that them?" Ayla asked as she watched images of those same workers popping up on the screen as Clara kept working.

"I think they might be," she grinned.

"Clara you're brilliant!" Ayla cheered, Clara winking at her in thanks.

~8~

The Doctor strode closer to the TV with Angel, glaring at it, "I don't know who you are or why you're doing this but the people of this world will not be harmed, they will not be controlled, they will not be..."

"The people of this world are in no danger whatsoever," the woman cut in, "My client requires a steady diet of living human minds. Healthy, free range human minds," the Doctor tensed at that, though he couldn't help but feel a hint of relief, that didn't sound like the Silence at least, "He loves and cares for humanity. In fact, he can't get enough of it."

"You're hoarding them all like chattel!" Angel shook her head, "You're murdering them!"

All those people who were found without their minds, without life signs, the sonic had barely been able to pick up anything from Clara before and that was highly advanced technology. All those other humans that had been found…people would think they were dead! Some of them might have even been buried if it hadn't been for Torchwood and UNIT stepping in!

"It's life," the woman shrugged, "The farmer tends his flock like a loving parent. The abattoir is not a contradiction. No one loves cattle more than Burger King."

~8~

"High five!" Clara cheered, holding up her hand to Ayla who gave her one, before she tuned and sorted through the photos.

~8~

"I'm sure of it," Alexei nodded to Mahler, "Someone's hacking the webcams. All of them."

"Everybody check your webcams!" Mahler shouted as the workers began to look at theirs.

"But what would be the point, taking mug-shots of us lot?"

~8~

Clara grinned as she found a face recognition site, putting all the photos on it to find out who they were.

~8~

Mahler frowned, wondering that, before his eyes widened in realization, "Who's on Facebook?" he looked around as all the different workers raised their hands.

~8~

"So _that's_ who they are," Ayla squinted at the names that popped up with the photos Clara was searching on different social network sites.

~8~

"Bebo?" Mahler looked around, thinking of every site they might be on, "Myspace? Habbo? Put your hands down if you _didn't_ mention where you work."

Every single hand remained up and he realized…they knew where they were now.

~8~

Clara cheered, clapping as she saw that all those people worked in the same spot, the Shard, it said. She glanced over her shoulder, Ayla following her gaze, to see a tall spire-like building in the middle of London, The Shard.

~8~

Kizlet nearly laughed when she saw the Doctor's expression darken at his Mate's words, "This ends. We are going to the end this today!"

"How?" she smirked, "You don't even know where we are."

"Who's doing this? Who is your client? Hmm? Answer me!"

"Doctor…" Angel began, gasping, grabbing his arm, "The Great Intelligence!" she looked at him.

Kizlet's eyes widened, HOW had the girl known!? It defied all logic. She had been warned the woman was psychic, but she thought it impossible. Psychics did NOT exist!

But before she could say anything, there was a knock on her door and Mahler stuck his head in, "Ms. Kizlet, we have a problem!"

~8~

Clara grinned widely as she typed, finally getting her work done and sat back in her chair…not noticing Ayla stiffen beside her when the Doctor walked back through the door.

"I did it," Clara breathed, "I really did, I did it. I found them!"

"You found them," the Doctor replied, his voice flat, Ayla starting to shake her head as she stared at him, horrified.

"The Shard. They're in the Shard. Floor 65."

"Clara…" Ayla started, reaching out to grab Clara's arm.

"Floor 65," he repeated.

"Are you listening to me, Doctor?" Clara exclaimed, "I found them!"

"Clara that's not daddy!" Ayla cut in.

"I am listening to you," the Doctor repeated, "You found them."

Clara looked over, seeing his head starting to turn like the little girl's had, a groove in the back, "Run!" she quickly nudged Ayla off the chair and stood, distracting the robot as the girl dashed past it, a beam shooting out at her, hitting her and not Ayla.

~8~

Kizlet stood before Alexi's computer, smirking as she saw Clara's upload finish, finally complete.

"We've got her!" Alexi announced, "This time, we've _really_ got her!"

Kizlet smirked, pleased, and strut away.

~8~

"Daddy!" Ayla screamed as she ran into the café, "Mummy!"

"Ayla!" they turned to her, the Doctor rushing to pick her up, "What is it?"

"Clara!" she pointed at the patio.

They took off running, reaching the patio to see a robot of the Doctor standing there with his head on backwards, a groove in it, Clara's image reflected in it as her body lay collapsed by the table, unconscious.

"Doctor?" Clara was calling, "Angel? Help me. I don't know where I am. I don't understand. I don't know where I am! Please help me. I don't know where I am! I don't know where I am. Doctor, please, please, help me. Angel I don't know where I am!"

Angel ran forward and knelt beside Clara, reaching out to check on her, only to look at the Doctor and shake her had, the upload was complete.

"She told me to run," Ayla murmured, clutching her father, tears in her eyes.

The Doctor's jaw tensed a that, hearing that Clara was protecting his daughter at the risk of her own life, _knowing_ what would happen to her if the robot got her again, having been there before, and she _still_ told Ayla to run, to get safe.

"We'll save her," Angel stood, walking over to her daughter, taking her from the Doctor and hugging her, "Won't we my love?" she looked at him.

He nodded, pulling out the sonic and flashing it at the robot.

~8~

Kizlet smirked as she and Mahler stood before the monitors of the Shard, watching as Clara continued to call out for help, both knowing it wouldn't be coming, there was NOTHING the Doctor or his Mate could do, "Doctor, help me. Help! Help! Angel please!"

"Should we pulp her?" Mahler wondered, "Or keep her as a hostage?"

"There's no point," Kizlet remarked, "She's fully integrated now, she can't be downloaded again. I'm sure he knows that. And if not, his Mate will be sure to tell him," she turned to walk away from the wall of monitors…

When Alexi called out, "I'm not sure he does. He's coming! _And_ he's bringing his Mate!"

Kizlet and Mahler exchanged a look before heading over to the man's station, watching the monitor as the Doctor raced across London with Angel on the back of the motorbike, passing across Waterloo Bridge, they could make out his determined expression as he headed right for the Shard, cameras capturing their path along the way.

"We could stop them, I suppose," Mahler glanced at Kizlet.

But she just smirked, "Why bother? It might be quite funny."

~8~

The Doctor pulled over to a stop, across the street from the Shard, looking up at it, when a large man behind them with fish and chips stiffened, "Really, a motorbike?" he spoke, making them look over, "It hardly seems like you," he eyed Angel, "Couldn't your Mate just teleport you in here?"

The Doctor's jaw tensed, "I rode this in the Anti-Grav Olympics, 2074. I came last, but Ayla cheered me on anyway, and I still got a kiss out of it for finishing in one piece."

Angel ignored the man, looking up at the building instead, knowing that they couldn't tell why she _wasn't_ just teleporting her and the Doctor into the building.

"The building is in lock-down," the man said, "I'm afraid you're not coming in."

"Did you even hear the word anti-grav?" the Doctor countered, slamming his hand down on a big red button on the center of the bit. He twisted the throttle, and drove it right for the Shard, the man watching him go…before his gaze travelled up, watching as the Doctor started it right UP the side of the Shard!

~8~

Alexi and the other looked on, stunned, seeing what the Doctor was doing, "Seriously? He can do that? He can really, actually do that?"

"Oh dear Lord," Kizlet murmured, watching as he got closer and closer to the top, to the 65th floor, Angel reaching out a hand, flashing gold…

And then there was a sound of breaking glass coming from Kizlet's office.

"I think that was your office," Mahler remarked.

"Excuse me," Kizlet straightened out her jacket, "I believe it's someone to see me," she stalked out of the room, heading for her office. She opened the door to see the motorbike lying on the ground, the glass of the windows shattered, with Angel sitting at her desk, the Doctor beside her, sitting on the corner of it, facing Angel, still wearing the helmet.

"Hello Ms. Kizlet," Angel called.

Kizlet stiffened, she should have known that the woman would notice that she was there, she knew the woman hadn't 'guessed' her name as there was a sign on her desk saying as much, "Do come in," she remarked dryly.

"Download her," the Doctor looked over his shoulder at her.

"Sorry about the draft," Kizlet continued, not bothering to remark on his demand.

"That's rude," Angel told her, shaking her head, "Ignoring people."

"It's also rude, breaking and entering."

"Vortexing and entering," Angel countered, taking a leaf out of the Doctor's book, "Very different."

"Download her back into her body, right now," the Doctor added.

"I can't," Kizlet said simply.

"Yes, you can," Angel said simply.

"She's a fully integrated part of the data-cloud now. She _can't_ be separated."

"Then download the entire cloud," the Doctor stood up to face her, "Everyone you've trapped in there."

"You realize what would happen?" she scoffed.

"Yes, those still with bodies to go home to would be free," he held out his arms.

"A tiny number. Most would simply die."

The Doctor laughed, "Have you _met_ my Mate?" He gestured at Angel who gave her a small wave and a smile, "Guardian Angel of the Universe she is," he walked around the desk to come face-to-face with Kizlet, Angel watching cautiously in case the woman tried something, "She'll save them."

"How?" she shook her head, "She can't hop into the cloud after them, you'd never risk your precious Mate like that."

"I have faith in her," he remarked, "So give the order."

"And why would I do that?"

He smirked, "Because I'm in the process of teaching my daughter a lesson on how to be a decent human being."

"You're not HUMAN," she sneered.

"And imagine how jarring that must be for _you_ , for us to be more human than you even being aliens," he countered.

"I really _would_ give the order if I were you," Angel called, "I can only convince him to give you so many chances before he tries to motivate you himself."

Kizlet rolled her eyes, "You two are ridiculous! Why did you even come here? Whatever for?"

Angel nodded, " _I_ might have come here, but the Doctor didn't."

"What?"

"You _really_ think we'd leave our daughter all alone?" Angel shook her head.

The Doctor nodded and pointed at her, "I'm still in the café."

~8~

The Doctor looked over at Ayla, who was sitting across from him, beside Clara, holding her hand so the woman wouldn't feel alone, and turned back to the monitor, sipping the last of his coffee, the laptop open before him.

"I'm finishing my coffee," he remarked, "Lovely spot."

~8~

"What are you talking about?" Kizlet shook her head, feeling dread fill her, especially when Angel started to stand.

"You hack people," the Doctor said, "Me?" he unstrapped the helmet, "I'm old-fashioned," and pulled it off, " _I_ hack technology. Here's your motivation!"

Suddenly, his head stiffened and he looked up, robotically, his head slowly turning around as a groove appeared behind it. Angel watched with a frown as Kizlet backed away, terrified, cowering on the ground, but she knew this had to happen, that the only way to get the others to release everyone was if Kizlet herself was in there.

"No!" the woman pleaded, "No. No! Not me! Not me!"

A beam shot out of the groove, striking Kizlet as Angel looked away…she had no intention of letting the woman remain in the data-cloud, but she didn't want to see it happen.

~8~

Mahler and Alexi stood before the wall of monitors, seeing Kizlet appear, "Put me back!" she ordered, all too aware of where she was, "Put me back! Download me at once! That is an order! That is an _order_!"

"But she's fully integrated now," Alexei shook his head, "We'd have to download the entire cloud. We can't do that."

"No," Mahler sighed, "We can't."

"Download me!" Kizlet screamed.

~8~

The robot-Doctor turned to Angel, picking up the tablet, finding Mahler's profile and increased Mahler's obedience. He looked up, holding the tablet up to her, "Ready?" he asked.

She took a breath and nodded, taking it from him. She closed her eyes and held the tablet tightly, a golden glow starting to ripple around her, seeping into it…

~8~

"Download me!" Kizlet ordered as Mahler stiffened.

"Do what she says!" Mahler turned to Alexi.

The man eyed him a moment, not sure why he was suddenly agreeing with Kizlet, but not questioning it, before he made his way to the station he'd been working in and put in the command, looking back as the wall of monitors went blank, all the people being down loaded back into their bodies…but he couldn't help but frown as he saw a faint golden hue around the edges of the monitors.

~8~

Angel winced as she focused. She just…there were SO many of them, so many people that had been trapped. Most people that had been uploaded had ended up on life-support, their families unsure if they'd wake up as suddenly as they'd fallen asleep along with help and influence from Torchwood and UNIT. She needed to make sure that the minds made it back to them safely, that the time in the data-cloud hadn't weakened them...

She gasped falling back a little, the robot catching her, as she panted, "I did it," she breathed.

"Can you manage to come back?" the robot asked her, "There's someone here who wants to give you a hug, and a kiss."

She laughed, "Tell Ayla I'm on my way," she remarked.

"I um, I was talking about me for the kissing though."

She laughed, patting the robot's cheek, "I know my love."

"Hurry back," he told her, before going stiff, the Doctor cutting the connection to the robot, which she knew meant that he'd closed the laptop.

She stood up, taking a breath, glancing at Kizlet as she lay on the floor, breathing deep as she was returned to her body as well, before she headed to the back wall, to a monitor that had constantly held her attention.

She walked over to it, pressing a button on the side of it, turning it on, but only static came up. She waited, eyeing it a moment, "You won't win," she told the static, "I know you can hear me. And I want you to know, you _won't_ win. Whatever you're planning. We'll stop you," she swallowed, "The Doctor has in the past, we both have, and we will again. So please… _stop_."

She waited a moment longer, but the monitor only blinked off. She sighed, before closing her eyes, disappearing in a swirl of gold just as Kizlet woke up.

~8~

The Doctor looked up at a swirl of gold…to see Angel appear within it. It was the reason why Angel hadn't been able to take the robot with her that way. They'd learned fairly early that electronic devices, save for the sonic really, tended to…short circuit, because of the Vortex. Like they were disabled by the energy of it all, and they needed the robot to work.

He'd been very reluctant to let her go there alone, even though she'd reminded him _he'd_ be there in mind and action, but he still hadn't liked it. She'd just reminded him of all the people that would wake up when, not if, they succeeded, and he'd understood why she wanted to go, to save them.

"Mummy!" Ayla cheered, hopping off her chair to go hug her mother, "You did it!"

"Daddy did it first," she reminded her daughter.

"I already hugged him mummy," Ayla murmured, hugging her tightly.

"I could do with some more hugs," she held out her arms to the Doctor who grinned and laughed, getting up to join in the small group hug.

"What about Clara?" Ayla asked as she looked up at them.

The Doctor looked over, "We need to get someone to stop the Shard," he said, and they didn't know when Clara would wake as she'd been fully uploaded this time.

Angel nodded, "Leave her the spare change for a cab," she told him.

He agreed, walking over to the girl and leaving the notes they still had, beside her, patting her head with a hand before he turned, taking Ayla's hand as Angel did the other, the three of them walking off. They had to get the bikes back to the TARDIS and then get UNIT on the Shard.

Little did they know that, moments after they'd left, Clara woke up, "Doctor?" she frowned, looking around "Angel? Ayla?"

She looked over the side to see them heading off on the bikes and scooter.

~8~

Mahler stood in the middle of the workers as a group of armed soldiers stood before them, "You have no right to be in this office, and I am demanding that you leave at once!"

"This building is under UNIT's control!" one of the soldiers argued.

None of them saw Kizlet watching from her office, the door open just a crack, wide enough for her to see them.

"What is UNIT? _I've_ never heard of you!"

"I suggest you calm down, sir."

Kizlet swallowed and stepped into her office, shutting the door behind her. She walked across it to the monitor in the back and turned it on. She watched as a face appeared, a digital image of sorts, which looked very much like Dr. Simeon, "UNIT are here, friends of the Doctor and his Mate I presume," she explained.

"Oh, old friends, very old friends," he murmured.

"Then I appear to have failed you, Great Intelligence."

"I have feasted on many minds, I have grown. But now, it is time for _you_ to reduce."

"You've been whispering in my ear so long, I'm not sure I remember what I was before," she said, her eyes starting to fill with tears.

"Goodbye, Ms. Kizlet," he said, unemotionally, his image flickering off.

Kizlet stepped back and looked at her tablet, moving it to the settings for the entire staff and pressed 'RETURN Factory Settings.'

~8~

The UNIT soldiers stiffened when they heard a high-pitched noise ring out, watching as all the workers gripped their heads in pain, hunching over, some of them even fell to their knees.

"Sorry," Alexi stood up, "Where am I? What am I doing here? Are you soldiers? What's happening? How did I get here?"

"Excuse me, where are the toilets?" Mahler looked at Alexi, a different sort of accent to him.

"The toilets?"

"I'm here to fix the toilets, the gents," he looked down at himself, frowning as he saw himself in a different suit, "How long have I been here?"

The soldiers could only look at each other before a few headed into the source, the head of the office, Kizlet's.

"Stay where you are!" the soldiers ordered, seeing her sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing the monitor, "Ma'am, identify yourself!" they ran over and she looked back to see them there, a look of fear on her face.

"Where are my mummy and daddy?" she asked, her voice small, like a child, "They said they wouldn't be long. Are they coming back?"

~8~

Clara sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, watching as the Maitlands went about their day, as though everything were perfectly normal, as though nothing were different when it felt like the whole world was different now. She reached out and picked up a book off the table of the kitchen, walking past the window…before stopping and looking back to see the TARDIS outside.

And smiled.

~8~

"…" the Doctor read to Ayla as she sat on his lap, him and Angel sitting on the steps that led to an upper level of the TARDIS, Amy's round glasses on his face, Angel was a step or two below him, turned to rest her elbow on an upper step, watching him read to Ayla.

"Come in!" Angel called out of nowhere.

And then the doors opened, "You really ARE psychic," Clara muttered, "That's creepy."

Angel laughed, "Hello Clara."

She shook her head, crossing her arms as she entered, "So. They come back, do they?"

The Doctor laughed, nodding at Angel, "My Mate's rubbed off on me it seems," he told her, leaning down to kiss Angel's hair, "But my daughter thought you were being rude."

"Rude?" Clara frowned.

He nodded, "Because you didn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"You don't seem like a nanny."

Clara sighed, "I was going to travel. I came to stay for a week before I left and, during that week..."

"Mrs. Maitland passed on," Angel murmured, "So you look after her children, for her."

Clara nodded.

"You've got 101 Places to See, and you haven't been to any of them, have you?" the Doctor asked, " _That's_ why you keep the book."

"I keep the book 'cos I'm still going," Clara told them.

"But you have responsibilities," Ayla mentioned, thinking of Jenny and how she hadn't left Messaline because she had things keeping her there, people that needed her. They got to visit her every so often, her and her husband Cline, and she loved it, but she was still sad to leave knowing Jenny wouldn't come with them. She loved her big sister very much.

"And you don't run out on the people you care about," the Doctor pulled off his glasses, "Wish I was more like that."

"You're getting there daddy," Ayla patted his arm sagely, before plucking the glasses from him and putting them on her nose, laughing as the world went fuzzy and she took them off.

"If you want Clara," Angel stood, walking down to the console, "This IS a time machine," she looked at her, "We can take you to a few place and get you back in five minutes."

"So what do you say?" the Doctor grinned, standing up with Ayla in his arms, "Anywhere. All of time and space, right outside those doors."

Clara laughed and shook her head, "Does this work? Eh? Is this actually what you do? Do you just crook your finger and people just jump in your snog-box and fly away?"

"It is not a snog box!" the Doctor shouted. Ayla started to giggle, burying her face in her father's neck as the TARDIS hummed and he just KNEW she was making fun of him, "What'd she say sweetheart?"

Ayla looked at him, "Aunt Idris says you and mummy do nothing _but_ snog in here."

"Yes…well…your Aunt Idris is a liar," he stuck out his tongue at the rotor, "Angel tell the TARDIS she's…" he turned around…and walked right into her lips.

Angel gave him another peck, "Are you calling my sister a liar _now_ , my love?"

He blinked, "Um…"

Angel just laughed, seeing he was still a bit stunned from the sudden kiss, she found she loved doing that in this incarnation, kissing him out of nowhere, seeing his dazed reaction. She turned around to see Clare standing there with her arms crossed, an 'I told you so' expression on her face, "We really _are_ being serious though Clara," she told her, "If ever you're interested…"

"Come back tomorrow, ask me again," Clara said, heading for the door.

"Why?" the Doctor shook his head finally snapping out of it.

"'Cos tomorrow, I might say yes," she pointed at them as Angel smiled, as though knowing she _would_ say yes, "Some time after 7 ok for you?"

"It's a time machine, any time's ok!" he called.

She laughed, "See you then!"

"Clara?" Ayla called from his arms.

Clara stopped in the door and looked back, "Yeah?"

"Why did you have a leaf in your book?"

Clara smiled gently at that, "That wasn't a leaf, that was page one," she winked at the girl, before leaving.

The Doctor sighed, looking at Ayla, "Well then," he set her down, "Time to find out who she is, eh?"

Angel smiled and moved to help him pilot the TARDIS.

If he told her, she'd try to make him feel better and, in his mind, she had been far too forgiving of what he'd done. He needed some sort of punishment for it, and his nightmares were just it. He deserved them and all their ill effects.

~8~

The Doctor looked over from where he was sitting at a small desk in the bedroom, reading, just...trying to stay awake really. He didn't want the nightmares to stop but...he truly hated having them. He was hoping, perhaps if he stayed awake long enough, he would just...be so tired eventually that he fell asleep, into such a deep sleep, that he didn't dream at all. But that didn't mean he'd deprive Angel of her sleep, so he'd settled himself over on a small chair, reading as she laid on the bed, sleeping...or so he thought.

"Are you not going to come to bed Theta?" she called.

He looked up, a bit surprised that he hadn't noticed she wasn't sleeping, "Just...finishing this chapter dear."

Angel opened her eyes and looked at him, "You haven't turned the page in an hour," she remarked.

"And you haven't moved in two," he countered with a smile, closing the book and moving over to the bed, but instead of getting in, he knelt by her side, resting his arms on the edge as he looked at her, "I thought you were asleep," he frowned, "Are you having trouble falling asleep?"

Angel looked at him a long while before she gave herself a small nod, as though deciding something, "No more than you are _staying_ asleep," she whispered.

He froze at that, blinking at her, "I...don't know what..."

"Rule three my love," she reminded him, "Please don't. Please don't lie to me."

He sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his head, "Yes...I've...been having trouble staying asleep."

"Because of nightmares?" she guessed.

"No."

She gave a soft laugh, "I'm psychic dear, I _know_ what they are," she sighed, "I just...don't know what they're about," she eyed him, "Your mind is guarding them even in your sleep."

He thought, perhaps, it was the 'Dream Lord's' doing, or at least his subconscious. He knew it was his subconscious driving him to have dreams like that in the first place, but...he hadn't realized that she'd known about them and that his mind was blocking hers from them. Often it was the opposite during dreams, their minds were less guarded and more open to the other. It was...odd that his mind would be closed off to her like that.

"It's nothing," he promised her, "I swear," he crossed his hearts, "They're just dreams."

"That are haunting you," she reached out to touch his face gently, cupping his cheek as she rolled over to face him, her thumb stroking just under his eyes, "You're not sleeping, you're more nervous than normal, you get off track easier...Theta, I'm worried for you."

"You shouldn't be," he reassured her, "They're just nightmares. We all have them. I'm sure they'll fade with time."

"What are they about?" she asked him...but he remained silent, looking away from her.

She swallowed hard, she knew that was a rather personal question, to ask him to expose his deepest concerns and fears to her, and she knew it wasn't fair to expect him to answer. SHE hadn't told him of her own deep-rooted fears when he'd remembered her. If...if he didn't want to talk about it NOW...she could...wait. But before she did that, she just had to offer him something else.

Angel eyed him closely, "Can I help you then?" she frowned, seeing him stiffen at that offer, it was almost like...he didn't want them to fade, "Please," she pleaded, "Nightmares can happen when you feel uneasy asleep, just...let me help bring you peace as you dream."

He sighed, knowing that...there was no way he could say no to that when she was looking at him like that, "Of course," he nodded, standing and getting into bed beside her, Angel turning to curl up beside him, his arms around her shoulder as she wrapped her own around his waist and felt...guilty. Not just for agreeing to this, feeling as though he were betraying himself and his punishment in 'attempting' to end the nightmares, but...because, in a way...he had partially lied to Angel.

He...he knew that...it wouldn't work. He KNEW it wouldn't work. Having Angel in his arms, being his last thought before he fell asleep, her presence so...surrounding him...what else would he dream about BUT her?

And he knew...the nightmares would just get worse because of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angel's finally confronted him about the nightmares :) But poor Doctor, still trying to keep it from her. -sigh- He's got such a hero complex :( But I can say there will be a moment, now that he's aware she knows, that she'll finally get through to him about it and get him to let her really and truly help him. But it might take our stubborn Doctor a little while longer :)


	33. Rosalie

Sarah Jane leaned in the doorway of her home, a cup of tea in her hand as she just watched Rani and Sky play with a little blonde girl, barely one year old, who was giggling happily as she clapped, Rani and Sky putting on a puppet show for her with socks. Luke and Clyde had gone upstairs to make a small theater for the girls while they entertained the child. She loved that about her son and his friends, you'd think teenagers would want to spend their time out of the house, at malls and fast food hangouts, or that they'd get annoyed having to stay in with a baby...but not her son, and not his friends. They loved that little girl so much, they loved her mother as well. It really warmed her heart to see them all taking to the baby and playing with her and caring for her, they were just the most remarkable children ever.

She couldn't help but laugh as the child reached for the dolls, trying to pull them off and examine them, curious, ever so curious. A curiosity she had only ever seen in one man in her entire life. She sighed, growing more lost in her thoughts, as she turned to head into her kitchen once more, thinking of all the other similarities in the girl and the man who was her father, when…

"Sarah Jane?!" Rani gasped.

"What is it?" she looked up.

"Something's wrong!" Sky called.

Sarah Jane put her cup down and ran in to see the baby girl staring at the sock puppet in her hand that she'd grabbed off of Sky, tears welling in her green eyes, "Oh what is it darling?" she knelt down, checking the girl over for injuries, wondering if she was upset that the puppet wasn't moving anymore.

"M…mum-mee…" she said before she started crying.

Suddenly there was the sound of a crash, like that of glass shattering upstairs and Sarah Jane was off, "Watch her!" she called back to Rani and Sky who were frantically trying to calm the girl down as she wailed.

"Mum?" Luke asked as he threw open his door, having heard the crash, as Sarah Jane passed.

Sarah Jane ignored him, running down the hall to the small bedroom beside her own. She pushed on the door but it was shut, locked. She dug in her pocket, grabbing her sonic lipstick and quickly opening the door, stopping short at the sight beyond.

Angel was curled up in the corner of her room beside her bed, still in her pajamas, pressing her hands to her eyes as her knees pressed to her chest, sobbing. She looked over to see the mirror at the end of the room was broken, shattered from the telephone that Angel had quite clearly thrown at it, before she ran over to Angel's side, knowing something had to be wrong for Angel, of all people, to react so violently, "Angel!" she dropped to her knees, Luke and Clyde rushing over to the mirror, trying to get the glass together so no one would get hurt, "Angel what is it? What's happened?"

Angel shook her head, scarcely able to breathe through her tears, feeling her chest constricting painfully, her throat closing up in emotion.

"Angel please," Sarah Jane pleaded, trying to calm her down, "What is it?"

"Doctor…" she moaned, shaking her head, not looking up.

Sarah Jane's eyes widened, "Has something happened to him? Is he alright?"

Angel curled into herself more, "How could he?" she asked brokenly.

Sarah Jane frowned, confused, "What did he do?"

Angel took a deep breath, forcing herself to look up at Sarah Jane, who nearly gasped at the sight of heartbreak and devastation in Angel's eyes, "He _married_ her…" she whispered before her bottom lip trembled and she looked back down, falling to the floor as she curled into a ball, her body shaking from her sobs.

She'd been sleeping, dreaming, and suddenly her dreams twisted, suddenly they weren't dreams any longer but a vision. She could tell the difference now, but...it wasn't a vision of the future...but of the present.

Right at that moment...the Doctor had married someone else.

Sarah Jane could only move her to rest her head on her lap as he looked at her son, "Luke, send out the call with Mr. Smith."

Luke nodded and ran off as Sarah Jane did her best to comfort the girl, when the doorbell rang and there was a fierce banging on it, she looked over, "Clyde?" he ran out and a moment later there was the sound of someone running up the stairs.

"Angel!" someone gasped. She looked up to see Donna Noble standing in the doorway only a second before she ran over, kneeling down, "What happened?" she asked Sarah Jane, "What's the Doctor done?"

Sarah Jane could only shake her head as Angel flinched, "River Song…" Angel sobbed, curling up even more, trying to make herself as small as she possibly could, the two of them comforting her, holding her late into the night.

~8~

Angel hadn't been able to calm down, not even when Martha Jones and the Harkness brothers had arrived with Mickey Smith to help. They'd tried their best to get her to talk, to explain what had happened. It had gotten so bad that she had nearly hyperventilated. Luckily Jack had thought to bring some supplies with him when he received the distress call from Mr. Smith that something had happened to Angel. He still had a few of the supplies he and Martha had developed in preparation for Angel's delivery...after he'd woken up from passing out (he still insisted it was that, passing out, and NOT fainting as Gray called it) at the news his baby sister was pregnant. They wanted to be prepared to help her if she was in pain and had created a sort of muscle relaxant and soother for her, perfectly safe for Time Lord biology.

They'd been anticipating the birth for nearly a year, ever since Angel had shown up at Torchwood to help with the 'Miracle' and decided to stay with them on Earth, moving in with Sarah Jane as she had an environment safer for children. Well, that had been the excuse she'd given AFTER Sarah Jane learned of her pregnancy and convinced her to call the others, to explain to them what had happened, why she was staying there, why the Doctor wasn't. Jack had been about to go after the Doctor with his Vortex Manipulator when Angel had managed to short-circuit it with the Vortex power, canceling it out, making it practically useless. Martha and Donna couldn't believe what had happened between her and the Doctor, how he could _ever_ forget her given how sweet he was on her.

Needless to say, they all pitched in in helping her get used to life on Earth. Expanding a bit of Sarah Jane's house, using a perception filter to mask the new additions so the neighbors would be none the wiser. Getting ready for the birth of Angel's child. It was a good thing they had, the birth had come early and had been rather painful. Very quick though, lasting barely five hours, but it was intense. The medication had helped her tremendously and then baby, Rosalie, had been born. Named after the only member of Angel's family that couldn't be with them, Rose. Angel had cried terribly after the birth, and they knew she was wishing the Doctor had been there to see the birth of their child. She hadn't let go of Rosalie for days afterwards. She was completely aware of what the Doctor was going through, the Silence that he was dealing with…she'd been terrified they would somehow know about Rosalie and go after them despite the fact she'd left the Doctor before it became truly clear that she was pregnant, despite the fact she'd left only a short while after SHE'D learned she was pregnant. But, as time went on, (and Torchwood, UNIT, and Mr. Smith added extra protection to the house) she felt more at ease.

That had been a little more than a year ago. But, according to her, it had been almost two hundred years for the Doctor. They all shook their heads at that, unable to believe he'd be able to survive almost two hundred years with out Angel there to protect him, that the man would even _want_ to go that long. Angel had grown steadily more depressed during the year as his time went on…she could hear him in her mind even then, hardly any of his thoughts were about her.

But she put on a brave face for them, lived her life for her little Rosie. She'd even managed to get into contact with Jenny, well, Jenny had gotten into contact with her. She'd ended up on Earth after following an alien threat and ran into her Uncle Jack, recognizing the Vortex Manipulator on his wrist. They got to talking and eventually that led back to Angel. Angel had taken the Manipulator from Jack and fixed it, giving it to Jenny instead so she could visit. Jack had agreed to it, his life was on Earth, Jenny's was out in the Universe. And he knew it would help Rosie, she loved seeing her older sister, her JJ. It seemed that Jenny had taken to going by Jenny Jones while on Earth during her stays. Jenny herself loved seeing her little 'Lee.'

They had actually started to hope that Angel might be getting better, she was smiling more, seeming more accepting of what had happened, perhaps it was her powers telling her she couldn't have changed it, or just the life she had now that she was finally feeling content about. Either way, she seemed happy that the Doctor was alive and safe even if she couldn't be with him, that her daughter was happy and healthy and her family was with her.

But all that changed only hours ago. The small group sat at the kitchen table, all with tea before them, the children watching Rosalie as Angel finally slept. "I just…" Mickey shook his head, "I don't understand."

Sarah Jane rubbed her eyes, they were trying to figure out what had happened, the most they could figure, the Doctor had apparently married some woman and Angel had seen it happen, "I don't either," she agreed.

Martha nodded, "He always seemed so keen on Angel," she commented, "I can't count the number of trips we took where he introduced her as his wife…why would he ever…" she shook her head, unwilling to even give voice to the idea he'd marry anyone else.

Donna scoffed, "You haven't met the one he married," she grumbled.

"Yes…" Sarah Jane nodded, recalling Donna's reaction to the name of the woman, "Who is she?"

"River Song," she glared at her tea.

Jack's eyes widened, "You mean Melody Pond?!"

Donna looked up at him, confused, "No, her name's River Song."

"Yeah," he nodded, "NOW, but she was born Melody Pond."

"Pond…" Sarah Jane trailed, recalling something, "The Doctor mentioned someone…Amy and Rory Pond…"

"Her parents," Jack nodded, "Why?"

"They're the Doctor's current companions," Sarah Jane informed them.

"So wait a minute," Mickey frowned, "He married the daughter of his companions?"

"You met her Jack?" Gray looked at him, having come with Jack the second he found out something happened to Angel.

He nodded, "Yeah, once," he scoffed a bit, "Only took one time to see how much she hated Angel."

"She _hates_ her?" Mickey's eyes widened at how impossible that sounded.

"Takes less than five minutes with her to see that," Donna remarked bitterly.

They just couldn't fathom the idea that the Doctor would marry anyone other than Angel, much less someone who so obviously hated her.

"I bet she was behind this," Donna added.

Jack nodded, "I wouldn't put it past her."

"Sorry," Sarah Jane shook her head, "Sorry, how did you meet her?"

Jack sighed, rubbing his face, "One of my friends at the Time Agency had been killed, his manipulator stolen, actually...his wrist too. I went after it, wanted to give it to his family, deactivated, sort of like a medal of honor. Tracked it down to one River Song. Somehow got onto the topic of the Doctor and then Angel…" he shook his head, "Just the look in her eyes at the _mention_ of her name and you'd know what she felt about Angie."

"You met her too, right Donna?" Martha looked at the ginger.

"Yeah, once," she nodded, mimicking Jack's words, "When…" she swallowed hard, "When Angel was dying," Sarah Jane reached out and put a hand on Donna's shoulder, rubbing it. Of all of them, _she_ had been the one there during Angel's illness, she'd seen it firsthand how bad it had been for the girl, "We um, we were in the Library, got a distress call, with a kiss, and went to help…three guesses who sent the call."

"River Song," they all said a once.

She nodded, "Got there to find the shadows had come alive and were trying to eat us."

"You encountered Vashta Nerada?!" Gray's widened, few if any lived to tell the tale.

Donna laughed a bit at his reaction, "Yeah, we were the only ones to make it out alive," she said as though reading his mind, "River…" she frowned a bit, "She…" she let out a huff, trying to find words to place what had happened, "She made it clear that she was close to the Doctor, closer than a companion had right to be…" she let out a bitter laugh, "Made Angel question whether she would survive or not. I mean, River seemed to know so much about the Doctor but she acted like Angel wasn't even there, ignored her, talked down to her, and those looks she sent her. I wanted to smack that stupid smirk off her face I did," Mickey laughed a bit at that, he and Donna had become quite good friends over time, "And she just kept insinuating things and making all these remarks like she and the Doctor would be SO close in the future…she didn't even tell Angel she was alive till the end."

"What happened?" Sarah Jane asked.

Donna shrugged, "Apparently River hooked herself up to a computer to help transport a mess of people out of the hard drive, killed herself. According to Angel, she apologized for everything she would do to her in the future."

"No apology could make up for this," Mickey grumbled, unable to get the image of Angel on the floor, curled up, sobbing heartsbrokenly and all of them being unable to do anything to help her.

Everyone nodded in agreement, taking a sip of the tea.

"Mum?" they looked over to see Luke in the doorway, "Rosie wanted to see Angel so we just put her on the bed with her, is that alright?"

Sarah Jane nodded, getting up to just check on the two. The other adults followed, Jack patting Luke on the shoulder as he passed. They slowed when they reached Angel's room, hearing the woman speaking softly. Apparently the medication had worn off partially.

"…not sad," they heard her saying.

"Cry," they heard Rosalie speak, for such a young girl, Rosalie was remarkably intelligent, they brushed if off as being Time Lord.

"I know darling," Angel sighed, "Mummy's just…" there were no words, "Mummy will be fine."

"Daddy help?" they looked down at the girl's question. Angel had told Rosalie bedtime stories even from in the womb about the Doctor, about how he journeyed through the stars, having adventures in time, helping people, saving worlds. That man was a hero in his daughter's eyes.

"No sweetheart," Angel whispered, though they heard a crack in her voice, "No, daddy can't help me."

There was silence a moment, "Daddy make sad?"

Jack couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him, that girl was far too smart for a one year old.

They listened intently to Angel's reply, knowing she would never lie to her daughter but also that she didn't want to tarnish the girl's view of her father, "In a way," she said after a moment.

"Daddy bad," Rosalie said, they could almost hear the pout in her voice as she came to the most simple, child-like solution, that her father had to be bad to make her mother sad because only bad people made her mummy cry like that.

"No," Angel said quickly, "No, no daddy's not...daddy's not bad, daddy's just…daddy has a very big heart, dear," she tried to explain. The group looked at each other, even being so hurt by the Doctor she still defended him, still cared enough about him to try and keep his reputation untarnished in their daughter's eyes, "Now, sleep," she whispered, "Bedtime."

"Story?!"

"No," Angel sighed, "No story tonight, mummy's…very worn out, very tired."

"Night mummy," Rosalie yawned.

The group waited a moment longer before opening the door a crack and peeking in. Angel was lying on the bed, her one arm around Rosalie as he curled up beside her mother, both of them asleep, Angel's face pale with angry, red tear stains.

Mickey closed his eyes to the sight, even in sleep her face held the pain of her hearts, he slowly reached out and closed the door.

~8~

Five years had gone by since the Doctor married River Song, five years for the humans at least. The week after it happened, Sarah Jane had gotten two surprise visitors, Amy and Rory Pond themselves, both looking worse for the wear and _begging_ to see Angel. Sarah Jane and Jack, who had taken to visiting his god daughter more often, had been loathe to allow them in, but Angel appeared on the stairs, her voice raw as she asked for them to be allowed in.

They had wasted no time in hugging Angel and telling her how sorry they were that they hadn't been able to stop the Doctor. Apparently, they had figured out _exactly_ the sort of relationship she had with the Doctor previously and what had happened. Her comments to Rory about Amy forgetting him had been sparked again when Amy had been taken by the Silence the first time and he'd talked with Amy about it. They'd both recalled comments Angel made about forgetfulness and the Doctor and realized...that the Doctor must have forgotten _her_. That they must have had some sort of close relationship and he'd forgotten about it. Amy though hadn't had any idea _how_ close their relationship had been till Rory told her Angel was pregnant. They'd been so focused on finding their own daughter, Melody Pond, that it had slipped his mind till they realized it was River Song. They had no idea how close the Doctor and River would grow, the Doctor had seemed adamant about _not_ marrying her so when he had they'd both been in shock.

They'd spent a week tying to find any of the past companions of the Doctor that Angel had mentioned, anyone who might be able to help them find Angel. They'd tried an internet search for TARDIS and found a few people, a Martha Jones of UNIT and a Donna Noble of TARDIS Temps Incorporated. They'd tracked them down first…gotten a rather frosty greeting when they introduced themselves. They'd ran into a blonde woman at UNIT who had told them to find her Uncle Jack, that he would help them and had gone to a place called Torchwood, they directed them to Bannerman Road and there they were, at the end of their wild goose chase.

Angel had forgiven them, of course, _they_ had nothing to apologize for, they couldn't control their daughter and she was an adult, they were not responsible for her actions. It still hurt her terribly to talk about what had happened, but she'd eventually explained to them hers and the Doctor's stories and even introduced them to Rosalie. The poor girl hadn't been very comfortable with her newest Aunt and Uncle though, seeming to sense their relation to River Song without even knowing who River was or what hand she played in her mother's sadness.

But that was five years ago. Rosalie was six years old now. Angel had regenerated. And they were leaving. The Silence was still out there, they had tried to attack their small group of friends and Angel had nearly died trying to stop them, regenerated instead and decided her being there put Sarah Jane and her family in danger. They had tried their best to convince her otherwise, but she was adamant. She'd also said that it was time she and Rosalie started their own lives, they were inordinately thankful to their extended family for all their help over the last few years, but it was time for them to get away. Earth, while home, was too much of a stopping point for the Doctor, he would be back sooner or later, he would run into his old companions again and she…she couldn't face him. She had promised herself if Rosalie ever wanted to meet the Doctor she wouldn't stand in the way, but…to see him again, knowing that he and River…she couldn't bear it.

Rosalie had found a bracelet of her mother's once when she and Sky were playing dress up. Had asked her mother about it and she explained that it was a Dampening Bracelet, that it would keep her from feeling the Doctor. She had long ago explained the connection she and the Doctor shared, how she could feel and hear him. Rosalie had seen past her tale, could see that it hurt her as well. She had asked why her mummy didn't just wear the bracelet and Angel had said she would rather bear the pain of feeling the Doctor than to be left without it, wondering if he was alright. Rosalie hadn't understood why anyone would want to hurt, but she decided she would give her mummy extra hugs and kisses from then on to make up for it.

Angel looked up at the small cottage house she had secured on a small, nearly obscure, little planet. Jack, apparently, had investments throughout the Universe and had insisted she use some of his endless supply of money and credits to buy it. He wanted to make sure she was taken care of even if he couldn't be there to do it himself. She had begrudgingly accepted.

And there they were, standing before it, Angel clasping Rosie's hand tightly in her own before walking towards the door, praying this would work out, that they would be safe from the Silence, that they'd never be found, that it would help keep their friends and family safe as well…

~8~

It had been a nice time on the planet, a quiet few centuries in fact, with help from some Vortex Manipulators and her own abilities she and Rosalie, while older, had not outlived their family on Earth, Angel reminisced as she sat on the sofa of the cottage, her hands clasped tightly before her as she rested her chin on them, waiting for her daughter to rush inside, sensing her distress.

She'd regenerated again, her last regeneration. Jenny had visited her and Rosalie often over the years, seeming to have the longevity of a Time Lord even if she didn't have the regenerations, though she proved to be far more capable of getting herself out of tricky situations than the Doctor did. The last time she'd come, Rosalie had left with her. Angel had given her her blessing to go travelling with her sister as a birthday present of sorts. Rosalie was nearly five hundred years old and had named herself the Dawn as Angel always told her she brightened up her day, though everyone who knew her still called her Rosalie. They'd explored together for about a century after Rosalie had turned 350, bonding, leaving Angel alone to her thoughts in the small cottage.

It left her time to hone in her powers more without fear of harming her daughter if something went wrong. She'd mastered teleporting very long distances, and even teleporting backwards and forwards in time, no longer limited to time relative to herself anymore. She'd even developed an ability to see alternate timelines, see the outcome of choices so to speak. She'd even begun to see the past of the people and objects she came in contact with.

It was the reason she'd regenerated again. She'd been in the middle of cleaning and sensed Rosalie and Jenny in terrible danger, more terrible than _anything_ they'd encountered before. She could feel them, feel their fear, often sense their assurance that things would be fine, their confidence they had a way out, that the Vortex Manipulator would work. Those times she could see the outcome, see them succeeding in escaping unharmed. But that time…the Manipulator had been broken and there was _no_ way out that the two would be able to do.

She had teleported across time and space, right to their side, too far it seemed. She hadn't thought, she'd just gone. Rosalie seemed to have inherited a bit of the Vortex but she knew it would take centuries more before she could truly succeed in using it, till her body was mature enough to manifest it. She'd used the Vortex to save her daughters...and died shortly after that because of the energy she'd used, regenerated into who she was today. Jenny and Rosalie had taken her home, and Rosalie had decided to stay with her mother. She felt guilty enough for leaving in the first place, resenting the fact that she had become her father in that respect, getting so lost in her adventures that she'd forgotten about her mother for the time being. She felt horrible that her actions had led to her mother's regeneration and decided to stay.

She was currently out in the garden, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead, pushing a strand of her chestnut brown hair behind her ear where it had fallen out of her ponytail...when she sensed it.

Her mother's fear.

Her mother was rarely _ever_ that scared.

She dropped her trowel and ran inside, "MUM!" she shouted, nearly crying with relief to see her mother just sitting there, but the fear in her hearts lingered, "Mum what is it?" she walked over and knelt before her mother, seeing tears in her eyes, "What's wrong?"

Angel reached out and cupped Rosalie's cheek, "My baby, my little girl," she smiled sadly, "You need to leave. You need to run."

"Run?" Rosalie frowned, "What for?"

"They're coming," Angel sighed, "Information leaked out...they've finally found us."

Rosalie's eyes widened, "The Silence?!"

Angel nodded, "They're coming for me. You need to go."

"No!" she shook her head, "No, mum, I _can't_ leave you…"

"You _have_ to," she reached forward and took Rosalie's hands, squeezing them tightly, "They don't know about you, that you're my daughter, that you're…" she trailed off, swallowing hard, the unspoken other half of the equation lingering in both their minds, "And they _can't_ find out. Please Rosie…"

"Mum," she shook her head, tears in her eyes, her voice breaking.

There was the sound of a rocket flying over head and they looked up startled, "They're here."

Rosalie stood up, "Come on!" she pulled her mother up, "Teleport out of here mum! We can go to Uncle Jack or Aunt Sarah or…"

"They would find us there," Angel cut in, "I can't let them get my family," she took a breath, "If they get me, they won't think to look for you too."

Rosalie's mouth dropped open, "You're gonna _let_ them take you?"

"You are _my world_ Rosalie," she whispered, "You are my dawn. My light. As long as you're safe…it doesn't matter what happens to me," there was a crash in the yard, "Please," she whispered, "Go."

Rosalie blinked back her tears, before pulling her mother into a tight hug. It lasted shorter than she wanted before her mother pushed her back slightly, "My beautiful girl," she whispered.

Rosalie took a breath and slapped the Vortex Manipulator Jenny had fixed and given her after their near-death experience, one destination in mind.

Angel wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to the door a moment before it burst open and light blinded her.

~8~

Rosalie appeared in the middle of Sarah Jane's attic, "Aunt Sarah!" she screamed, running out of it and down the stairs.

"Rosie?" Sarah Jane peeked around the corner from the kitchen, a plate and drying cloth in one hand. She stopped, seeing the tears in Rosalie's eyes, "What happened?" she put the plate down and rushed over.

"Please," she begged, "Mum needs help. They took her. The Silence have her."

Sarah Jane's eyes widened and she quickly led the girl back up the stairs, making another call to Mr. Smith.

~8~

"There's only one thing we can do," Jack said solemnly as he stood before the group gathered around Sarah Jane's sitting room. Martha and Mickey Smith, Donna and Shawn Temple, Sarah Jane and her family, the Torchwood team, and Rosalie, the girl sitting in between Rani and Sky as they tried to comfort her, Luke and Clyde standing behind her on the sofa, as she told them what had happened.

"No," Donna shook her head, realizing what Jack was implying, "We _can't_."

"Angel would kill us," Martha agreed.

"Angel might _be_ killed if we don't," Mickey argued lightly.

"We have to do it," Gray nodded.

"There's _got_ to be something else," Sarah Jane muttered, shaking her head.

Rosalie frowned and looked at them, "What?" they looked at her, "What are you all talking about?"

Jack glanced at the others before sighing, "We need to contact your father."

"You mean _the Doctor_ ," Rosalie corrected.

She had long ago ceased to think of the man as her father. Her mother had told her so many stories about the man, how ridiculous and wonderful and mad he was. She never really said why he wasn't there though. They really never talked about it till she had decided to get answers herself. She'd gone to Jenny for advice and the soldier had recommended getting Jack drunk…which, she had to admit, had worked flawlessly. He'd told her _everything_ that happened, how the Doctor had Mated to her mother, what that meant for her people, how she'd become pregnant, how he'd forgotten her, who River Song was. After that...she just couldn't reconcile the image of the great man of her mother's stories to the man who hadn't even given them a thought in centuries. She'd confronted her mother about the new information and basically gotten the same facts, adding in a few personal views and thoughts, but it hadn't changed her mind about the man even having her mother continue to defend him.

"Yes," Sarah Jane sighed, she knew how much it killed Angel for Rosalie to feel that way, to call the man 'the Doctor' instead of 'dad,' "The Doctor."

Rosalie shook her had, "I _don't_ want his help."

"Rosie…" Mickey began.

"Don't you Rosie me," she snapped, "That man hasn't even _tried_ to see mum in _centuries_! We didn't need him then, we _don't_ need him now…"

And before she could add another word...she screamed, falling to the ground, shaking in pain. She started convulsing as the adults ran to her side, trying to see what was wrong. _She_ didn't even know what it was till something broke inside her…the pain…the pain was so intense…and it _wasn't hers_.

"Mum!" she gasped, she could feel something shift…the pain receding and realized…her mother was aware that it had reached her and was trying to hide it. She could feel her mother during times of heightened emotions…but equally her mother would quickly hide her emotions if she tried.

"Rosie," Jack reached out, helping her sit up, "What happened?"

"It was mum..." she whispered, tears falling from her eyes as she shook, "They're hurting her!"

Jack's jaw tensed, "That settles it, we're calling the Doctor, end of discussion, no arguments," he stood up, helping Rosalie up as well before heading towards the stairs. They all piled into the attic, Mr. Smith ready and waiting.

"Wait," Donna called, moving over to a small set of draws, she pulled out an old TARDIS key on a string that she knew Angel had left there even when she'd moved out and turned, putting it around Rosalie's neck as she sat down before the large computer. The group looked at her, "Just because you want to call him doesn't mean he needs to see her," Donna argued, "Rosie doesn't want to see him, what makes you think she'd want the reverse?"

Rosalie nodded, "I don't want him to help for me," she stated, "I want him to help _mum_."

Jack sighed but shook his head, at least she was considering letting the Doctor help now. He turned and typed in a command. Ever since the stolen Earth incident, Mr. Smith had kept the basecodes of the TARDIS on file, allowing them a straight form of communication, only to be used in dire emergencies.

A moment later static appeared on the screen, clearing as the Doctor popped up before it with a grin, "Hello!" he laughed, waving.

Martha blinked, "Doctor…what is that on your head?"

"It's a fez," he replied, "I wear a fez now, fezzes are cool, much like the bowtie," he tweaked said bowtie around his neck, "Now," he clapped his hands, "I don't suspect you contacted me to ask about my fez, yes? So, what's new?"

Jack stepped forward a bit, blocking Donna's side as she put a hand on Rosie's shoulder, squeezing it in comfort. This was her first time ever seeing her father in real life and not as a photograph or a memory and she was thankful she was sitting in the middle of her family for it. Angel hadn't had any photos of him, nor did she want to keep any, though Sarah Jane had, and she realized why. It hurt her mother enough just _thinking_ of him, to _see_ him…Rosalie shook her head, she respected her mother's pain, she wasn't about to make it worse. And…she didn't really _want_ to see him as Donna had said before.

But now…she was almost glad she hadn't. She looked very much like her mother's ninth incarnation, or so she liked to think from what others had said, blonde hair but with green eyes. And…seeing this man…she was glad she looked so much like her mother. Not only would it have been painful for her mother to see so much of him in her, but she didn't want to share _any_ similarities with the man. If she were his complete opposite, she'd be truly happy.

"Doctor," Jack began, "We need your help."

"Yes," he nodded, "I assumed as much. With what? Alien invasions? Deadly tech? Bees disappearing again?"

"No," Martha stepped up as well, "Doctor…its Angel."

He frowned a moment, "What about her?"

"She's…" she looked at the group, unsure of what to say. If they said it was the Silence then he'd wonder why they went after Angel, what made her more important than him. If they said they'd taken her, he'd wonder why she didn't see it coming and escape and they'd have to tell him she LET herself get taken to protect her daughter.

"Disappeared," Sarah Jane cut in, "We can't get in touch with her."

"I'm sure she's fine," the Doctor waved them off a bit, "She said she wanted to take a break from the adventures, probably just wants some peace."

Mickey shook his head, "Doctor, we _really_ think she might be in trouble."

"That girl couldn't find trouble if it bit her," a woman said. Mickey put a hand on Rosalie's shoulder when a woman Donna and Jack recognized walked on screen, leaning over the Doctor's shoulder to look at them, half draping her arms around his neck to lean on him. One glance at Jack and Donna's faces told them this was River Song.

Rosalie tensed. _This_ was the woman her father had taken to consorting with instead of being with her mother?

"She can see danger coming a mile away and probably just teleported out," River continued.

"She wouldn't not tell us she was ok though," Gray argued.

River waved at the camera, rolling her eyes, "Probably didn't want to worry you either," River argued. The Doctor started to nod, as though that made sense, and they could see River had said it just to assuage him, but that she clearly didn't care at all what might have happened to Angel.

"Doctor, please," Donna spoke up, "We need you to…"

"The Doctor's very busy," River cut in, "Planets to save, civilizations to rescue, he can't just drop what he's doing to help you look for someone who either doesn't want to be found or doesn't want to talk. Angel will be fine, she always is," she leaned back, her hands sliding to the Doctor's shoulder, squeezing it so he looked at her, "We have more pressing matters to attend to sweetie."

He sighed, nodding almost reluctantly as he put a hand on River's. Rosalie's eyes widened seeing something on his wrist that made her hearts grow cold...

"I'm sure she's fine," the Doctor turned back to them, "Angel can handle herself just fine. She's saved me enough times to know."

"But…" Sarah Jane began.

"Send out a psychic call with Mr. Smith," the Doctor told them, "If she doesn't respond to that in the next few days, let me know and I'll check in on her."

"But what if something happens to her in the next few days?" Martha demanded.

"She'll be _fine_ ," he assured them, "Like River said, she can see danger coming and get herself out," Donna opened her mouth to have a go at him and he seemed to spot it, "Oh, sorry, got to go, bit busy."

"Doctor!" Donna shouted as he reached forward to turn off the monitor.

"Rosie…" Jack began, _so_ sorry he'd suggested contacting the Doctor.

Rosalie just shook her head, still in shock at what had happened, at everything she had learned. River truly _did_ hate her mother, she could see the contempt oozing out of the woman at all the talk about the Time Lady. The Doctor didn't care one way or the other thanks to River whispering in his ear. And the bracelet…the one that was on his wrist...it was her mother's bracelet. The ONLY way the Doctor could have it would be if someone took it from her, and the only one with connection to both the Doctor and the Silence…was River Song.

She shook her head, standing up, now angry. She grabbed at her throat, the small pink bowtie pendant her mother had given her. She'd gotten it on her 50th birthday, her mother had said she wouldn't be her father's daughter without a bowtie.

She yanked it off and threw it as far across the room as she could. She was _not_ her father's daughter. He was no father of hers.

She paced a moment, feeling the eyes of her family on her before she took a breath and turned around, "River was working with the Silence to capture mum," she said quietly, "He was wearing the Dampening Bracelet," she whispered, "It's the only way _he_ could have it," they looked at each other, having noticed the bracelet as well, "We need a plan. We need to help her, even if he won't."

Jack nodded, walking over to her and putting an arm around her, "Let's get to it."

~8~

Rosalie crouched down at the corner of a building with Jenny, Jack, Martha, Donna, Mickey, and Sarah Jane, a gun in her hand. Her mother would kill her to see her with one, but if it meant saving her, she would bear whatever words her mother would have with her later. They'd spent _days_ coming up with a rescue plan, only making her more agitated and tense as time went on. She would get brief flashes of pain, her mother's pain, and she knew her mother was being tortured by the Silence for information on the Doctor…and she could feel her mother growing weaker as the flashes were getting more frequent, she was losing the strength to block them.

Jack had stationed the Torchwood team to the north end of the facility, Martha positioning UNIT at the west end, Jenny ordering her troops to remain in flight for an aerial attack, Sarah Jane setting up the Doctor's former companions at the east along with the many men and women who had encountered the Doctor and Angel that Donna and Mickey had managed to round up, all with Gray leading them in. The small group was in the south entrance, the other three teams launching a surprise attack to distract whatever guards there might be so they could sneak in the back.

It had been a stroke of luck that they'd found the base. Not really luck though. Amy and Rory had mentioned a base, Demons Run that Amy had been taken to, which seemed to be a favorite of the Silence. Apparently they assumed that, since it had been defeated once before, no one would think to look there again. They'd made it more secure and it had been hell getting transportation there, but they managed, especially when Jenny arrived with ships from Messaline.

Jack held up his hand, looking at his watch as he counted down with his other hand. As soon as he reached one a massive explosion went off, shaking the base. They jumped to their feet and ran in, using the chaos to quickly take out the guards left lingering in the hall. Rosalie pushed her way forward, taking the lead, using the pull all Time Lords could feel to guide them to her mother.

It couldn't have been five minutes later when Rosalie collapsed to her knees, dropping her gun as she fell to the side.

"Rosie!" Mickey was at her side in an instant, helping her, "What is it?"

Rosalie just looked straight ahead, unseeing, as tears filled her eyes, a soft, weak voice whispering in her mind.

' _I love you Sariya,_ ' Angel's voice called to her, using her true name. It was a Gallifreyan name, but one that also held components of all Angel's dearest friends. The S from Sarah, the A from Jack and Gray, the R from Martha, the I from Mickey, the Y from Amy and Rory, and the final A from Donna. Her mother was clever like that, how she gave her a name meaning 'light' using all her family, and calling her 'Rosie' after Rose.

"Mum!" she screamed, pushing herself to her feet and bolting down the hall, it should have been impossible for her to hear her mother in her mind and it meant something was very, VERY wrong. She didn't care that she'd left her gun behind or that she'd run ahead of her family trying to protect her. She didn't hear the others calling for her and following after her. She didn't bother paying any attention to any of the shots being fired at her and the men being taken out by her family. She just cared about getting to her mother before it was too late.

She ran around a corner and spotted a door at the end of the hall and she knew...she KNEW that was the cell her mother was in. She ran for it, seeing a keypad locking it. She beat against it, shoving the door, she wanted to get in, she needed to, her mind too frantic to try and sense or guess at the code. She slammed her hand on the pad, but nothing happened.

"Move," Jack nudged her to the side, getting to work on the code.

"Move over!" Mickey shouted. Jack leapt to the side as Mickey blasted the pad with his gun. The door swung open and Rosalie let out a strangled sob, falling to her knees at the sight beyond.

There, on the floor, was Angel, beaten, bloody, pale, unmoving...

She was dead.

"No," Rosalie shook her head, crawling in and over to her mother's side, "No, mum," she pulled her into her arms, checking her pulse but there was none. And there would be no regeneration, she'd used them all up, "Mummy…" she sobbed, burying her face in her mother's shoulder as she rocked her back and forth.

Behind her, her family stood in stunned, heartbroken, silence, tears in their eyes at the sight.

~8~

Martha led the way out of the cell with a stone-faced Jenny, her gun ready, a cold look on her face, her shoulders squared, as they walked through the halls, firing at anyone who got in their way.

Jack came next, carrying Angel in his arms, his gun strapped to his back, his jaw tense as he looked ahead, not seeing anything as he carried his sister out.

Donna and Sarah Jane stood on either side of Rosalie, barely managing to keep the girl moving and breathing she was crying so hard, shaking so much.

Mickey took the rear, his gun ready, eyes angry as he watched the devastation that preceded him.

~8~

Jack gently deposited Angel's body on her bed in Sarah Jane's house, unchanged since the woman had left, still there incase the woman visited. He reached forward, pushing a strand of brown hair from her face, but it was no use. Her hair was a dirty mess, her face bruised and bloody…he shook his head and turned, walking back to the small group by the door. He stopped, putting a hand on Rosalie's shoulder.

She didn't react, didn't even seem like she'd noticed the gesture. Her eyes trained on her mother's prone form before she stepped forward. She walked over to the bed and laid down beside her, moving to position Angel's arms around her, just wanting her mother to hold her once more…

~8~

Rosalie woke up on the sofa the next morning, Jack's WWII jacket draped over her.

"Hey," a hoarse voice said beside her. She looked over to see Jack sitting on the edge of the coffee table, looking like he hadn't slept at all, which she knew he hadn't, "We've got the pyre ready," he told her quietly, "Just...waiting for you."

She pushed herself up more on the sofa and looked through the glass doors to the back of the house. A wooden pyre was standing there in Sarah Jane's yard, a body in a white linen shroud lying on top of it. She swallowed hard, getting up. She stumbled a moment but caught herself, heading out of the house, Jack after her.

The others were there, standing around the pyre, there for her. She walked over to it, reaching out to put a hand on the crossed hands under the cloth a moment before she leaned forward and kissed its forehead. She stepped back and Mickey handed her the torch. She stared at the flames a moment, not really seeing it, too numb to really feel the heat coming off it. She walked forward and set the pyre on fire before stepping back to Jenny's side as the woman put an arm around her.

They stood there in silence, watching as the woman who had become so central to all their lives burned, until there was nothing but ashes left.

Rosalie stood there, staring at the grey particles that had been once been her mother. She knew her family was waiting for her to say something, anything, and the only thing she could think to say was...

"I hate him," she murmured, her voice hoarse from tears and disuse, "I hate the Doctor. I hate him more than I have _ever_ hated anyone in my life," she admitted.

And she did.

If he had helped…if the stories her mother had told her were true…he would have saved her. He would have found the base faster, gotten them in quicker, thought of some way to save her in time…he'd refused, for River, and for that…she would never forgive him. She looked back at her family and she could see it in their eyes as well, the same feeling. They were angry, hurt, devastated, all because of him…none of them _ever_ thought the day would come where they would ever HATE _the Doctor_ …but it had arrived.

"Lee," Jenny whispered, putting her little sister into a hug.

Rosalie hugged her tightly, burying her face in her sister's shoulders as she cried once more, both girls weeping for the loss of their mother, "He didn't come JJ," she whispered to Jenny, "We asked him to help and he didn't. How could he not help us?!"

Jenny tensed and pulled away, cupping her sister's face in her hands as she wiped away her tears, "I'm going to hunt him down," she promised her little sister, "I swear it, I'll hunt him down and…"

"Me too," Rosalie whispered.

"And us," Mickey called, her family nodding around her.

Rosalie shook her head, tears in her eyes, "He never sees. He never stays. And it isn't fair. I'm burning my mother because of my father's mistress…Mum didn't deserve this," she pointed at the pyre remains, anger in her voice, "HE does."

~8~

And, like fire, that very sentiment spread throughout the Universe.

~8~

The Doctor frowned as he looked up at Jack Harkness. He was currently kneeling between Gray and Ianto, his hands cuffed in front of him, Donna holding the sonic she'd snatched from him. He glanced over at River, being held in much the same position between Martha and Mickey Smith, Sarah Jane holding the gun River had tried to use on them at the woman. It was so wrong. So _very_ wrong, this entire scene…

Everything was wrong. Everywhere, everywhen.

Recently, wherever he and River had gone on an adventure, people were very unaccommodating, very unaccepting of his help…very _cold_. If he hadn't known any better he might say they hated him for some reason, but they couldn't have, what had he done?

"Jack," he greeted after a moment of the man glaring at him, "Any particular reason why I'm being restrained?" they had contacted him in the TARDIS, refused to hear any excuse till he personally came to Earth to see them. Now that he thought about it, they _did_ seem rather angry…but why?

"We can't have you running away," a voice said.

He looked over to see his daughter, Jenny, striding forward. She crossed her arms as she stopped beside Jack, "Jenny?" he asked, frowning, "What's going on?"

"Angel's dead," another voice called.

He looked up to see a young woman walk forward, a girl who looked remarkably like what Angel had after she'd regenerated in Van Statten's museum, "What?" he laughed at the absurdity of it. If Angel had died, he'd have felt it as a Time Lord.

"Yes," the girl nodded, walking up to him and crouching down, "And right now you don't believe me."

"Well of course I don't," he smiled, "For one, I don't know who you are so why should I believe you…"

"I'm the Dawn," she replied.

"The…Dawn?" he frowned, a pit starting in his stomach at a reason why she'd have a title for a name..

"Yes, THE Dawn," she glared, "Can you think of any reason why I would be called that?" his eyes widened as he worked out exactly why, "So, here's another question, why can _I_ feel her death but _you_ can't?"

He shook his head, "Because she's not dead."

"Really?" she scoffed, "Jenny?" she looked over at the girl, who nodded and walked over to River, taking the gun from Sarah Jane and leveling it at River's forehead.

"Don't!" the Doctor cried, his eyes wide in fear as he struggled between the men to try and get free and help River.

"She won't," Rosalie assured him, "Not until you realize something."

"What?" he glared at her.

What was this woman trying to do? Why were his companions help her?!

"She _isn't_ your Mate!" she replied, reaching forward and pulling off the bracelet around his wrist.

The Doctor gasped as a shooting pain flew through him. He fell forward, curling up into a ball as though it would help, but nothing did. It felt like a part of him had died, like he was dying. The agony in his soul, the torment in his hearts, he was being torn apart.

"H-How?" he ground out, feeling himself growing weaker, as though his own life were fading.

Rosalie put the bracelet back on him, needing him alive to see what came next, and held up his hands before him, "Recognize it yet?" she sneered.

His tear-filled eyes studied the bracelet, as though _just_ noticing it, the intricate carvings, his mind pushing past the slight perception filter that had been put on it. His eyes widened and he looked at River, "River?"

"Doesn't that make you wonder _where_ she got it from?" Rosalie asked, drawing his attention back to her, "From my _mum_ before she conspired to help murder her!"

"What?"

"My mum is dead because of her," Rosalie glared, "My mum, the Angel, YOUR Mate dad," she spat the last word at him as though it were poison.

His mouth dropped open as he shook his head, "It can't be…"

Rosalie just stood up and pointed at River, "She was a part of it. _Mum_ had the bracelet, never wore it, but she _had_ it. The _only_ way you've got it...is if it was taken from her."

"No," he shook his head. His world was shattering. River had plotted to kill the only other remaining member of his kind? A woman who was...apparently...his Mate? The mother of a girl claiming to be his child...

"It's why you didn't feel them torturing her."

"No."

He winced, Angel had been tortured?

"It's why you didn't feel them kill her."

"No!"

Angel was his Mate, he...he tried to argue against it but...he couldn't...Angel was his Mate, and she was _dead_.

Rosalie shook her head at him in disgust and looked at Jenny, "Do it."

Jenny fired and killed the woman who had helped kill their mother. It wasn't much, Jenny knew, but it was a start. She and Rosie would hunt down every last Silent, every last associate of theirs, every last person who had _ever_ helped them hurt their mum...and destroy them.

They had destroyed their world, they would pay.

River fell backwards, her forehead smoking from the blast.

The Doctor looked over, stunned, not sure if it was from seeing her die before his eyes or a culmination of what she'd done…

"You know Doctor," Rosalie crouched down before him again, "Mum used to tell me all these stories about you. About how you were a great man, a brilliant man, someone to be proud of. She told me all about your adventures and the things you'd done. She told me about how she still loved you. Despite the fact that you made her feel weak, that she wasn't strong enough to say _no_ to the Mating. Despite the fact you made her doubt herself. Despite the fact that you made her think she was a simple, stupid TARDIS farmer and a fool to ever believe she was good enough for you. Despite the fact that you made her feel worthless. She wasn't smart enough, powerful enough, brave enough, strong enough…and then…and then you go and marry that…that stupid bint!" she shouted, fury and tears in her eyes. The Doctor looked up at her, shocked at hearing that much hatred directed at him from his daughter...and that she knew, "She _saw_ it. She saw you marry her. She saw you tell her your name. The _most_ sacred secret a pair can share…" she shook her head, "DO you have any idea how much that killed her?"

"We spent years building her back up from that," Jack told him quietly, "And she wasn't even an iota of the woman she was."

Rosalie eyed him closely, "I am ashamed to be your daughter," she told him, seeing how utterly broken he was by all that she was saying, "I'll enjoy this," she told him, pulling the bracelet off once more. She stood up, watching him suffer, watching the pain take hold of him and didn't even flinch as he screamed, feeling his soul being torn to shreds, feeling himself die the same way Angel had.

She watched him writhe and cry before her before aiming the gun at his head, "Oh look, I guess I _am_ your daughter after all."

And fired…

~8~

"Ow!" the Doctor winced as he smacked his head on the lamp, he'd fallen asleep at his desk and, upon jerking awake, whacked himself on the head...which only served to send a stinging through the back of his skull, reminding him FAR too much of the bullet about to enter his head in his dream. He closed his eyes, rubbing a weary hand down his face, feeling his hearts starting to still after a moment.

He looked over at the bed, seeing Angel sleeping there and felt himself frown. She'd regenerated, twice, in his dream, into her last body...she was one away from it in the present and...to dream of her reaching the end, of having no more left...and then to know she'd...died. And he hadn't even realized because of the bracelet. Worse yet, the Ayla in his dream hadn't been like the last few, where it was her first incarnation, but her _current_ one...it hit him harder to imagine his present daughter looking at him with that hate-filled expression. He shook his head, it was a dream a nightmare, they were safe, they were together, he had remembered her, and he HADN'T married River. The Silence were none the wiser about them being alive and...

He froze, jerking up, a brief flash of the dream coming back to him, Angel...in the dream she'd said information had been leaked! Oh he knew why he'd dreamed this, not only was it because they'd dealt with the killer wi-fi, something that lurked in the shadows, affecting the minds of the humans, but because...he'd been running checks earlier, found one or two holes in his plan to erase them from the databanks of the Universe. There were one or two places that had still retained the information. He knew he should have dealt with it before sleeping but...he'd been tired. Truly tired. He'd been hoping he might drift off this time and not dream, apparently he'd been wrong.

He shook his, getting up and rushing out of the room, the dream...it had given him an idea of how to deal with those last lingering databanks...

~8~

The Doctor stood before the console, frantically checking and tweaking a message he'd just made. He'd had to re-record a few select parts but he'd finally seemed to get it going on a fairly good loop. He ran to the monitor, watching as the loop began again.

There was a man, in a rather advanced room, full of many different monitors and computers, a warning going off as he typed on an illuminated pad of sorts, "Data breach," he huffed, "There's been a data breach in the core drives. We are compromised, I repeat: we are compromised..." he looked over, a hologram blinking that there was a call waiting and pressed his hand on the pad.

The Doctor smirked, seeing a projection of himself appear, holding a cup of tea in his hand, he'd been rather in need of a good cuppa after that last nightmare, how wrong it had all gone for both him and Angel and Ayla...or Rosalie as she'd been named there, "Hello!" the projection began, "Nice to see you again," the projection sipped the tea.

"Who the hell are you?" the man frowned.

The Doctor-projection just smirked at him, "How quickly they forget. I'm the Doctor. And this is the Inforarium. The greatest source of illicit information in recorded history, which is fine. Your business. But you've been selling it, to the Daleks and the Cybermen and the Sontarans..." its voice took on a dangerous note, "That's just naughty..." it looked down as the man slapped his hand on the illuminated pad once more, "If you're trying to raise the alarm, I wouldn't bother. I'm not really here, I'm a recorded message," it took another sip of tea as the man stared at him.

"You're what?"

"A recorded message."

"Then how can you be replying to me?"

The Doctor smirked, watching that, he wasn't Angel, he didn't know what the man was going to say. It had taken him a few goes to be able to see what pattern the man would have in his questioning, what he'd need to answer to what question in what order, but he'd finally gotten it.

"Very predictable," the projection stated, "Thing is...I'm on a bit of a mission at the moment. I've been deleting every piece of information about myself and my family from every database in the Universe."

"Why?"

The projection's expression hardened, "We want to be alone."

"Well you can't delete it from here," the man stated as the hologram flickered, "All that data is quantum stored. It exists at twelve levels of reality, and..."

"Right now you're probably boasting about twelve levels of reality," the projection cut in, "Boring! You're right, I can't delete any of YOUR data...but I CAN memory-proof it."

"Memory what?"

The Doctor nodded at that, the only good thing that had come from the nightmare, even though it hadn't featured the Silence, it had been THEM responsible for what happened to Angel, it had sparked his thoughts on doing this, on making it so that, maybe the information didn't have to be deleted just...altered, encrypted, like a failsafe.

"Any information from this facility," the projection pointed at the monitors, "Concerning me, my Mate, or my daughter, will be forgotten seconds after it is learned. Clever trick. Learned it from the Silence."

The man laughed, "That's impossible."

But the Doctor-projection continued, "Anything about us, the Doctor and the Angel, the Last of the Time Lords, will just disappear from your mind like it was never there," it took another sip.

The man straightened, "It can't be done."

The Doctor-projection just smirked, "You know what...you better check your drives."

The hologram flickered out as the man blinked, shaking his head, looking around confused for a moment, before seeing a beeping alarm going off and rushing to the illuminated pad, "Data breach...there's been a data breach in the core drives. We are compromised. I repeat: we are compromised..."

He looked over as a hologram of the Doctor flickered in, "Hello! Nice to see you again."

"Who the hell are you?" the man frowned.

The projection just smirked at him, "How quickly they forget. I'm the Doctor. And this is the Inforarium..."

He smiled, seeing it working when...

"That poor man, trapped in a loop," a voice behind him remarked. He spun around to see Angel sitting on the steps, watching him.

"Angel!" he pressed a hand to his chest, his hearts racing, he hadn't even heard her come up behind him, "What are you doing here?" he could have sworn she'd been out like a light when he'd left, and when she slept...she hardly woke up for anything.

She gave him a look, "You had another nightmare, didn't you?" he opened his mouth to reply when she cut in, "And don't try to give me a half-truth again," she added, making him wince as he realized she knew about his attempts to sneak his nightmares past her the other night.

"They're just nightmares," he offered weakly.

She gave a small scoff, "If you _really_ expect me to believe that, Theta, I shall take it as an insult to my intelligence. So unless you are trying to tell me that I'm stupid..."

"No!" he cut in this time, his eyes wide, "Not ever! Nella you're brilliant!"

"I am also your Mate," she added, "I know you, better than anyone," she looked at him, "And even if you won't tell me what your nightmares are about, I can still guess. And if you think, even for a moment, that I will let you suffer them, then you have truly lost your mind."

The Doctor sighed, rubbing his head, he should have known this was coming, that Angel would be determined to end his nightmares after having admitted to having them. It wouldn't matter to her what they were about, she would want them to stop haunting him regardless.

"I don't...want you to," he sighed.

"Well that's too bad," she stood, making her way down to him, "I am _not_ going to just stand aside and watch you endure them Theta. You think I haven't noticed? How you wake up absolutely _terrified_ , or how jumpy you are during adventures, how frantic and out of sorts? I can tell they're hurting you, that they're _scaring_ you. And I am going to help end them whether you like it or not," she reached out a gentle hand to touch his face, whispering to him, "I am not going to let you use them to punish yourself."

He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch, not about to tell her exactly what the nightmares were about, but not about to lie and say she was wrong, she really DID know him better than anyone, "I deserve them," he breathed.

"A rather wise man once said something to the effect of...you don't get to pick your punishment," she reminded him, his eyes snapping open at the words he'd said to Jex not too long ago, "Theta...your debt has been paid, thousands of times over."

He looked at her, "To YOU maybe, but...not to myself," he admitted softly, "I will never be able to make it up to myself Nella. I...forgiveness is not something I have ever thought I deserved."

And it was true, after all he'd done and all the people he'd hurt...he didn't deserve it.

Angel frowned, seeing that, she had always known that, that burden be bore, "Well then," she murmured, "I'll just have to see to it that you DO forgive yourself then."

"How?" he asked with a small, breathy laugh, not mocking but just...genuinely confused.

She offered him a smile, "I have my ways," she remarked, before leaning in and just...hugging him, holding him tightly, knowing he needed comfort. He had always been the one comforting and protecting her, to his own detriment at times, now...now it was her turn.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Doctor :( Poor Rosalie too :( I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the added little 'Inforarium' mini-sode :) I sort of wanted to leave the last one off on Angel not 'really' confronting him about it because she really needed him to admit he was even having nightmares first, but here...she's not going to let him continue to have them and wake up alone ;)


	34. The Rings of Akhaten: Clara Who?

"Whoa!" the Doctor laughed as he grabbed Ayla around the middle, swinging her up into the air as she squealed with laughter, "Watch out sweetheart!" he warned, "You'll blow away!"

"Like a leaf," Angel smiled, glancing across the street from the small park they were standing in, the Doctor and Ayla flying kites as they waited for a moment they'd been tracking down.

They'd managed to use the leaf in Clara's book to track it down to its origins, realizing it must be a _very_ important leaf for her to preserve it so well and for it to symbolize the first page of 101 places she wanted to see. And it seemed that it was, that leaf had taken them there, where they could see a man walking down the road, a man who resembled Clara, holding a map in his hands, trying to read it as the wind blew frantically around him. Just coming from the other direction they could see a woman that also bore a striking resemblance to Clara, clearly her parents.

Apparently this was the day they met.

Angel smiled at that, recalling Ayla's reaction when they'd realized it. She'd asked her parents if they could take her to see the first moment they met, or, 'the day that sparked forever!' as Ayla had called it, touching them both deeply to hear. But they'd had to say no, as much as it pained the Doctor to do as he really was rubbish at saying no to Ayla and her. They'd explained, mostly, that it was too dangerous, with the Dalek there and that, with everyone on alert, it would be difficult to sneak in and see anything. When she'd asked if they couldn't just set the TARDIS down and watch it on the monitors, Angel had had to tell her the real reason...that it wasn't something they wanted her to witness.

The Doctor had thought that moment was the most important of his life, as did Angel, but...everything that had gone around during it wasn't something they wanted to expose Ayla to. There was not only the Doctor being tortured by the scans Van Statten had run, but the Dalek screaming and Angel looking very weak and unhealthy, Rose had nearly been killed, the Doctor had let his anger get the best of him, and Angel had been shot. It was a mess of terrible things that had only been brightened by the fact that they'd found another of their kind amidst it all. And while the moment they'd looked into each other's eyes was burned into their minds and seared into their souls, a moment that changed their lives forever, they didn't want Ayla to see everything that happened before and after that moment.

Angel glanced at a tree, spotting the leaf, the same leaf that Clara had, shaking in the breeze. She looked over when she felt someone wind their arms around her waist, holding her back to their front, and felt the Doctor rest his chin on her shoulder, "Go on," he whispered in her ear, turning his head to nuzzle the side of her face, kissing her temple, "Your turn to play matchmaker."

She laughed at that, and looked back at the tree, focusing before…taking a breath and snapping her fingers. They could see the small flash of gold from across the street, right at the base of the leaf's stem, releasing it from the tree. It flew on the breeze right to Clara's father, hitting him in the face, forcing him to stumble back into the road in shock…right into the path of a car…

But, thankfully, before the car could hit him, Clara's mother pulled him out of the way, "Oh my stars!" the woman gasped, "Are you alright?"

The man just stared at the woman as though she were the most amazing thing he'd ever seen, "Yeah. I'm fine."

The Doctor smiled, watching them, he recognized that look all too well, he was quite sure he'd had the same expression when he'd first seen Angel appear in the museum. He got it even now, every time he looked at her or Ayla. He reached out, about to turn Angel's face to kiss her...when he saw her frowning and staring at the car driving along, "What is it?" he asked her, his thumb lightly stroking her cheek instead.

"That car…" she frowned at it, "Doesn't it look…familiar?" she blinked, placing it, "That…that isn't the same car that hit _Rose's_ father is it?!"

The Doctor looked over, 'No…" he shook his head, "Can't be," he agreed, but…it DID look very similar…

"Daddy look!" Ayla cheered, finally managing to get the kite…a box-kite that looked remarkably like the TARDIS, to stay up and not tug her away.

The Doctor looked over, cheering, "Well done sweetheart!" he laughed, moving to give her quite a few kisses on the cheek, making her squeal as well, Angel watching them both with a fond smile.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel stood under two umbrellas, across the street from a quaint house, Ayla before them, as thunder rumbled in the distance, rain pouring around them. They watched as the future Mr. and Mrs. Oswald ran up the stairs to the woman's house, clearly having come from another very successful date.

"So I've got something for you," Mr. Oswald began.

"What?" his future wife looked at him, he just grinned and pulled out the leaf from his pocket, "You kept it?"

"Of course I kept it."

"Why?"

"Because this exact leaf had to grow in that exact way in that exact place so that precise wind could tear it from that precise branch and make it fly into this exact face at that exact moment. And if just _one_ of those tiny little things had never happened, I'd never have met you. Which makes this the most important leaf in human history."

The Doctor shook his head, his arm moving around Angel's shoulders as the humans kissed, "Which makes you the most important Angel in human history too then," he whispered to her, knowing that if she hadn't give the leaf a little extra help when she had it never would have hit Mr. Oswald at that exact moment, "Not that you aren't already the most important Angel in MY universe."

Angel smiled as she looked over at him, resting her forehead to his as she gazed into his eyes, "You're the most important man in my Universe as well," she told him, knowing he couldn't say she was the most important woman with Ayla being there as well, "And the most important little girl in either of ours is about to get a cold," she added.

They looked over to see that Ayla had slipped away from them during their moment and was currently stomping and jumping in puddles with her little blue wellies, no umbrella, just having fun.

"Well," the Doctor smiled as he watched his daughter, "We ought not let her have all the fun," he grinned and took her hand when he saw she was confused, pulling the umbrella from her and laughing as he pulled her out into the rain, the two of them joining their daughter in the water, having fun with her.

And if they happened to catch a tiny cold, at least they could spend all day together in bed as a family.

~8~

The Oswalds were one of the happiest couples on the planet ever since they met, or that was what the Time Lords thought. Before either of them knew it, the couple had gotten married, had a little baby girl named Clara that Mr. Oswald loved rocking to sleep each night as his wife peeked in on him. Clara grew older, grew more adorable in her parents' eyes and they took every second they had to spare to be with her, to watch her grow and play with her, to teach her how to walk and to read, especially '101 Places to See,' Mrs. Oswald's favorite book, as they laid in bed. They played games with her and taught her how to kick a ball…

Which might not have been the best idea as the girl had kicked said ball right at a small family, a strawberry blonde woman in a blue and white stripped top, a little girl with the same hair in a green shirt, and a man in a purple coat and bowtie, as they walked along a park's path.

Before they could even call out a warning, the mother of the pair, grabbed her husband's arm and pulled him down, the ball sailing right over them.

"Oh my stars!" Mrs. Oswald ran over, "I'm so sorry," she began.

"It's alright," Angel smiled at her, "No harm done, right my love?" she looked at the Doctor, who had turned to watch Ayla jog after the ball to return it, ever the polite little girl.

"Just fine," he nodded, smiling back at the family as Mr. Oswald and Clara walked over, "Marvelous. Refulgent. Beauteous! Or is that you dear?" he looked at Angel with a loving grin.

"Mate, I'm so sorry," Mr. Oswald called as he and Clara reached them, "She wants to be Bryan Robson."

"Well," Angel smiled at the girl, "You never know what the future might hold."

"No worries," the Doctor waved him off.

"Hello!" Ayla ran back with the ball, "I found your ball," she held it out to Clara to take, "I'm Ayla."

"Clara," the girl giggled, taking the ball back.

"Want to play?" Ayla smiled at her.

Clara nodded and they ran off to the side to play toss as the adults watched with smiles.

~8~

It would be only a few short years later, just a little more than 10, that would see Clara and her father, the girl clutching her '101 Places to See' book to her chest, as they stood in the cemetery, staring down at the gravestone of Mrs. Ellie Oswald nee Ravenwood.

_Ellie Oswald_  
_Beloved Wife and Mother_  
_Born 11th September 1960_  
_Died 5th March 2005_

Clara closed her eyes in sorrow, not noticing the Doctor and Angel watching solemnly from behind a tree with Ayla, before the small family turned to go…Clara glancing back for only a second, feeling as though someone was watching her to see them turn before they disappeared and she shook her head, imagining things.

The Doctor and Angel entered the TARDIS, Ayla quiet in front of them, sad for Clara. She couldn't imagine how humans did it. She had been with her parents for nearly a century, and she knew they were still rather young compared to other Time Lords, they'd be around for centuries more, they'd _always_ be there for her. Yet humans…they barely got 70 years with their parents if they were lucky. And that was sad. She couldn't imagine having to go on without her mummy and daddy, but she knew it was likely because she was still very young. Even being over 100 years old, she was still very much a child in their peoples' eyes. She knew her Uncle Jack and Uncle Gray would be there for her as well, they'd live long past human years and, while she was sad that her other Aunties and Uncles would also...die...in the very, VERY far future, she knew that they'd still live on in spirit.

It had meant SO much to her to see her other family, her other Pond relatives, at Christmas. She'd missed her Uncle Rory and Aunt Amy terribly, it had reminded her of something she had tried not to think of...that her family, the mortal human members, _would_ one day die and leave her. But...to see the Ponds, all of Rory and Amy's children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, it had reminded her of something she vaguely remembered her mother saying to Jack, that the family would live on past them and carry their memory. It was true. She knew that even when her Aunties and Uncles passed on, their children would be alive and their children and their children and she could tell, she could FEEL it, that they would keep the stories of her and her parents alive in each generation. And she'd get to see them grow, she'd get to grow with them and protect them, like her parents did. She'd be able to see her Aunties and Uncles in them.

And that was wonderful.

The Doctor moved to the console, looking at the monitor of Clara-Oswin, the governess, "She's just a girl," he murmured, looking at Angel, "How can she be?"

Angel watched as the image changed to Oswin Oswald, from the Alaska, "I've no idea."

"She just _can't_ be," he sighed, seeing it change once more to that of just Clara, the one they'd been following, in her graduation gown, tossing her cap up in celebration.

"And yet there she is."

"She can't be though," he pushed the monitor away and leaned on the console, "She's not possible."

"Which is good for you, isn't my love?" Angel asked him with a smile, moving to lean on the console beside him, linking her arm through his as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I seem to recall you mentioning quite a few times that you love the impossible. And here we have an impossible girl."

"Not more than I love you," he countered, turning to kiss her forehead, "Impossible or not, I don't love _anything_ more than you and Ayla."

"But you DO like her though, don't you?" Angel asked, turning so her chin was resting on his shoulder instead, staring into his eyes, " _I_ like her…"

The Doctor laughed, seeing she was asking him that in a platonic way, "I like her well enough, as much as any other companion," he nodded.

It was…odd though, what he felt both for Clara and the others. He felt very much like his companions were…starting to truly become his family, thanks to Angel and Ayla and how continuously they referred to them as such. In a way…he felt almost like Davros's words were true, they _were_ his children of time, and he didn't love any one of them more than the other…but they weren't his children, they were his friends. And Clara...she felt...different for some reason. He knew what it was though, it was because of who she reminded him of.

"I think the TARDIS likes her too, don't you girl?" she looked up at the rotor as it brightened and hummed.

"What did she say?" the Doctor laughed, even _he_ could tell it was a good hum.

"She likes her very much," she supplied, not about to add that the TARDIS was THRILLED that Clara wasn't River, positively raving about that fact really.

Apparently the Doctor had felt guilty for the last River they'd met, realizing she was so near the Library, clearly a River that was on better terms with her parents, and then to lose them so suddenly…he'd offered her a role as their companion and…River had turned it down. The TARDIS had ranted and scolded him for that slip in intelligence, absolutely refusing to EVER recognize River as a companion. But Clara…she seemed to really like Clara, loved her even. She didn't know why but…the TARDIS kept whispering that she should trust Clara. She already did, the girl had saved them every time they'd met her.

She laughed, the TARDIS even had a name for Clara already, one she seemed to have picked up from the Doctor, Soufflé Girl.

"I like her too," Ayla called, "She's very nice and very brave."

"That she is," the Doctor nodded, "And very…small too…isn't she?" he looked at Angel.

Angel tilted her head, that was a…rather odd thing to say, but she had to nod. Clara was a tiny thing, possibly the shortest companion they'd had, but she'd learned the smaller they were the more sass they had, and she could tell that Donna would LOVE her even if she couldn't be a member of Gingers United.

"Come on my love," she tugged the Doctor back towards the controls, "It's time to pick up your latest companion."

The Doctor nodded, glancing at Angel and taking her hand, "Are _you_ ok with it?" he asked her.

If she said no, if there was even a _hint_ she wasn't ready for this, to travel with someone who wasn't Amy or Rory…he'd stop. He'd wait till she was. They could go centuries in the box, out in the Universe, and still be back to pick up Clara in only a few minutes. If Angel wasn't ready to have another person traveling with them, he'd wait. And…it wasn't fair that HE would get another companion, where she had lost hers. When she had lost, not only that, but her brother as well.

Angel smiled at his concern and reached out to touch his cheek, lightly stroking it with her thumb, "I am," she nodded, "I lost Rory and you lost Amy, but…I gained four dozen nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews…" she let out a little laugh, "I think you deserve another companion at least."

He turned his head to kiss her palm, beaming at that. It was true, the Ponds had…certainly proven they'd had a good and fruitful life given the amount of offspring that had resulted. Four children the same age as Brian thereabouts, 13 grandchildren the ages they would have been if they'd not gotten trapped in New York, and 31 great-grandchildren the ages that Ayla appeared. Angel literally had 48 more people added to the family in one night, he…honestly wasn't sure how many Claras were running about but they seemed about to get the original.

"What about you sweetheart?" he looked at Ayla, she was just as affected by them taking on a companion as they each were. This was HER home as well, they were HER parents, and everything would have some sort of affect on her.

Ayla paused in thought, "Does it mean I get another auntie?"

They laughed, "We'll have to see," the Doctor told her.

Not _every_ companion they had ended up being 'family' in that sense to Angel at least. Like…Mickey and Martha, they were both Angel's first companion and best friend, yes they were still Ayla's Uncle and Aunt, but it would take time to see what Clara would be to them, who she might be to each of them, if she would even be anything beyond a companion.

"Then I think it's brilliant!" Ayla beamed, hope in her eyes that made them smile, their girl…truly was like one big ball of hope and sunshine.

And to the Doctor, to be a man of such darkness, to see that HIS child was like that…it made his hearts feel like they were about to burst. Because he'd always feared that the things that made him so dark and threatening...that it would carry over into a child of his. And he didn't want that. He didn't ever want to see Ayla become that. He winced, his mind flashing to his latest dream, of Ayla, THIS Ayla but more grown up, hating him and threatening him and...shooting him. He'd seen it in her eyes in the dream, the same darkness he bore but fully swirling in her eyes, encompassing her, no hint of the light Angel held. Well, he supposed it made sense, Angel's light had been snuffed in that dream and Ayla had been the one to find her.

"Well, then," he cleared his throat, shaking his head, trying not to let on what he'd been thinking of and remembering, though, given the look Angel was giving him, she was well aware, "Let's go!" he turned and pulled a lever, sending them off to get their next companion.

~8~

Clara looked up from where she was sitting on the stairs of the Maitland home, clutching '101 Places to See' to her chest, tapping a small rhythm on the spine of it nervously…when she heard the wheezing of the TARDIS. She smiled as the doorbell rang repeatedly and could make out a short person on the other side of the glass door, a green sort of blob, and she knew it was Ayla.

"Coming!" she laughed, getting up and opening the door.

"Clara!" Ayla cheered, leaping forward and hugging her, making Clara smile, she rather liked being greeted like that, Lord knew Angie wasn't very…huggy at the moment, but SHE was, she loved hugs. Giving and receiving a hug was the best to her.

"Hey there, cutie pie," she smiled at Ayla, who beamed at the nickname, not knowing Oswin had called her the same thing, "Where are your parents?"

"In the TARDIS," she said, taking Clara's hand and leading her over to the box parked only a few feet away on the lawn.

Ayla pushed the doors open with ease, her parents having found that their daughter didn't need a key any more than her mother did…which made the Doctor huff playfully at times with how the TARDIS made _him_ use one, to which Angel had translated for the box simply as 'girl code' and laughed at his pout.

"Hey there Clara," the Doctor grinned, pulling a lever and sending them into the Vortex.

Clara stumbled at the sudden move, gripping the side railing that led to the controls a moment, watching curiously as Ayla just skipped right up to the middle of the room, not even seeming unbalanced by the shaking…which she chalked up to being alien.

"What just happened?" she asked as the shaking seemed to calm slightly.

"Just got the TARDIS into the Vortex," Angel called reassuringly.

Clara slowly made her way up to them, able to balance now that it had calmed a bit, and grinned excitedly at that, "So we're moving through actual time?" Angel nodded, "So what's it made of? Time? If you can just rotor through it, it must be made of stuff, like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?"

"Well..." the Doctor began, "Not strawberries. No. No, no, no. That would be unacceptable, wouldn't it sweetheart?" he poked Ayla in the stomach as he passed her.

"It would taste awful too!" Ayla grimaced, they'd learned the girl, while loving fish fingers and custard still, seemed to dislike strawberries.

The Doctor laughed and continued his journey around the console, moving to Angel's side and sliding an arm around her waist.

"And we can go anywhere?" Clara asked.

"Anywhere at all," Angel nodded, "Barring one or two places," well, more like three.

New York with the Ponds there, Gallifrey, and…well…the one place any time traveler was not supposed to go.

"So, we could go backwards in time?"

"And space," the Doctor nodded, "Yes."

"And forwards in time."

"And space. Totally."

"The TARDIS," Angel smiled, reaching out to stroke the rotor, "Can go up in time and down in time, and sideways, and slantways, and longways, and backways and frontways and squareways, and any other ways that you can think of."

Ayla giggled, "Mummy have you been watching Willy Wonka again?"

Angel laughed and pointed at her, "You were watching it with me sweetheart."

Ayla had been the one to insist on that movie too. She'd been going through a bit of a...'children's movie' phase, mostly Disney though with a few others, like Willy Wonka, thrown in. She and the Doctor found it adorable and encouraged it really. They felt that, while some of the content could be rather dark, the overall message, of acceptance and hope and happiness was more than enough to make up for it. They also knew it was her way of remembering Rory, her favorite uncle would sometimes watch the movies with her when he'd visit, especially at the start when he'd been trying to convince Amy to give it a go for children, when he'd spend time in the TARDIS with them, he and Ayla would bond over it. Ayla kept watching them and her parents did too. It seemed it was starting to rub off on Angel a bit though, which amused her daughter and the Doctor quite a lot.

' _Like you can talk my love,_ ' Angel countered in his mind, sensing that thought, ' _Who was it who quoted the Lion King to the Sycorax?_ '

He just grinned and kissed her cheek, before looking at Clara, "So, where do you want to go, eh? What do you want to see?"

Clara smiled, about to say…when she suddenly frowned, "...I don't know. You know when someone asks you your favorite book and you forget every book you've read?"

"No. Totally not."

"Yes, all the time," Angel said at the same time, she'd never been very good at remembering things she'd read unless it related to the TARDIS.

"Well," Clara laughed, "That's a thing. That happens."

"And?" the Doctor shook his head, "Back to the question."

"Ok," Clara nodded, turning to pace, "So...so...so..." she moved towards the doors, still thinking out loud, "So, I'd like to see...I would like to see..." she frowned and turned around, "What I would like to see is..." she bit her lip, not really sure.

Ayla smiled and hopped off the side seat she'd been sitting on, rushing over to Clara and tugging her down by the hand, whispering in her ear.

Clara smiled, "That," she tapped Ayla's nose, "Is a BRILLIANT idea," she nodded, standing as she turned to the Doctor and Angel, "I want to see…something awesome."

The Doctor grinned and clapped, him and Angel turning to the controls and getting them off…

~8~

Clara stepped out of the TARDIS, her eyes closed, Angel beside her with her arm around her, leading her as Ayla giggled quietly behind her, holding her father's hand, excited to see Clara's reaction to their surprise.

"Can you feel the light on your eyelids?" the Doctor called as he shut the TARDIS doors.

"Mhmm," Clara nodded.

"That…" Angel smiled, "Is an alien sun," she told her, moving in front of her to block it a moment, making sure Clara was in JUST the right spot, "Perfect," she nodded, moving to the side.

"No!" Ayla gasped, rushing forward, "One more step," she told them, to their amusement, and Clara stepped forward.

Angel walked back to the Doctor's side, him slipping an arm around her waist, "Are you ready?" he called.

"Yes," Clara nodded, "No. Yes?"

"Open your eyes," Ayla whispered and Clara slowly did, staring in awe at the sight before her.

They were on a rock, like an asteroid of some sort, floating in space, more massive rocks around her, forming a sort of ring, all of it drifting around a sun. There was one very large asteroid drifting past, closest to the sun, with what looked like buildings of some sort on it, like a city.

"Welcome to the Rings of Akhaten," the Doctor introduced, squeezing Angel's waist as they looked at Clara's expression, Ayla literally fidgeting with excitement beside her to see it too.

"It's..." Clara shook her head, words failed her.

"Yup!" Ayla cheered.

"Exactly," Angel nodded, knowing what she was trying to say, "But that's not all."

"There's more?" Clara blinked, unable to take her eyes off of it.

"Mhmm," Angel smiled.

"Wait, wait, wait," the Doctor looked at his wrist watch, "In about…"

"Five, four, three, two…" Angel began to count with a mischievous smile that made him grin to see, "Now."

As she spoke, the asteroid with the city on it floated past, revealing another with a large pyramid on it that glistened in the sunlight, "What is it?" Clara breathed in obvious awe.

"No idea," Angel admitted openly.

The Doctor chuckled, "The Pyramid of the Rings of Akhaten. It's a holy site for…" he pointed at Ayla.

Ayla blinked, frowning as she thought about it, "The…Sun-Singers of Akhet?"

"My girl's a genius," he winked at her, making her beam for getting it right.

"The who of what?" Clara blinked.

"My thoughts exactly when I first learned about them," Angel nodded.

They sounded vaguely familiar…but she really _had_ only ever paid attention in the Academy when it was about TARDISes or bits on history, them being her natural niche. It was rather like a foreign language speaker taking that particular language in school, it was something she understood, something that made her feel secure, that she didn't feel confused about like everything else in school. It was the one subject she could easily follow and even excel in.

"Seven worlds orbiting the same star," the Doctor explained, "All of them sharing a belief that life in the Universe originated here. On that planet."

"All life?" Clara's eyes widened.

"In the Universe."

"Did it?"

"Well, it's what they believe. It's a nice story."

"Can we see it? Up close?" she looked back at them.

"Can we daddy?" Ayla gasped, turning to him with wide eyes.

"Oi!" Clara grabbed Angel's hand and tugged her away from the Doctor over to stand with them, "Puppy Dog eyes, pronto!"

"What?" Angel laughed, shaking her head, "Puppy what?"

"Puppy Dog eyes, like this," Clara opened her own, giving a pleading, innocent, hopeful look to her.

Angel nodded at what Clara had just taught her, making her think of Rose's high five and Martha's pinky promise or Donna's snow angels or Amy's darts…and turned to the Doctor, the three of them giving him 'puppy dog eyes.'

"Oh that is so unfair," he laughed, "That's just cheating!" before reaching out to take Angel's hand, tugging her back, "I think you know EXACTLY what to do to make me give in," he whispered to her, his arms locking around her as he swayed them a bit.

"I think I do," she nodded.

"And it's not those rubbish eyes," he added, HAVING to add that, needing her to think they had no affect on him, because if she knew just how much those eyes really DID affect him…well, he would be out his favorite way of 'giving in,' as though he could ever say no to her in the first place.

"No, it's not," she started to grin.

"So…I think I shall have to say no to Akhaten till I get it," he winked.

She laughed and reached up, taking his face in both hands and tugging him down, kissing him full on the lips. Normally it was just a little peck, even that was all he needed to be 'convinced' to do what she wanted. Other times, if she knew it was something he truly and deeply _was_ hesitant to do…it would take quite a few longer, deeper kisses…like when she wanted to get River out of Stormcage for her birthday or something. She had to admit, she really did LOVE those particular kisses and how much effort she needed to 'convince him' and how long it could take. Those moments were wonderful.

But this time…she just wanted to kiss him. She always wanted to kiss him though.

He was beaming as she pulled away, his eyes half lidded as he gazed at her dreamily, "Well then…Akhaten it is."

Clara blinked as she watched the Doctor dash back to the TARDIS, tugging Angel after him with a happy laugh. Maybe she should try that on a boyfriend in the future whenever she got one. And then she looked down at Ayla, tugging HER on to the box and had to laugh quietly to herself…

The girl's parents weren't really setting a wonderful example of how to manipulate someone…she could only imagine the Doctor's reaction when the girl was older and had a boyfriend of her own and 'wanted' something. If she took a lesson from Angel, she was quite sure the man would have dual heart attacks to see his little girl 'convincing' someone in the same way her mother did.

She sincerely hoped she was still there when it happened, it would be hysterical.

~8~

Angel was sure to set the TARDIS down behind some stalls and not in the middle of the market of Akhaten, but a little to the side, away from the crowds, a good spot to be if they ended up running for their lives…which they probably would given the Doctor had arrived. The Doctor, with Ayla clinging to his back, rushed out of the doors, Angel laughing and leading Clara out after him, the human and Ayla staring, wide eyed, at all the amazing stalls set up. The Doctor looked over at his daughter over his shoulder, seeing her beaming in excitement and smiled himself with glee, before darting off.

"Come along Clara," Angel called, leading the girl after the Doctor till they reached the main market area. They all stopped, staring around at the various aliens that had gathered.

"Oh my stars," Clara breathed, stepping past the Time Lords to look around, the Doctor getting caught by a vendor or two as Ayla hopped off his back and moved to her mother's side, taking her hand, knowing that, in such a crowded place, they would most certainly NOT want her to wander off alone.

"Where are they from?" Clara ran back over to them, moments before the Doctor found himself freed.

"Oh, you know, the local system mostly," the Doctor shrugged, looking around.

"What do I call them?"

"Their names would be polite," Angel laughed.

"Or you can address them by their species too," Ayla told her, "Like…hello Sir Martian!"

The Doctor and Angel laughed, thinking of Donna and how she'd called the Doctor a Martian. The Doctor looked around, "Well, let's see…" he pointed at one, "There go some Panbabylonians," before making his way through the aliens in the immediate area, gesturing to the various species as he identified them, "A Lugal-Irra-Kush. Some Lucanians. A Hooloovoo. Ah! Qom VoTivig," he rushed up to one and did a sort of hand pat greeting before bumping his stomach to the alien's with a laugh, spinning around and pointing to someone else, "That chap's a Terraberserker of the…" he snapped his fingers and pointed to Ayla.

"Kodion Belt!" she cheered, she LOVED learning about aliens, learning about all the things that were unique to them and their customs and cultures and traditions. They were all SO different, she just loved learning about them and their languages and everything.

"Correctamundo!" the Doctor cheered, scooping Ayla up and spinning her around before setting her down on his shoulders this time, "You don't see many of them around anymore," he told Clara…who just stared at him, standing there with the girl on his shoulders, the little blonde thing gripping his hair to hold on to and making it stick up.

"Is that an…Ultramancer?" Angel asked, pointing at one.

"Yes it is!" he grinned, "You know," he moved to Angel's side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I forget how much I like it here, we should come here more often."

"You've been here before?" Clara asked, trying to keep up with him.

"Yes, I came here a long time ago with my granddaughter," he remarked, starting to head off.

"Granddaughter?" Clara turned to Angel, staring wide-eyed.

She laughed, "Not _my_ granddaughter," she added.

"Oh," Clara nodded, understanding the implication in that, as they headed off after the Doctor and Ayla…only to bump into a tall alien that shook its head at her and walked off.

"This way," Angel led them over to where the Doctor was standing with Ayla at a booth, the girl on the ground again, a tray of small blue bowls with blue mush inside them in hand. He beamed and held up the tray for them to each take one of the four things on it.

"Exotic fruit of some description," the Doctor said, setting down the tray and taking the last one left on it, scanning it with the sonic to be safe, "Non-toxic. Non-hallucinogenic. High in free radicals. And low in other stuff, I shouldn't wonder."

"It's perfectly safe," Angel added to Clara reassuringly.

Clara shrugged and they all took a bite, the Time Lords grinning even though Clara grimaced just a little, "No?" the Doctor asked.

Clara shook her head and set the small fruit down, "So, why's everyone here?"

The Doctor took Ayla's hand, spinning her around as they started walking off, his arm moving around Angel's waist, Clara smiling at the little family as she walked with them, "For the Festival of Offerings," he explained, "Takes place every thousand years or so…"

"1,054 years," Angel corrected.

"I thought you said you didn't know about it?" Clara looked at her.

She smiled, "I'm very good with time," she told her.

"When the rings align," the Doctor continued, "It's quite a big thing, locally. Like Pancake Tuesday."

"Can we get pancakes after daddy?!" Ayla looked up at him, "With bananas?!"

"And whipped cream," he crossed his hearts, the three of them heading off, Clara glancing around once more before she rushed to catch up…only to come face to face with an alien with a rather snarling face.

"Whoa!" Clara gasped, as the alien started to actually snarl at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, bit of a family outing with Clara tagging along :) I hope the reasoning for Clara being the Doctor's companion, even when Angel lost her own companion, makes sense, she gained more family and he 'didn't' so it was sort of fair that he got the Clara-original :)
> 
> I'm really excited for this episode, because we'll be getting quite a bit of fluff at the end of it now that the Doctor's healing from losing the Ponds and everything ;)


	35. The Rings of Akhaten: Fears

"Erm, Doctor?" Clara flinched back from the snarl of the alien before her, "Angel?"

The Time Lords headed back, Ayla actually stepping in front of the Doctor and giving the alien a few little yaps herself, before the alien crouched down and…started petting her, making Ayla giggle and reach out herself to pat the alien's head too.

"What?" Clara just pointed at what was happening before her.

The Doctor chuckled, "Meet Dor'een," he introduced, "Dor'een, meet Clara."

"Doreen?" Clara gave them a look.

"If you add a bit of bark to it, it's closer," Angel added, "That's how they talk," she explained, "It sounds like a bark or a growl, but she's really rather sweet," she winced apologetically, "Sorry, the Doctor broke something in the translation circuits that I haven't been able to find quite yet."

She'd noticed on a few adventures that the translators didn't quite...work. She'd thought it was one thing, then it was another, till she'd finally been able to ask the TARDIS herself what was wrong. Not even the old box knew what, exactly, the Doctor had broken just that something was broken. The translation circuits had difficulty with Jagrafess, Judoon, Hath, Martian, Krafayis, and a few others like Dor'een and that Minotaur from the hotel. She kept meaning to fix it...the Doctor seemed to like showing off though by translating some of the alien languages they encountered.

She was more worried that, if there was ever a time they were separated, that it would be best for her to be able to understand what other aliens were saying.

' _Not necessary,_ ' the Doctor spoke in her mind, catching her thoughts, ' _We'll never ever be separated again,_ ' he told her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

' _Never say never ever,_ ' she remarked, with a smile.

' _Ooh,_ ' he shook his head, lifting her hand to kiss her palm, ' _That doesn't apply to you or Kitta,_ ' he reminded her, they really were the only ones that he could promise forever to and keep it.

He gave her a wink as well before looking at Clara, "She's a total love," he grinned, moving to tickle Dor'een's chin, "Aren't you? Yes, you are."

"Daddy can we get a doggy?" Ayla looked up at him pleadingly.

She really _did_ want a puppy...or an animal really, but a puppy most of all. They were just adorable and, she often heard her father mention that her mother reminded him very much of an innocent little puppy when he thought back to the first incarnation of her mum that he got to travel with. She liked puppies very much, they were fun and loyal and they kissed your face loads! And she was over 100 years old! She was a 'big girl' now and she wanted to prove to her parents that she could handle an animal and take care of it.

She knew that she couldn't take a companion, she wasn't recognized as a Pilot by the TARDIS, there could only be 2 designated Pilots after all, but that didn't mean she couldn't have a puppy. THAT could be her companions! And doggies were 'man's best friend,' which was still fitting even though she wasn't a man, either in species or gender, but still! She really wanted to prove that she could keep a pet alive and safe, it would be good practice for when she was older, if she ever got a TARDIS of her own, to be able to see how much effort went into protecting and caring for a companion. Granted, she'd probably have an easier time with the doggy as they could be trained to stay and 'not wander off' or to run on command or other things that humans sometimes had difficulty doing.

And...her daddy always brough in stray dogs, as her Aunt Idris loved to remind him, so it was only fitting she get a puppy first. A baby stray dog of her own! Literally though.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," Angel knelt down to take her hand, it broke her hearts to have to say no to their daughter, especially about something as innocent and normal as wanting a pet, but...thinking of them in that term, she couldn't help but feel like they were being trapped and controlled and that didn't sit right with her, "You _know_ how I feel about animals, about pets."

Ayla sighed, "Yes mummy," she nodded, she could understand, but…she did want a puppy, they were SO cute!

"What's wrong with animals?" Clara whispered to the Doctor.

"Nothing," he told her, "It's just…Angel's been, um…a prisoner, before," he tried to be delicate, not liking thinking about that any more than Angel did, "A...few times really. Not all of them were very...kind to her," he swallowed hard, especially not liking to think of a few times Angel had told him about, where she'd been poked and prodded and cut into by the various hands that held her before Van Statten, "And Ayla was very nearly too. We um, we don't like the idea of trapping or training an animal."

Clara nodded, startled to find out that Angel had endured something like that, that Ayla, that sweet little girl, had as well. But…it also made SO much sense now! Angel was truly…one of the kindest women she knew and she'd only known her for a few hours at most really. It was like…all that time as a prisoner, probably being hurt, had just made her kind. It made her empathize with the animals that were being trained and broken and controlled by others, if she'd lived through something like that (not that she really knew exactly what that was like, but she didn't feel right asking) she'd not want to see something as innocent as an animal go through something like that either.

"So," Clara cleared her throat as Angel stood, "What did she say then?"

"Dory wanted to know if you want a moped," Ayla translated, pointing at a rather advanced looking hover-moped off to the side, Angel laughing at Ayla's nickname for Dor'een being Dory, they'd just watched Finding Nemo before, when they'd all gotten a bit of a cold from playing in the rain.

"So, how much does it cost?" Clara wondered.

"Not money," the Doctor explained, "Something valuable. Sentimental value. A photograph, love letter, something like that. That's what's used for currency here. Psychometry. Objects psychically imprinted with their history. The more treasured they are, the more value they hold."

"That's horrible."

"Better than using bits of paper."

"Then you pay," Clara nudged him.

"With what?" he laughed.

"You're a thousand years old. You must have _something_ you care about."

"Well they don't exactly let you trade people," he remarked, "Slavery is illegal here."

"Slavery?" Clara frowned.

The Doctor just wound his arm around Angel, and patted Ayla's head, "My most treasured possessions."

Clara smiled, "That's sweet."

"That's me," the Doctor said, rather proudly, "Sweet!"

"I prefer foxy," Angel laughed as he turned to her to see her watching him and Clara, amused.

It really was quite entertaining to see the two interacting. Clara could talk almost as fast as the Doctor could and it was quite like a tennis match, seeing them going back and forth. It reminded her a bit of when Donna and the New Doctor had been going back and forth in the TARDIS as she'd been dying. They just shot right back at each other in a friendly way. It was...nice, to see him smiling and laughing, to see a companion able to get that out of him. She just KNEW Clara would be good for him. Amy had come close in being able to get the best of him at times, Donna more letting him have it when he was being dumb, but Clara seemed to have a knack for just going toe-to-toe with him words.

Clara shook her head at them, seeing Ayla giggling and took her hand, the two of them just looking around…when she noticed that the Doctor and Angel seemed to have wandered off a short ways. She turned to head after them when a little girl in a red robe ran into her and Ayla.

"Are you ok?" Ayla asked the girl, seeing that she looked very frightened. She could empathize and relate very much to that, she had been running and scared once too a long time ago.

But the girl just ran off, rushing past them and disappearing around a corner a moment before two men in similar red robes appeared, "Have you seen her?" one demanded.

"Who?" Clara frowned, tugging Ayla closer.

"The Queen of Years."

"Who?"

The two men just rushed off, looking for what Clara assumed was the little girl.

"We should help her," Ayla whispered to her.

"We should get your parents first," Clara remarked, "They'll go mad with worry if they look back and see you missing.

Ayla smiled, hearing a similar sort of thing that Clara-Oswin the governess had said when she'd wandered to her as she'd worked as a barmaid. She glanced over, spotting her mother and calling out as loudly as she could in her mind till her mother looked over. She pointed at Clara and her and Angel nodded, making a gesture to stay close. Akhaten was very peaceful and she didn't sense anything dangerous there, so she trusted Clara as well, if the TARDIS said to trust her then she'd trust her with Ayla…and she'd be keeping her senses open ready to come and get her if anything happened.

"Mummy says it's ok to go with you," Ayla told her, "Come on!" and tugged her off in the direction the little girl had gone.

"Where exactly are we going?" Clara asked, laughing as the girl pulled her on.

"We need to find the Queen of Years!" Ayla cheered, "This way!"

~8~

Clara looked around as she and Ayla entered a dark warehouse of some kind, piles of items and boxes scattered around, making it more like a giant maze of sorts, "You're sure she's here?" Clara whispered to Ayla, feeling odd about speaking normally in the large empty space.

Ayla gave her a look, "Mummy tells me all the time to trust my feelings. She's here."

Clara shrugged at that and they stepped further in, "Hello?" she called around, Ayla stepping past her to lead her in one direction. They stopped short though, Ayla frowning, "What is it?" Clara asked her, but Ayla just held up a finger to her lips…and a moment later a box was knocked over before them as a girl tried to run past it, "Hey!" Clara called softly, "Are you ok? Are you lost?"

The girl just stared at them a long while before she ran off again.

"I think she's scared," Ayla whispered to Clara.

Clara gave a small laugh, "I think so too."

"Mummy and daddy help people not be scared all the time."

"But they're not here right now."

"But _we_ are," Ayla smiled, tugging Clara on as the woman grinned, following.

That was…that was quite a thing for the girl to say, instead of walking away, Ayla was pulling her to the scared girl. Oh she could definitely see LOADS of the girl's parents in her, the Doctor's curiosity, Angel's kindness, and she had such an...innocence to her, a child's innocence. It was one thing she hoped the girl would never grow out of, the Universe could do with more of that. She found herself worrying just a little for the girl, she'd only known the Time Lords a short while and she knew it was dangerous, that there might be terrible things the girl would see without her parents meaning for it to happen.

But...she also got the sense that, for how playful the Doctor seemed and how much he claimed that he didn't have a plan, he DID have an idea of what he was doing. If he said to do or not do something there was probably a reason behind it, there was probably something he knew that ought to be listened to. She couldn't begin to count how many times she had told Angie or Artie to NOT do something and they did it and they got in trouble for it. She had resolved not to be like that, if the Doctor or Angel told her not to do something, like not to wander off, she'd not wander off. She'd do what they said and, she hoped, stay alive because of it.

They walked around the fallen boxes and down another aisle of shelving, till they spotted the girl again, trying to turn a corner and knocking over more boxes, "It's ok!" Ayla called, "We're here to help!"

"Are you alright?" Clara asked after a moment, seeing the girl not running off again, she nodded, "What are you doing?"

"She's hiding," Ayla answered instead.

Clara nodded, she'd guessed that much, "Why?"

The girl eyed Clara oddly, "You...don't know me?"

"We know you're the Queen of Years," Ayla offered.

"And we just wanted to ask if you needed help," Clara added, seeing the young girl tense at that title, "You looked lost."

"I don't believe you," the girl stepped back, "You're going to bring me back to the priests, aren't you?!"

"No," Clara shook her head, "We just saw a little girl who looked like she needed help."

"And we wanted to help," Ayla nodded.

"Really?" the girl eyed them hesitantly.

"Really, really," Clara smiled.

"Cross our hearts," Ayla used her hands to cross both of hers.

"Can you help me?" the girl asked them, not perturbed by Ayla's move, she knew quite a few two-hearted species.

"That's why we're still here," Clara nodded.

"Because I need to hide."

Ayla grinned, "The TARDIS is the _perfect_ place to hide!" she cheered, rushing forward to take the girl's hand, "Daddy hides in there _all_ the time!"

Clara laughed, that seemed like something the Doctor would do, hide away when there wasn't any imminent threat to the world or something. The man struck her as very protective of his family and friends, but she got the feeling that the TARDIS was more than _just_ a box or a ship but a home.

"Come on!" Ayla laughed, pulling them off.

Clara paused, glancing back as she reached the door, _swearing_ she could hear someone whispering 'Merry, where are you?' But she saw no one and quickly headed out after the girls.

~8~

Ayla led Clara and the girl through the marketplace, deftly avoiding a few of the red-robed priests that were still searching for the girl, managing to avoid other aliens spotting them as well, till they reached the blue box, "What's this?" the girl wondered.

"A space-shippy thingy," Clara offered, "Timey, spacey."

"She's a TARDIS not a thingy!" Ayla explained, "T-A-R-D-I-S. Time and Relative Dimensions in Space."

"It's teeny," the girl frowned at it.

"Oi!" Ayla pouted, "She's bigger on the inside!"

"You just wait," Clara laughed, Ayla was quite protective of the box wasn't she? Much like the Doctor and Angel seemed to be. She really _had_ to ask them about that as they _really_ seemed to love that box. She walked over to it and tried to tug it open, but the doors remained shut, "Oh, come on."

"What's wrong?" the girl asked.

Clara sighed, stepping away, "I don't know. I don't think it likes me," she started to knock on the doors as the girl moved to slide behind the box, "Come on. Let me in."

"Clara you're being silly," Ayla started to giggle.

"Oi! Why am I silly?" Clara looked at her.

"You're trying to open a locked door," Ayla told her, "AND pushing in the wrong direction, the doors open in-ways. And besides! The TARDIS loves you. But she only _ever_ opens the locks for mummy and me," she stepped up and put her hand on the doors, pushing them as they heard a lock unclick and the doors open, "See?" she smiled up at Clara.

Clara laughed at herself, she should have realized that the doors to a machine such as the TARDIS would require a key, and she didn't have one at the moment.

"Aunt Idris loves you," Ayla told her, shutting the doors again, "So you should call her a 'she' not an 'it,'" she added.

"Got it," Clara nodded and turned to get the girl…only to see she was gone, "Hey," she frowned, moving around the side of the box to see the girl huddled behind it, "Little girl!"

"My name's Merry," the girl, Merry, mumbled as Clara and Ayla moved to sit with her.

"I'm Ayla," the girl plopped beside her, reaching out to shake her hand, "And that's Clara," she nodded at Clara.

"So what's happening?" Clara asked as she too settled beside the girls, Merry between them, "Is someone trying to hurt you?"

"No," Merry sighed, "I'm just...scared."

"Of what?"

"Getting it wrong."

"Ok…" Clara nodded, confused, "Can you pretend like I'm totally a space alien and explain?"

"Like me," Ayla offered, though Merry just gave her a look, she didn't look any more alien than Clara did.

"I'm Merry Gejelh," she answered.

" _Really_ not local," Clara laughed, "Sorry."

"She's the Queen of Years Clara," Ayla rolled her eyes, she'd already told the woman that before, "She gets picked when she's born, the day the last Queen dies, and becomes the new one!"

"Ok…" Clara nodded slowly, still not seeing what that had to do with anything.

"I'm the vessel of our history," Merry explained, "I know every chronicle. Every poem. Every legend. Every song."

Clara blinked and stared at her, "Every single one? Blimey. I hated history."

"I love it!" Ayla grinned, "Mummy's the best teacher Clara, you should ask her for lessons if you want."

"Thanks," Clara laughed, "But I'm good."

"I have to sing a song in front of everyone," Merry continued, "A special song. I have to sing it to a god. And I'm really scared."

"It'll be ok Merry," Ayla reached out and took her hand, "I get scared of the dark sometimes," she offered, sharing a fear of her own with the girl, "I get scared people will take me away from mummy and daddy too. But…mummy and daddy are _always_ there for me, they leave the light on and mummy's like a portable night-light. They _never_ let me wander off unless they know I'm safe," she squeezed Merry's hand, "Once, when I was really little, a bad pirate lady took me away, I was…lost for a long time, trying to find them."

"What happened?" Merry frowned.

Ayla smiled, "They found me again, mummy always comes and daddy's never far behind."

Clara nodded, "I used to be _terrified_ of getting lost too," she began, empathizing with the girl, both of them had wandered off and gotten lost when they had been just children, "Used to have _nightmares_ about it. And then I got lost. Blackpool beach, Bank Holiday Monday. About ten billion people. I was about six."

"I was six too," Ayla murmured.

"My worst nightmare come true."

"Were you ok?" Merry looked at her.

"Didn't feel like it," Clara admitted, "The world ended. My heart broke," but then she smiled, "And then my mum found me. Just like you said Ayla," she poked the girl in the stomach, "Mummy always comes. We had fish and chips and she drove me home and she tucked me up and she told me a story."

She could still remember it, even then, lying in bed as a child, her mother speaking to her, telling her that it didn't matter where she was, in the jungle or the desert or on the moon, that however lost she might feel, she'd never really be lost because her mum would always be there and she'd always come and find her, every single time.

"And you were never scared again?"

Clara blinked, shaking her head from her thoughts, "Oh, I was scared lots of times. But never of being lost. So, this special song...what are you scared of, exactly?"

"Getting it wrong. Making Grandfather angry."

"I don't think you'll get it wrong Merry," Ayla offered, "You've been learning the songs your whole life! It's like how I know I'll never be wrong about transcendental dimensions and how it relates to relative internal spatial coordinates that are at odds with externally observed dimensions."

The two girls stared at her a long while for that, she looked like she was 10 years old and she was talking about trans-something special observed dimension...things.

"I don't think you'll get it wrong either," Clara shook her head, "I think you, Merry Gejelh, will get it very, _very_ right."

Merry started to smile, "Really?"

Ayla nodded, "Mummy sings a song to make me feel better too," she added, "I can sing it for you if you'd like," Merry nodded, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," Ayla began to sing, "You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away," she looked at Merry, "Feel better?"

"Yeah," Merry smiled, it was a nice song and it reminded her of Grandfather, of singing to the sun, begging it to stay nice and peaceful and to not abandon them.

"Good," Clara smiled, getting up, she took Merry's hand and led the girl out from behind the box with Ayla, out into the market where they could see the two robed men standing there, still searching for her. Merry took a breath before walking over to them.

Ayla took Merry's place at Clara's side, watching as the one priest took a flowered band and placed it around Merry's neck, the other taking her hand and leading her off.

"What have you been doing?" the Doctor's voice spoke as he appeared behind them, Angel having led him, still eating the blue fruit, over, their hands held together as they watched their daughter, she was practically _buzzing_ with excitement about something, they could tell in how she was fidgeting.

"Exploring," Clara smiled.

"We helped someone!" Ayla cheered.

"Did you?" the Doctor laughed, "That's fantastic!" he leaned down and picked Ayla up, the girl giggling to find herself in her father's arms once more. She was getting a bit big for it, for being picked up, she was over 100 years old! But the Doctor seemed insistent to hold her as long as he possibly could, and she had _no_ issues with that, she loved her father very much so anything she could do to make him happy she wanted to do.

"Come on," Angel reached out to take Clara's arm, "We don't want to miss this."

"Where are we going now?" Clara asked as she followed them off.

"To see a show," Angel laughed.

~8~

In a temple on an asteroid drifting past the sun, the one that housed the pyramid, a priest knelt before a glass cage, an ancient alien sitting within on a throne, dressed in fine robes, looking quite mummified.

The priest bowed his head, singing to the sleeping alien, "Sleep, my precious king…"

He only glanced back when he heard a second voice joining his own, another priest entering through a stone doorway, "Lay down my warrior," the second man sang, kneeling beside him as he stood, turning to walk out, switching the song to the second man, "Now, my king."

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, Ayla, and Clara ran into an amphitheater sort of room that opened up, not to a stage, but to space, the pyramid floating before them. Ayla and Clara could see Merry being led up to a small round pedestal right in the center of the ledge, two priests helping her on it.

"Shh!" the Doctor hissed to them as they tried to make their way to their seats to watch the performance, "Shh!" he picked Ayla up and climbed up the step-seats towards a place in the middle where two people could sit, a small space open on the row before them for two more. He and Angel sat down, Ayla wanting to sit with Clara in front of them, "Sorry, sorry, excuse me. Sorry. Excuse me."

Angel shook her head fondly as she sat beside him, more gracefully than he had been, the Doctor's arm immediately winding around her waist. She smiled, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder, the Doctor pressing a quick kiss to her hair, beaming widely, pleased she was happy and that they'd made it to the performance.

"Clara sit with me!" Ayla cheered, patting the spot beside her.

Clara smiled, apologizing to the other aliens she passed, "Sorry. Sorry," she let out a sigh as she sat down before them, "Are we even supposed to be here?"

"Shh," the Doctor held up a finger to his lips.

"But are we?"

"Shh!" he hissed again, before glancing at the aliens that had turned to huff at him, "Sorry."

Merry glanced back at them, a nervous look on her face. Clara offered her a small smile as Ayla beamed and held up two thumbs up, making the girl smile herself. Merry turned back, taking a deep breath and starting to sing, "Akhaten…"

~8~

In the temple, the priest continued, looking over when he heard an old stone door slide open to reveal the amphitheater in the distance. He smiled, singing as he heard the song joining his, "Lay down, my king," he slowly stood and pulled his hood down, "Sleep now eternal," making his way to the doors, "Sleep, my precious king. Lay down…"

~8~

"Oh, god of Akhaten..." Merry continued.

"She's got a beautiful voice," Angel murmured.

"As do you," the Doctor kissed her temple, knowing she was pleased about that, before he glanced at Ayla and Clara, watching Merry with a smile. He leaned forward to peek his head between theirs over their shoulders, "They're singing to the Akhaten in the Temple," he whispered to them, "They call it the Old God. Sometimes Grandfather."

"Oh, god of Akhaten..." Merry sang, seeming to grow a bit more confident as she went.

"What are they singing?" Clara wondered.

"The Long Song," Ayla recited.

"Right you are sweetheart," the Doctor smiled, "A lullaby without end. To feed the Old God. Keep him asleep. It's been going for millions of years. Chorister handing over to Chorister. Generation after generation after generation."

"Akhaten..." Merry's voice echoed to them as Clara looked back.

"Watch this," Angel smiled as the audience members held out their hands with small gifts in them, some had food, others objects, all of them starting to glow as Merry and another voice sang.

"What are they doing?" Clara breathed.

"Making offerings to the Old God," Angel told her, watching as the gold turned into sparkles and began to drift towards the sun, "To feed it, psychometry, remember? Their memories sustain it."

Clara laughed, watching them, Ayla giggling at the little specks of light as they drifted off, Merry continuing to sing, "Oh, god of...oh, god of...oh god of Akhaten..."

"Sleep, my precious king…" they could heart the second voice now, stronger than before.

They looked around as the audience began to join with Merry and the second singer, all reciting the ancient words, helping the girl sing. Angel joined in with them, nudging the Doctor to get him to join to…though he came in a bit early, "Lay..." he winced, waiting.

"Lay down..." the group picked up, the Doctor smiling as he joined in too.

"Akhaten..." Merry smiled, "Oh, god of...oh, god of...oh, god of...oh, god of Akhaten…"

Angel suddenly stopped, blinking as she reached out to grab the Doctor's arm tightly, her eyes wide.

... _a beam of light shot out from the pyramid and struck Merry, lifting her up into the air_...

'... _he'll eat us all! He'll spread across the system, consuming the Seven Worlds_...'

... _the sun grew even brighter, a face appearing within it, a glaring, angry face_...

"Merry!" Angel shouted, leaping up as the second chorister's voice faltered, a shaking starting to rumble as Merry gasped, "Get away from the ledge!" she tried to rush down the seats towards her, but she was too late, a beam of light shot out from the pyramid and struck the girl, lifting her up into the air and pulling her out of the theater…

~8~

The priest turned to the Old God, rushing back into the room, frantically starting to sing in the hopes of sending the being back to sleep, "Old God, protect us," he knelt, bowing his head, "Old God, protect..."

~8~

"What's happening?!" Clara gasped as she and the Doctor jumped to their feet as well, rushing down to Angel as Ayla joined them, "Is this supposed to happen?"

"Help!" Merry flailed.

"Is somebody going to do something? Excuse me? Is somebody going to help her?!"

"Come on!" the Doctor called, taking Angel's hand to pull her off...when Merry was suddenly yanked away, back towards the pyramid.

"No!" Angel pulled away, turning to throw her hand out towards the light that was pulling Merry away, the Vortex shot out of her, wrapping around Merry as well, trying to pull her back, "Go!" she urged the Doctor, it was hard to use the Vortex merely as a means of pulling the girl back, she didn't want to hurt her or lose control so she was trying not to use much of her power, enough to hold her in place till the Doctor could get to her, "Please…" she glanced at the Doctor, her eyes swirling with the power, " _Hurry_."

The Doctor swallowed but nodded, "Come along sweetheart!" the Doctor took Ayla's hand instead, rushing out with her.

"Oi!" Clara gasped, running after them, "Why are we walking away? We can't just walk away. This is my fault! I talked her into doing this!"

"Clara you're being silly again!" Ayla told her.

The Doctor stopped, facing her, "Listen. There's one thing you need to know about travelling with us...well, one thing apart from the blue box and the two hearts. We _don't_ walk away," he spun around and walked on, Clara blinking as she ran after them.

~8~

Angel winced, grabbing her wrist with her other hand, trying to hold Merry in place as she was jerked closer to the pyramid...

~8~

The Doctor rushed up to Dor'een's stall, barking at her quickly, only for her to growl in response and move in front of him, blocking the path to the moped. He rolled his eyes and started to pat himself down, knowing he didn't have time with Angel using the Vortex, "I need something precious…"

"Well, you must have something besides Angel and Ayla," Clara shook her head, "All the places you've seen!"

"This," the Doctor took out the sonic, "I don't want to give it away. It comes in handy."

"You're 1,000 years old. And that's it, your spanner?"

"Screwdriver!"

"Daddy hush!" Ayla cut in, a sad look on her face, before she looked at Dor'een, "Will this work Dory?" she asked, reaching up to…to take her locket off. It was the most precious thing she had on her. She knew that Clara would give up her mother's ring if it meant saving Merry…had no idea how she knew that but she did...but the ring was _all_ Clara had of her mother.

SHE still had her family, the family that appeared in her locket, even if she didn't have her Aunt Amy or Uncle Rory, she still had their children, her cousins, she still had her family and…it was _her_ fault too, she had helped encourage Merry and now her mother was fighting a power she was scared of to try and save the girl. She wanted to help, since she couldn't do much being so young.

"Ayla…" the Doctor began, seeing her handing the locket over, knowing how important it was to her as it held images of Rory and Amy in it.

"It'll be ok daddy," Ayla whispered, watching as Dor'een held her hands around the locket, feeling the sentimental value of it, nodding and stepping away from the moped.

"You are an angel, sweetheart," he whispered, kissing her head.

Ayla gave him a small smile, "I get it from mum," she murmured, before she moved to get on the moped…right in the front, as though _she_ would be the pilot, "Come on!"

"Hold on there," the Doctor moved up to her, "Who says _you're_ flying little lady?"

"You let me fly the Silurian ship with mummy," she reminded him.

"Yes…well…" he was caught there, he HAD let her do that, "Then...we'll _both_ do this one," he agreed, hopping on behind her, leaning forward to wrap his hands around hers on the controls, "Come on Clara!"

Clara rushed over, hopping on behind the Doctor, letting out a little squeak of surprise when the moped lifted into the air and shot out of the market, into space.

~8~

Angel braced herself, pulling with all her might to keep Merry in place, but the girl was slowly slipping away from her…

~8~

The Doctor and Ayla raced the moped out, getting nearer to Merry, the girl seeming to be alright even if she was caught between two forces. The Doctor sped up, seeing the pyramid's pull starting to get stronger. He knew Angel wasn't using the full force of the Vortex for fear of it taking over, he knew she wouldn't be able to hold onto Merry very much longer.

"Merry!" Clara reached out for her as they drew nearer. She stretched, just _barely_ managing to touch Merry's hand…

~8~

Angel gasped, falling backwards as the force pulled Merry away, panting as she hit the ground…

~8~

Clara gasped as Merry was yanked away from her, sucked into the pyramid with a scream…

"No!" Clara shouted.

The Doctor raced the moped after them, trying to reach Merry before she was sealed off, seeing a stone door starting to shut in the temple on the pyramid. He raced faster…getting a bit too close a bit too fast.

"Brakes!" Clara yelled, clinging to him, "Brakes!"

They screamed as they came to a sudden stop, the moped screeching to the side as it landed, Clara gripping the Doctor tightly from behind, her eyes squeezed closed, even though one of his own arms was around Ayla to keep her safe.

"Ok," the Doctor cleared his throat after a moment, realizing they were all still alive, "Time to let go."

"I can't," Clara shook her head.

"Clara, you have to."

"Why?"

He let out a little laugh at the pout he could hear in her voice, it was just like…

He shook his head, now was NOT the time to think about her, about how she always questioned his decisions and argued, always asked him 'why' whenever he told her to do something even if he'd explained it a thousand times, even if it was something as simple as passing him a pencil. He'd always gotten so annoyed with it…who would have thought he'd actually _miss_ it. And he did. So much.

"Because it really hurts."

Clara blinked her eyes open to see she currently had a death grip on the Doctor, "Sorry," she winced, letting go of him.

"Thanks," he breathed, getting off the moped, helping Ayla off it as well as they looked around. He turned, staring across the way, back to the amphitheater...

~8~

Angel pushed herself to sit up, panting, shaking from using the Vortex while still trying to restrain it, ' _Angel?_ ' she heard the Doctor call in her head, ' _Are you alright?_ '

She nodded to herself, ignoring the murmuring of the audience behind her, ' _I'm fine Theta,_ ' she whispered, ' _Just…give me a mo and I'll be there soon._ '

She could feel him nod in her head, feeling concern for her. He didn't like being that far away from her and able to sense how weary she was from her use of power.

~8~

The Doctor nodded to himself, knowing Angel would be there soon, and made his way over to the door that had shut, trapping Merry and keeping them out only a moment before they landed, sonicing it, scanning it for some way, any way, in, "Oh, that's interesting. A frequency modulated acoustic lock. The key changes ten million, zillion, squillion times a second."

"Can you open it?" Clara asked.

"No," Ayla answered simply.

" _Technically_ ," the Doctor added, "In reality, also no. But still...let's give it a stab," he took a run for the door, slamming his arm against it…and falling to the ground when he failed to break through solid rock.

Ayla blinked, "I take it back Clara," she told the girl, "Daddy's FAR more silly than you."

"Thanks," Clara nodded, "I think."

~8~

Merry sat up from where she'd fallen on the floor to see one of her caretakers, one of the priests from the market, kneeling before a rather old, mummified-looking alien, singing, "Don't ever wake from slumber. Old God, never wake from slumber..."

~8~

The Doctor pounded on the door, trying to get in as Clara had to ask, "How can they just stand there and watch?"

"Because this…" Angel's voice said as she appeared behind Clara in a flash of golden light that had Clara blinking, startled, "This is their sacred ground, like...a church."

"Mummy!" Ayla ran over to her, hugging her tightly, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine beautiful," Angel ran a hand down Ayla's hair, smiling at her reassuringly.

"I get it's sacred and all," Clara frowned, "But Merry's just child!"

"And he's a god," the Doctor stepped back from the door, moving over to Angel's side, "Well, he is to them, anyway," he remarked, before reaching out to take Angel's hand, "Are you alright dear?"

She smiled at him, "I'm fine," she reassured him.

But he reached up, gently touching her face, looking deeply into her eyes to make sure, searching her mind, wanting to be _certain_ that she really was alright and not trying to make him not worry. He had ample experience in that lately.

~8~

Merry slowly crept towards the priest, stepping past him to eye the mummified man on the throne, the priest still singing behind her, "Do not wake from slumber Old God, do not wake from slumber. Rest your weary, holy head and cast our lives asunder. Do not wake from slumber..."

Merry turned around, looking at the priest, "I don't know what to do next," she told him, before glancing back at the mummy, "What happens?"

Suddenly the mummy's eyes glowed red and she screamed…

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of a bonding moment for Clara and Ayla :) I think the little girl needs a bit of 'auntie' connection with Clara after having lost Rory. And it's definitely similar what they both went through, being lost and scared and only 6 years old :( Very excited for the next chapter ;)


	36. The Rings of Akhaten: Grandfather Wakes

The Time Lords and Clara looked back when they heard a scream, "Merry!" Clara rushed to the door, "Merry, hold on! We'll be there soon!" she spun around, "Doctor?"

"Yes," the Doctor scanned the door again, "Yes, yes, yes. Oh…"

"No time!" Angel rushed over, grabbing his hand, "Clara!" she held out one to her, snatching Clara's arm as Ayla grabbed onto the Doctor, the four of them disappearing in a flash of gold…and reappearing on the other side of the door…Angel stumbling a bit after they appeared.

The Doctor wound an arm around her waist to support her. He knew it was dangerous for her to teleport like that, when she couldn't see where she was going or if she hadn't been there before. It was dangerous both in how much power she needed to use to get there as she wouldn't know how thick the door or walls were but also in that...if she got it wrong, one of them could have ended up literally INSIDE the walls...and that would be very bad indeed. But it was just on the other side of a door so he had all the faith in the world that she'd be able to manage it. And she had.

"Well," he remarked, "That makes the sonic sort of obsolete, doesn't it?" he murmured, tossing the sonic in his hand and slipping it back into his pocket.

Angel just let out a laugh, resting her forehead to his arm for a moment, shaking her head, the sonic wouldn't ever be obsolete...just because she could unlock things and get them through doors that were both wood or deadlocked or both and the sonic couldn't didn't mean that she could do other things a sonic could. Like...scanning things, she couldn't do that.

"Merry!" Ayla called, seeing the girl standing before the glass case.

"Hello there," the Doctor grinned, stepping in a bit with them, "I'm the Doctor, and this is my Mate, the Angel. And you've met our daughter, Ayla, and our…friend Clara," he offered, he supposed he couldn't exactly call Clara his companion just yet, this was her first real trip after all, she might decide to leave after it, "She was supposed to be having a nice day out," he shrugged, "Still, it's early yet," he held out a hand to her, "Are you coming then?"

"Leave," Merry shook her head, "You'll wake him!"

Clara stepped more into the room, past the priest as he sang, to Merry's side, "Merry, we need to leave…"

"No," Merry stepped back, "Go away!"

"Oh we can't do that without you," Angel told her.

"You said I wouldn't get it wrong," Merry turned to Clara, "And then I got it wrong! And now this has happened. Look what's happened!"

"You didn't get it wrong," Clara insisted.

"And this wasn't because of you Merry," Angel added.

"How do you know?" Merry started to cry, "You don't know anything!"

"Mummy knows a lot of things she shouldn't," Ayla shrugged, whispering, "She's psychic."

Merry shook her head, "You have to go! Go now! Or he'll eat us all."

"Well, he's ugly," Clara admitted, staring at the mummified creature, "But, you know, to be honest..." she stepped closer, eyeing it before she turned to them, "I don't think he looks big enough."

The Doctor chuckled at that, Clara was certainly interesting, and brave.

"Not our meat. Our souls," Merry told her.

Clara sighed, and tried to reach out to her, but Merry pressed a hand to her head, a purple burst of energy coming out of her and pushing Clara towards the glass case…or it would have if a golden wall hadn't appeared before it could hit her.

"That's rather rude Merry," Angel tsked, stepping past her to join Clara, standing before the god, eyeing it, "Please refrain from trying to attack Clara in the future."

Merry frowned, feeling guilty for what she'd nearly done, she'd just wanted them to _listen_ , to stop trying to remove her when she could save them all, "He doesn't want you, he wants _me_. If you _don't_ leave, he'll eat you all up too."

"Yes and you don't want that, do you?" the Doctor asked, walking over with Ayla, realizing the same thing Angel had about why the girl had nearly attacked Clara, about the fact that she had gotten it in her head that she had to sacrifice herself to save them, a child had to give up her life to save others, and that was wrong, "You want us to walk out of that door and never come back."

"Yes."

"To protect us?" Ayla frowned.

"Yes."

Ayla laughed, "Sorry Merry, WE'RE the ones who do the protecting, right daddy?" she smiled at him.

The Doctor felt his hearts warm at that, that was… _exactly_ the legacy he wanted to pass down to his daughter, to any children he and Angel might have. He wanted them to know and to practice the ideal that they didn't walk away, they stayed, they helped, they protected, and they healed. THAT was who they were, that was who he'd always felt the Time Lords were meant to be, not stuffy observers but guardians. They saw all of time happening, they were meant to watch over it, and that should have included the people within time as well. Everyone's time was important, everyone's timeline had meaning, and as Time Lords it was their duty to protect them, not watch from afar. What was there keeping them from playing God to do that, to watch others suffering and not help?

He smiled at that, at how he'd likened the Time Lords to distant gods when really...they should have been angels, just like his Mate. He knew that was one thing, one of many, that had drawn him to Angel, her warmth and her drive to protect people and help them and heal them. He couldn't count how many times he'd called her an actual angel and he knew she HAD to be. She was...the epitome of what he thought the Time Lords should have been, kind, warm, compassionate protectors, who used their knowledge to ensure the safety of all. It was why the war had struck him so terribly, that he could see his hopes of them ever becoming those people dashed.

And then he found Angel, a Time Lady who had endured the War, who had kept her spirit and her kindness and her...light. She had suffered worse than him, endured more, and yet...she still retained that gentle quality that made her who she was, that glow that drew him to her. And he knew it was a glow and a light and a warmth that Ayla had inherited from her. He...he sincerely hoped he would NEVER see the darkness he'd seen in Rosalie's eyes in Ayla's, ever. He didn't want his child to have even an ounce of the darkness that resided in him, a darkness that his girls kept at bay naturally.

"Most certainly right," he whispered, before looking at Merry, "Absolutely never going to happen," and with that, they stepped past Merry, further into the temple.

Clara looked down at the priest as he continued to sing throughout all their talking, "Doctor, why is he still singing?"

"...rest your weary, holy head..." the man murmured.

The Doctor knelt before him, listening to the words, "He's trying to sing the Old God back to sleep."

"It won't work," Angel called, turning to look at the man over her shoulder, "I'm sorry, but it's too late, he's going to wake up," she looked at the Doctor, "He should leave."

The priest's voice trailed off, "Holy head and…" and he swallowed hard, stopping his song.

"That's it, then?" the Doctor wondered, "Song's over?"

"The song is over," the man breathed, standing, "My name is Chorister Rezh Baphix, and the Long Song...ended with me," he held up his wrist and pressed a button, teleporting out.

The Doctor grinned and clapped his hands, standing, "That's it, then! Song's over!" before he spun around and flashed the sonic at the mummy, which roared, leaping to its feet, its arms out wide, "Ha ha!" he rushed up to the glass, taking Angel's place as she stepped down and over to Merry and Ayla, taking the hands of the young girls, knowing that the roar must have frightened, or at least alarmed, both of them, "Look at that!" the Doctor pressed his head against the glass, Clara frowning and moving beside him to peer in at the monster as well.

"You've woken him!" Merry gasped, watching as the mummy started to pound against the glass.

"It wasn't us Merry," Angel told her, "And it wasn't _you_ or the priest or anyone that woke him. He's been napping for a _very_ long time, but one cannot sleep forever."

"Yes," the Doctor pointed at them from where he was wandering around the glass case, "He's waking because it's his time to wake. And feed. On you, apparently," he eyed Merry, "On your stories."

"She didn't say stories," Clara whispered, walking over to him as he came around to the front of the glass again, "She said _souls_."

"Same thing," the Doctor shrugged, "The soul's made of stories, not atoms. Everything that ever happened to us. People we love. People we lost. People we found again, against all the odds," he winked at Ayla who smiled, "He threatens to wake, they offer him a pure soul. The soul of the Queen of Years."

"Doctor," Angel shook her head, feeling Merry squeeze her hand and start to shake, "You're scaring her."

"If she's so intent to sacrifice herself," he argued, "She should know what that means," he gave Angel a meaningful look, knowing that both of them were aware of the things _they_ had almost sacrificed, themselves included, for the sake of others, "Do you know what it means, Merry?"

"A god chose me..." Merry recited.

"He's not _really_ a god Merry," Angel told her.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed, "It'll feed on your soul, but that _doesn't_ make it a god. It is a vampire," he pointed back at the mummy, "And you don't need to give yourself to it," he looked at Angel as she smiled at him and nodded. He grinned and knelt down before the girl, "Hey, do you mind if I tell you a story? One you might not have heard? I'm rather good at stories, right sweetheart?" he looked at Ayla, who nodded, before turning back to Merry, "All the elements in your body were forged many, many millions of years ago, in the heart of a far away star that exploded and died. That explosion scattered those elements across the desolations of deep space. After so, _so_ many millions of years, these elements came together to form new stars and new planets. And on and on it went. The elements came together and burst apart," he slowly stood, "Forming shoes and ships and sealing-wax and cabbages and kings," and moved behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Until eventually, they came together to make _you_."

"You, Merry," Angel continued, "Are the only one of your kind, there is only ONE Merry, one you. No one else will _ever_ be you," she squeezed the girl's hand till she looked at her, "And if you sacrifice yourself to it…there will never be another Merry, the Universe will have lost you. That's not a sacrifice dear, that's just…a crime."

"So…" Merry frowned, "If I don't, then everyone else..."

"Will be just fine," Angel reassured her.

Merry glanced over at the creature in the glass, it was pounding so fiercely on it that it was starting to crack, "How?"

"Mummy and daddy will find a way," Ayla promised, moving to take Merry's other hand, "They always do. They're brilliant!"

The Doctor smiled when Merry looked up at them, "Can you? Do you promise?"

He nodded, "Cross my hearts," he crossed them.

"He won't hurt us Merry," Angel added, "Believe me we have faced down...quite a few gods, and demi-gods, and pantheons of gods, in our day. On many planets and helped many people. There's no one better to face a god than..."

"The Lonely God and his Angel?" the Doctor supplied with a smile.

"Than us," Angel corrected, though she smiled, it had been quite a while since she'd heard that phrase, the Lonely God and his Angel, he wasn't quite so lonely now though was he?

' _And I have you to thank for that,_ ' the Doctor winked at her.

' _I rather think it's the opposite,_ ' she murmured, meaning HE had made her less lonely as well.

She...really had had quite the lonely existence before him. To think of her life on Gallifrey, where she'd been so content to just...repair and care for the TARDISes, that she hadn't given a thought to flying about the Universe and meeting people...it felt like a dream. She DID love her life on Gallifrey, very much, she wouldn't have traded it for the world. But...the Doctor had shown her how truly magnificent the Universe was, how incredible the peoples of it were, especially the humans. It pained her to think that, if things had been different, she never would have met the people who had become her family. She never would have gotten a Mate and a true home and a daughter either. She would have never become the woman she was if not for him and his encouragement.

He...made her a better woman.

' _Oh that's impossible,_ ' he smiled, ' _Perfection can't be bettered._ '

She blushed lightly at that.

"Um, not to interrupt that lovely moment," Clara called, "But…ugly over here is getting antsy."

Angel laughed, "Come on then," she nodded back to the doors. They all headed over to them, about to ask Merry how to open it as the Doctor didn't want Angel to have to teleport all five of them…when Angel stopped, stiffening, feeling...something.

"Something's coming," Angel breathed, and the ground started to shake.

"What's coming?" Clara stiffened.

"The Vigil!" Merry gasped, it was the only thing she could think of that would be appearing at that moment, there was nothing else it could be.

The Doctor looked at her, stepping closer to the girls, "And what's the Vigil?"

"If the Queen of Years is unwilling to be feasted upon..."

"Yes?"

"...it's their job to feed her to Grandfather."

They looked over just as a crackle of energy struck and three pale creatures all in black appeared before them, the Doctor whipped out his sonic, ready, as Angel and Clara pushed the girls behind them.

"I'm sorry!" Merry cried, "I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry Merry," Ayla squeezed her hand even as the Vigil advanced, "Mummy and daddy will protect us."

"And me," Clara agreed, standing beside the Time Lords, "Don't you dare!" she yelled at the incoming aliens.

"Yeah, stay back," the Doctor nodded, "I'm armed...with a screwdriver."

One of the Vigil opened its mouth, sending out a shockwave of energy in its shout. But Angel pushed in front of the Doctor, her hand out, a golden wall arising before them, deflecting the bellow.

"Angel!" the Doctor shouted, not sure if this was her in control or not. But Angel frowned, and closed her hand in a fist, the golden wall moving away from them and surrounding the Vigil, trapping them, "Oh brilliant!" he cheered, kissing her quickly, "Come on!" he called at the others, leading the way around the Vigil into the room so they weren't trapped by the one door any longer.

"Merry," Clara turned to her, "You know all the stories. You must know if there's another way out."

"There's the tale," Merry nodded, "A secret song. 'The Thief of the Temple and the Nimmer's Door.'"

"Does the secret song open the secret door?" Ayla asked as Merry nodded, "Well sing it then silly!"

Merry turned to a side door, singing a soft little tune that had the door sliding open, all of them rushing through it to the other side, the Doctor sonicing the door to close behind them…only for them to hear a roar coming from the inside. They flinched down as a light shot out of the pyramid and struck the sun.

They ran around the outer edge, back to the moped, able to see that all the doors of the temple had opened, the Vigil standing inside…only to disappear moments later.

"Where did they go?" Clara frowned.

The Doctor squinted, able to see the mummy slumped over on his throne within, the glass shattered, "Grandfather's awake. They're of no function anymore."

"Well, you could sound happier about it," Clara muttered… before an explosion sounded behind them.

"My love?" Angel called, pointing at the sun.

The Doctor turned, wincing at the sight, "Actually, I think I may have made a tactical boo-boo. More of a semantics mix-up, really."

"What boo-boo?" Clara shot him a look.

"Daddy got the translation wrong," Ayla told her.

"What!?"

"I thought the Old God was Grandfather but he wasn't," the Doctor sighed, rubbing his head, "It was just the Grandfather's alarm clock."

Clara shook her head, "Sorry, a bit lost. Who's the Old God? _Is_ there an Old God?"

"He's right there," Angel nodded, pointing at the sun that was now burning brightly, growing in size.

"Oh my stars…" Clara breathed, staring at it, "What do we do?"

"Against that?!" the Doctor scoffed, "I don't know. Do you know? I don't know. Any ideas?" he looked at them all, Angel tilting her head to eye the sun in thought.

"But you promised!" Merry cried, "You promised!"

"And daddy doesn't break his promises," Ayla reassured her, "He and mummy won't start now, will you?" she looked at them.

"No…" Angel breathed, agreeing.

"He'll eat us all!" Merry argued, "He'll spread across the system, consuming the Seven Worlds. And when there's no more to eat, he'll embark on a new odyssey among the stars."

"I say leg it," Clara whispered, staring at the sun as it grew brighter, a face appearing on it.

"Leg it where, exactly?" the Doctor looked at her.

"Don't know. Lake District?"

"Oh," he smiled, "The Lake District's lovely. Let's definitely go there. We can eat scones. They do great scones in 1927."

"I prefer the Eye of Orion," Angel murmured, "A nice picnic would be good."

"Brilliant," he laughed, "We'll do that then."

"Daddy?" Ayla asked him, reaching out to take his hand, "Are we going to fight the sun now?"

He sighed, "Regrettably, yes. I think we may be about to do that."

Angel frowned as she took a step closer to the sun, eyeing it. There was something...off about it, and not just the fact that it was growing in size and getting redder in hue and the face that had formed within it was starting to glare at them. No, that was all perfectly normal as far as trips with the Doctor went. What was worrying her was...she could just tell there was something odd about it. Like there was more to it than just the glaring face. It felt like...like the sun from that ship once, the one that had infected her and the Doctor, it was like...it was in pain. She could swear she could feel it too, like it was...addicted almost, like it craved something but whatever it was, when it was given to it, just...hurt it.

She let out a breath, glancing at the Doctor, he didn't see it did he?

"It's really big," Clara warned.

"I've seen bigger," the Doctor shrugged.

"Really?"

"Are you joking? It's _massive_!"

"I'm staying with you," Clara nodded, determined.

"No," Angel turned to her, "You can't."

"Yes, I can. And I am. I can...assist."

"Clara, you don't understand…"

"What about that stuff the Doctor said? We don't walk away?"

Angel smiled, "We don't," she agreed, "But I've learned that, when something I cherish is in danger…I run. Fast and far, till it's safe again…" she glanced at the sun, "Till I've _made_ it safe…"

The Doctor's eyes widened, hearing something else in her voice, hearing her saying 'I' instead of 'we' and that...worried him enormously, "Angel…" he began, "No."

Angel just looked at him with a soft smile, reaching out to touch his face, "Ayla, you take care of your father."

And that was all she said…before a flash of gold struck…and the quartet found themselves standing back in the amphitheater…without Angel.

~8~

Angel stood, alone, before the red sun, just staring it down, looking at the face that had formed in it, the face that was glaring at her. It was like the yellow sun was swirling with the angry red light, the yellow of it just barely visible in the eyes that stared at her, in the nose and the mouth, but...it was like the red was consuming it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to it.

And she knew...the red parts were what was infecting it.

~8~

"Angel!" the Doctor shouted, seeing the moped had appeared with them, he ran over for it, but a golden wall appeared around it, keeping him from reaching it, "No!" he rushed to the back doors, but they were closed, the golden wall was there as well, keeping him from getting to the TARDIS. He rushed back to the ledge, ' _Angel what are you doing!?_ ' he called to her.

~8~

Angel closed her eyes, ' _I'm sorry my love,_ ' she whispered, more to herself than him.

~8~

"Daddy?" Ayla's voice called, cutting through the Doctor's frantic thoughts, "What's mummy doing?!"

He swallowed, "I don't know sweetheart," he had to admit.

Ayla frowned, biting her lip, before she moved to his side, taking his hand as they stared at the pyramid, waiting for any sign of what Angel was going to do.

"Isn't she frightened?" Merry whispered to Clara.

She nodded, "I think she is. I think she's very frightened."

"You don't know mummy," Ayla murmured, "Mummy's the strongest person ever."

The Doctor managed a small smile at that, strength and bravery didn't always mean the same thing was certainly both, strong and brave, but...sometimes she was more brave than strong, she'd face down something but not have the strength to save it. Or she'd attempt saving it, and manage it, but weaken herself inordinately in the process. Or she'd be strong enough to stop it...but not brave enough to do it, not that it was always a bad thing. At first, she'd had all the power in the world to stop the Daleks, to destroy them, but hadn't been able to. It wasn't a weakness, it didn't mean she wasn't brave (she was facing DALEKS!) but she didn't have the stomach to go further and truly destroy them. Something he loved about her, that she didn't destroy or kill, that she wasn't him...

And that was why her loss of control with the Vortex worried him so much. It was NOT like Angel to do that, to attack, to destroy, and...to see her do that, to learn she was doing that...it alarmed him. At first she didn't know she'd done it, she'd had no control. But...with the Weeping Angel, a large part of him was relieved she'd made it safe for Amy and Rory by destroying it, a tiny part of him though was...concerned...because she'd KNOWINGLY destroyed something. She had knowingly used the Vortex to destroy a Weeping Angel.

And he didn't know what that meant. He tried to be reassuring, to believe in Idris and her reason for giving Angel the Vortex. He tried to believe in Angel's own strength of will and hearts and soul...that she'd not be corrupt by the power. And he didn't think she was. But there WAS something wrong, for her to keep losing control the way she was. He...really didn't know what it meant, and that...scared him.

"I want to help," Merry moved over to the Doctor.

"So do I," Clara agreed, joining her, "There must be _something_ we can do," she told the Time Lord, "What if we sang that song the priest was singing, to put it to sleep? Would that help?"

"No, no, it's too late for that…" the Doctor muttered…before his eyes widened, "Oh but that is _brilliant_!" he spun around, "Merry!" he snapped his finger and pointed at her, "Can you wake him up completely?"

Merry stared at him, "What?!"

"Wake him up, keep him up," the Doctor explained quickly.

"Why would you want him to STAY awake?" Clara shook her head.

"Because he has to sleep to gain strength," the Doctor explained, "The longer he's awake, the weaker he gets, the more Angel can get through to him."

Merry frowned but trusted him, if it meant it would give Angel an advantage and help save everyone...she could try. She moved onto the small pedestal, staring at the pyramid, afraid that…that she'd muck it up again. Even though the Doctor and Angel had told her it wasn't her fault, she _felt_ like it was.

"It'll be ok Merry," Ayla walked over to her, taking her hand instead now, "Just…sing."

Merry took a deep breath and did just that, "Rest now…"

"My warrior..." Ayla joined in with her, smiling up at the young girl as the Doctor turned a frantic look at the pyramid.

~8~

Angel smiled as she heard Merry and Ayla singing from the city as she stared at the monstrous face forming in the sun before her, "I think I'll do that," she told it, "Tell you a bedtime story, would you like that? I'll bet you've not heard one in the _longest_ time..."

~8~

"Oh..." Merry continued, Ayla following along, "Wake up…"

Clara looked back as the audience joined in, "Wake up…"

"And let the cloak of life cling to your bones..."

Clara looked at the Doctor, the man intently focused on the sun and the pyramid, his hands clutched together around the sonic so tightly his knuckles were turning white…

~8~

Angel looked at the sun softly before kneeling down, getting comfortable, "But first…do you hear that?" she shook her head, "All these people who lived in terror of you and your judgment? All these people whose ancestors worshipped you, sacrificed for you…continuing on the cycle of fear…poisoning you without even realizing…do you hear them?" she closed her eyes, listening, "They're _singing_."

~8~

"Wake up…" Merry sang.

Clara walked over to the Doctor, putting a hand on his shoulder, offering him comfort as they waited to see what would happen next.

~8~

Angel opened her eyes a moment later, "You think yourself a god, but I think we both know it isn't true. You're a parasite, albeit one that sustains these seven worlds, but you eat denial and...and jealousy and envy and you want for the lives of others. You _feed_ on them, on the memory of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow and…you only need one, you know. Love. Just _love_. That is all anyone truly needs to sustain them. You've become corrupted by the negative emotions you've fed on through the years, I can tell," she put a hand to her chest, "It's like I can _feel_ it."

She looked up at it, "You thrive on stories, but stories…they've already happened. The future though, infinite stories to come, enough to sustain you long through your passing, billions of millennia to go. And luckily for you, I happen to be a psychic angel," she laughed, "I've got more than enough of the future, of love, to spare so…come on…take mine," she held out her hand, watching as a reddish/gold light drifted at her from the sun.

~8~

"Wake up," Merry sang, "And let the cloak of life cling to your bones..."

"Doctor…what's wrong?" Clara frowned, seeing tears coming to the Doctor's eyes as he heard what Angel was saying, realized what she was doing.

~8~

"I have had a _long_ life," Angel told the sun, watching as the light filtered around her hand, swarming up her arm, "I have seen more things than I care to admit," she took a breath as it reached her chest, starting to swarm around her, "I lived beyond the Last Great Time War, healed from it," she closed her eyes, thinking of the Doctor just then, "I mark the rebirth of the Time Lords," and then her daughter, the first Time Lord to be born after the War, "I have seen the birth of the Universe. I watched time flowing around me, moving into the future..."

Her eyes opened, the gold of the Vortex shining in them as it began to swarm around her as well, feeding the star.

"I have seen beautiful worlds, incredible people, marvelous feats, civilizations rise, hope survive against _all odds_ …" the gold began to pulse around her, growing stronger as the red encased her, "I have seen worlds so incredible you couldn't imagine them. I have felt losses that you could _never_ understand and felt such incredible hope and joy from them that it would make the heart swell."

The gold flared around her, shining out, making its way past her, out to the sun.

"I know things, secrets of the future that must never be shared, I hold the answer to a question that must _never_ be asked, and in my hearts, I hold such love for everyone…that it would fill even your endless appetite," she stood up and held her arms out, "And I offer it to you," she called, letting the gold blaze out of her, shining through the darkness of space, right to the star, seeping into it, "Take it, please. Have it. Let it heal you too..."

~8~

From the edge of the city, the Doctor fell to his knees, everyone standing as they watched the brilliant gold light that had drifted to the sun begin to shine from within the star itself, the face shifting, till all the red that had encompassed it turned golden and warm…before the light flickered out as did Merry's song.

"Wake up. Wake up."

~8~

Angel smiled softly, seeing the red dissipate and fade, the sun now yellow once more, "Good…"

And collapsed to her knees, falling to her side…

~8~

The gold wall surrounding the moped flickered out.

"Angel!" the Doctor shouted, fearing what that meant. If it had been Angel _consciously_ doing it, the gold would have _faded_ , but this…this was a flicker! And a flicker meant that it wasn't Angel choosing to let it go but that she didn't have the energy to sustain it.

He ran back to the moped, hopping on, seeing Clara and Ayla rushing after him as he took off, back to the temple as soon as they were on, the sun shining in a golden light, warm, unlike the darkness they'd felt in it earlier. He half ran off the moped before it had even touched down once more, racing through the halls of the temple to another ledge that faced the sun.

"Angel!" he cried, seeing her collapsed on the ground, and ran to her side, dropping to his knees beside her, gently picking her up in his arms.

"Mummy!" Ayla gasped, rushing over as Clara slowly approached.

"Is she alright?" Clara whispered as Ayla took the woman's hand.

The Doctor's eyes frantically searched over Angel, before he breathed sigh of relief, feeling it, "She's…she'll be fine," he whispered, bowing his head in relief, "You stupid, stupid girl," he murmured, no bite at all in his voice but merely fear.

"I thought I was…rather brilliant," Angel murmured, blearily blinking her eyes opened to look at him.

"Mummy!" Ayla cheered, leaping forward to hug her mother.

"Hello beautiful," Angel whispered, hugging her daughter weakly.

"Are you alright?" Clara moved to kneel beside Ayla as the girl pulled back.

"Tired," Angel murmured, turning to curl more against the Doctor as he held her closer.

"Why did you DO that?" the Doctor lightly started to sway, holding her.

"Couldn't let it eat the leaf," was all Angel said before she drifted off.

Clara blinked, "Was I the only one who didn't get that?"

Ayla shrugged, knowing that sometimes her mummy didn't make a lick of sense, but the Doctor frowned, thinking of that, of what it meant…before he smacked himself in the forehead, "Of course…"

"Care to share with the rest of the class Doctor?" Clara lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Your leaf Clara," he whispered, nodding at her bag where her book '101 Places to See' was nestled, "The leaf that brought your parents together," he kept going, ignoring Clara's confused frown at how he'd known that was the story behind it, "It's full of stories, full of history and…a future that your mother never got to live."

"I get it now," Ayla nodded.

" _I_ don't," Clara frowned.

"Your leaf isn't your mummy's past Clara, it's also her future," Ayla explained, "An infinity of possibilities."

"There's quite a difference between what was and what should have been," the Doctor sighed, "There's an awful lot of one, but there's an _infinity_ of the other. And the future…all that infinity would have been too much for the sun and its appetite."

"And Angel…" Clara looked at the worn woman.

"She really IS psychic Clara," the Doctor told her, "She offered it her insight to the future. On our planet, there were women and men called Visionaries, who saw the future. It was a natural gift they had, tended to drive them a bit barmy actually. Angel has it, Ayla has it as well," Ayla smiled proudly at that, "She just…offered it a look into that part of her mind, used some other skills of hers to heal it while it was distracted and feeding. The future…can be an incredible burden," he added softly, "One that Angel bears rather brilliantly."

"Because she has you daddy," Ayla told him, "And me! And Aunt Idris. Oh! And our family too!"

The Doctor smiled and merely stood, Angel in his arms, as Clara took Ayla's hand, following the man off.

~8~

"You knew that my mum's leaf would be destroyed," Clara began as she leaned on the controls beside the side-chair where Angel was sitting, the two of them watching the Doctor race around the console with Ayla, piloting th old box.

"I had a feeling," Angel shrugged, but nodded, "I knew how important it was to you Clara," she reached out to take the girl's hand, "It was your parents' and I couldn't let it be taken like that, like Ayla couldn't let you give up your mum's ring," she added, "Memories of family...are the most important sort, family in itself is..." she shook her head, unable to really say anything else, there wasn't a word to describe how important family was.

Though she DID blink, "Which reminds me, I really do need to ask Sissy to help get pictures of the Doctor's past companions for Ayla," for the locket she knew the Doctor had managed to get back. She glanced at Clara, "They're family to me, and I think Ayla deserves a photo of Susan as well."

Clara frowned, "Susan?"

Angel smiled, "The Doctor's granddaughter, her..." she blinked, "Ayla's niece. Oh," she laughed a bit, "That's weird, his granddaughter is Ayla's niece."

Clara glanced at the little girl, "Have you um, have you told her, about his other family?"

She nodded, "We have. The Doctor's taken to telling her bedtime stories about his past adventures sometimes. He's been going mostly in order and quite a few of them feature Susan. She travelled with him for a while," she explained, "Oh she loves hearing about Susan, says that 'niceness' has to be hereditary on both sides of the family."

Clara laughed, shaking her head at that, "What?"

"A few people have mentioned that I'm nice," Angel sighed, "Sometime too nice..."

"There's nothing wrong with that though," Clara defended, "The world would be better if people were nice to each other."

"I agree," she nodded, "But from what the Doctor's said of Susan, she was very kind and very brave and very nice as well. Ayla loves that about her, and...I do too," she nodded, "Of all his children and all his grandchildren, Susan was the only one who wanted to spend time with him and see the Universe, to explore with him. And I'm grateful for that," she smiled in thought, "She's rather like I hope Ayla will grow up to be, a strong, brave, kind woman."

She really did love Susan. Unlike Ayla, she had a direct link to the Doctor's mind he could share memories of Susan with her and she loved that girl. She was quite certain that, if she and the Doctor had met on Gallifrey, if they'd Mated, somehow even with his wife still being alive, that she would have come to love that girl as though she were really HER granddaughter too. She actually already did. She loved how much Susan cared for her grandfather and how much she just wanted to see him safe and happy. She could tell that Susan would have been one of Ayla's favorite 'aunties' if she'd still been alive. The War...it had been felt through all of time and space, like a beacon to all the Time Lord everywhere to return, to fight. Susan had been there, she'd fought, and she'd fallen in battle as well.

Ayla had never gotten to meet her or her other nieces and nephews, her half-siblings, not even her 'step mother' as was the only fitting word she could think of for the Doctor's wife. She would have loved to meet Susan too, both her and Ayla felt a love for the girl for being the only one to want to stay with the Doctor and see her grandfather's adventures play out. They both rather liked what they knew of her, the girl being much like them they felt.

The Doctor pulled a lever and the TARDIS set down before the Maitland home pulling their attention back over. Angel stood and moved to check his coordinates, feeling a bit more rested than when they'd left Akhaten. They really HAD stopped for a little in the Eye of Orion on the way back, got that peaceful picnic just to help her recover more. She was still tired but refused to sleep till she'd seen Clara safely back home.

"Home again," the Doctor cheered, "Home again, jiggity-jig!"

Clara walked over to the doors, peeking out them, "It looks different."

"Nope. Same house. Same city. Same planet. Same day, actually."

"Well done my love," Angel smiled, seeing he was right on the monitor, before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He laughed, "Hole in one!" and pretended to swing a club.

"Can we go mini-golfing daddy?" Ayla rushed over to him, taking his hand.

"Of course," he nodded, kissing her head, "Whatever you want sweetheart."

"Only if you try not to hit your father in the head with the golf ball again," Angel added with a small laugh, it had seemed that Ayla had inherited her last self's lack of any sort of coordination, except balance, the girl hardly tripped but failed to hit targets and other things.

Clara paused at that, frowning as she thought on Angel's words, about someone getting hit in the head with a ball...and blinked. She closed the doors and stepped back into the TARDIS, walking to them, "You were in the park, when I was a kid," she frowned, pointing at them, "I remember you! I nearly hit you with my kick-ball. And..." her eyes widened, looking at Ayla, "YOU were the little girl I talked to on the swing set when I was older and...you were...younger," she shook her head, time travel, "And at mum's grave too! You were watching. What were you doing there? All those times, why were you always there?!"

The Doctor turned and fidgeted with a control, not quite sure how to explain all those instances that probably came across quite a bit like stalking, "Don't know. We were just...making sure."

"Of what?" she crossed her arms.

"That you were alright," Angel told her, "That you were safe."

"Why wouldn't I be safe?" she frowned.

"You...remind us of someone we knew," Angel sighed.

"Who?"

"Someone we lost."

"Well, whoever she was, I'm not her, ok?" she insisted, "If you want me to travel with you, that's fine. But as _me_. Not a bargain basement stand-in for someone else. I not going to compete with a ghost."

"You won't be," Ayla told her, "Mummy and daddy have had lots of companions who looked like people that were lost," before she started to tick off her fingers, "Aunt Martha looked like her cousin Addy, Aunt Amy looked like that soothsayer lady, you look like…"

The Doctor quickly put his hand over Ayla's mouth, "I think she gets it sweetheart."

"We promise Clara," Angel crossed her hearts, "We see Clara. Just Clara."

Clara smiled at that and nodded, half-skipping back to the doors and opening them, stepping out as they watched her go.

"Oh!" the Doctor cheered, "That reminds me," he turned to Ayla, kneeling down and holding up...her locket!

"My locket!" Ayla cheered, before frowning, "Daddy did you _steal_ it back?" she looked at him suspiciously.

He laughed, "Why does everyone assume I steal things?"

"Et hem?" Angel called, nodding at the TARDIS.

"Well…besides that," he rolled his eyes, motioning for Ayla to turn around so he could put the locket back on, "Now," he turned her around again, his hands on her shoulders, "Why don't you go pick out a story to read for bed eh?"

Ayla nodded and rushed out to do just that. Even though she was over 100 years old, she did love a good story. It had been one reason to go to Akhaten in the first place, the place thrived on stories and there were always SO many being told. It made them wonder if she might be 'the Bard' one day and tell tales of her own.

The Doctor smiled watching her go before he stood and walked right up to Angel, hugging her tightly, "Don't ever do that to me again," he whispered.

"I'll try not to my love," she murmured, kissing him gently before she took his hand and led him off towards the halls after their daughter.

~8~

"I am knackered," Angel remarked, only to end up yawning in the middle of it as she plopped down on their bed, the Doctor laughing as she cuddled up next to him, her eyes already falling closed as she rested her head on his chest.

"I'd expect so," he countered, "You did it again, faced down a killer star," though he was VERY pleased she wasn't in as much pain as she had been helping that time.

"And a 'god,'" she joked, smiling as she felt his arms wrap around her, "But I've plenty experience with facing down gods don't I?"

He hummed, "God of the Daleks, God of the wolves, the Pyroviles, the Minotaur, and now this. Quite the record."

"I wasn't talking about them," she murmured, sounding already half asleep.

He frowned and looked at her, "Then who..." she just opened her eyes and gave him a look, "Oh, me," he smiled, "But I'm not a god, dear."

She let out a tiny scoff, setting her head back down, "If you're not a god then I'm not an angel."

He paused, thinking on that, before reaching out to touch her cheek, gently coaxing her awake from the brink of sleep to look at him once more, "Angel, I really am _not_ a god."

She gave him a small smile, "Let's see...a man who watches over all humanity, all life in the Universe, heeds the prayers of others, travels with not one, but two angels, who others belief in, by now thanks to erasing himself from history, is left only to faith...that sounds like a god to me," she leaned in and kissed him gently, "A kind, benevolent, merciful, and compassionate god who uses everything he has to save all he can and feels guilt when he cannot.

She gave him one more lingering kiss, before lying her head back down, "And anyone who looks like you," she added, starting to drift off again, "HAS to be a god."

The Doctor blinked, the touching feeling he'd gotten from her first words fading into bemusement at her last ones, "Oh, you think I'm handsome then?"

"I believe I implied you were god-like in looks my love," she corrected, not opening her eyes but the smile on her face told him she was enjoying this little moment.

"Which god then?" he wondered, "Baldor? Apollo? Mars?"

"You are a god all to your own," she snuggled into him more, "But I'd say with quite a few qualities of Adonis."

He smiled, Adonis, while not really a true god, he knew was symbolic of the perfect man. He was...he felt warm to know she thought of him like that. Him, with his scrawny frame and floppy hair and bowtie...she thought he was perfect.

"Because you are," she murmured once more, and he could tell she was only seconds away from sleep, she really _was_ quite tired, "To me, you are perfect Theta."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her hair, gently stroking his hand down her hair in the process, "And you are just divine Nella," he whispered.

"I better be," she mumbled, nearly gone, "Have to...live up to my title."

He laughed lightly, watching her expression as she gently drifted off and he smiled, closing his eyes, feeling...so content that he actually thought, perhaps, for once in a long while, he wouldn't have a nightmare this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Doctor, you should know better than that, the nightmares are FAR from over. But the next one...will have a shocking revelation for the Doctor }:)
> 
> But I hope you liked this chapter, the change in having Angel alone confront the star. I sort of did one story where it was the Doctor, then one of him and a TL, so I wanted to see if Angel could handle it this time ;) I think she did a pretty good job of it though :)


	37. The Eye of Orion

"Where are we?" Rory asked as the TARDIS set down, him and Amy waiting by the doors of the phone box, both of them were a bit hesitant to just step out, especially after one of their more recent trips to a planetoid place named House.

"The Eye of Orion," the Doctor answered, making sure that the TARDIS remained locked in place and didn't wander off like he felt she might.

The old box seemed rather adventurous ever since House. He'd actually been aiming for the Eye of Orion and finally managed to get it. He felt the Ponds could use a little bit of a break, some peace and quiet, whatever that was.

"And what is the Eye of Orion?" Amy asked, "Are we like on Orion's Belt or something? Is that where we are?"

Angel shook her head, giving them a small smile, still trying to cope with having the TARDIS in a flesh body, running around and calling her sister…only to lose her once more, "It's the most peaceful place in the Universe," she explained, "It's like a little slice of heaven, or at least that's how it was described a few times."

She grew more lost in thought, thinking of all the other companions they'd taken to the Eye of Orion over the years. Quite a few of them had gotten to go to the Eye, they'd taken Rose there after her father's death and Martha after they'd dealt with that killer star. She liked that, the thought of taking the companions to the same places here and there, just so they could see the same thing, have something more to talk about if they ever met up one day.

And she knew they'd all meet one day, she loved the thought of bringing the 'family' together to spend time with each other. They really did need to have a reunion or something quite soon. She…she'd gotten to see Jack and Sarah Jane in person but all the others she'd had to see through the monitor of the TARDIS. She missed them, she missed being around people who actually knew who she was and remembered who she was to them. She swallowed hard, the Doctor…she glanced at him, he was…different than how he'd been when he first regenerated, he was…closer to her, but he still had no idea who she was, that she was his Mate, that she was carrying his child. She rubbed her head, she really DID have to tell him about that, fairly soon she imagined.

There was only about a month or two left of her pregnancy and then the baby would be there and…she felt like something terrible was going to be coming and that he'd need all the help he could get. She couldn't just leave him, not knowing that was coming for him, not even knowing what 'that' was but that he'd need her for it.

She just…didn't know what to do.

"So come on then!" the Doctor shouted, pulling Angel out of her thoughts as he rushed to the doors, "Enough of this talking, let's get out there and do some…some relaxing type things. And lounging about and and…and…"

Amy looked at him, "You have no clue how to relax do you Doctor?"

"Not a one," he nodded, "So you need to teach me," he took hold of the door, when Rory spoke beside him, making him pause.

"Angel are you sure we should be here?" Rory turned to her, "He doesn't seem like he does well relaxing," he jerked a thumb at the Doctor who looked quite offended at that, "Is this gonna turn into some dangerous adventure again?"

Angel shook her head with a small smile, "No Rory, it should be fine. Trust me," she nodded, "I don't feeling anything bad about the Eye, it's always been very peaceful. Nothing's ever really happened to us when we came here before. Too peaceful even with the Doctor there."

"Oi!" the Doctor pouted.

"Not even the Sontarans, er…a warrior race, would mind being here a century."

Amy frowned, "Those weird potato dwarf things right?" she guessed, recalling what Sontarans were, a vague sense of glimpsing a stone version of them in the Pandorica room during that whole event.

"Yes," Angel nodded, "But um…you'd best go," she nodded at the Doctor, "I think he's about to explode from impatience."

"I'm not that bad," the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Oh just shift," Amy shoved him out the doors, "You big child."

"Angel are you coming?" he glanced back at her.

"Go on," Angel shooed them, "I just need to check the firewall," she just wanted to make sure that the TARDIS would be ok first, that the firewalls were holding up before she joined them. She hadn't gotten a chance to test them before and what better time than in a peaceful place like the Eye?

The Doctor though, found himself hesitating, not liking the idea of going off without Angel. It was just…ever since House and Idris's words ringing in his ears…he hadn't stop thinking about her, about what Idris's last words, to take care of her. He couldn't just let her wander off or stay behind anymore, she rarely ever had in the past but…now she seemed to do so more and it…bothered him, it bothered him how much she tended to walk away from him and leave him and get separated from him and…it hurt to realize he had partially been to blame in LETTING it happen.

"Are you sure?" he had to ask again, "We… _I_ …can wait."

She shook her head, "I'll be just fine. Go. Go," she insisted when he remained where he was, "Please, have fun, I'll be there in a few minutes."

The Doctor waited only a moment longer before stepping out the doors with the Ponds, shutting them behind him and giving her privacy (and a little bit of protection if he wasn't going to be with her in the TARDIS). He turned around and stopped short…staring, wide-eyed, at who was standing right in front of him only a few feet away, literally an arm's length before him.

"It _can't_ be…" he murmured.

Amy glanced between him and the two men standing before her, "Doctor?" she frowned, "Do you know them?"

"Doctor?" Rory glanced between them, recognizing the men from pictures Angel had shown him, "Is that…YOU?"

Angel really had shown him a picture of one of the Doctor's previous incarnations so that he could defend himself should the man ever make fun of his nose again. But she'd done more than that, she'd shown him images using the TARDIS of ALL the Doctor's previous incarnations as well. And standing there, right before them, were the man's last two.

"What?" Amy looked at Rory, then the Doctor, then the two men who were apparently ALSO the Doctor, and back to HER Doctor.

But the three Time Lords were just staring at each other, as shocked about it all as THE Doctor seemed to be.

"You're the Doctor?" the tall, skinny man in the brown suit with the blue tie looked at him, his hair all sticking up, before having to add, "Please tell me it wasn't a brick. Please just tell me it _wasn't_ a brick."

"Oh shut up," the other one, a more built man rolled his eyes, wearing a leather jacket on top of a dark blue shirt, with a bit of a big nose and big ears.

"It is…" Rory nodded, more to himself than anyone else, "The tenth," he pointed at the tall skinny man, "And the ninth," and the other with shorter hair.

"How do you know that?" the Eleventh Doctor looked at him, startled out of his shock by Rory's knowledge.

Rory shrugged and pointed over his shoulder at the TARDIS doors, "Angel showed me a picture of you, the other yous…but it IS you, isn't it?" he glanced at the others, "Your the ninth and tenth self."

"Angel's in there?" the Tenth Doctor blinked, looking at the doors, "Why is Angel in the TARDIS?" he turned back to his future self, confused. Angel should have been out there, with him…the other him…not in the TARDIS.

The Eleventh Doctor just shook his head, blinking a bit as he came out of his shock completely, "She's checking on the firewall she installed for the TARDIS Matrix," he told them, just…staring at them.

Why didn't he remember meeting them? BOTH of his last selves were there and yet…he didn't remember this, he didn't remember coming to the Eye of Orion and meeting his other selves. He remembered coming with Rose and Angel, after trying to save Pete, he remembered that Angel and Rose had wandered off, Angel talking to her about the loss of her mother, and he remembered coming there with Martha and the next Angel after helping that ship get away from the sun, how he'd gone off and was waiting for Martha and Angel to join him…but he didn't remember this, meeting either version of himself.

"Still tinkering with the TARDIS then," the Ninth Doctor smiled, "She hasn't managed to fix everything yet?"

"Oh I bet I broke half the things she fixed," the Tenth Doctor shrugged, "I love it when she does that," he turned to his future self, "Can we go see her? Can we say hi?"

"Yes, of course," the Eleventh nodded, "She's regenerated though, only one in there."

"Wait!" the Tenth Doctor held up a hand as his past self tried to step towards the TARDIS, looking at his future self intently, "What hair color does she have? Is it ginger? Please tell me she's still ginger. I've always wanted to be ginger and she looks so lovely with red hair…"

"Er…she's got black hair," Rory supplied, "But I think she was ginger once before…"

The Ninth Doctor frowned at that, "Once before?" he looked at his future future self, "You means she's regenerated more than once?" he frowned at that, at the thought that Angel, his Angel, had died repeatedly in order to get to two different hair colors. That…bothered him.

"Oh look at the time," the Eleventh Doctor glanced at his watch, forgetting momentarily that it was on his left wrist and not his right one which he'd glanced at, "I was just heading off with Ponds 1 and 2," he pointed at Amy and Rory, crossing his arms in the process.

Rory rolled his eyes, "I'm not Pond 2," he corrected, before turning to the men, "I'm Rory Williams," he held out a hand, "Angel's companion. Nice to meet you."

The Tenth Doctor eagerly shook Rory's hand, beyond thrilled that his Mate was taking on companions of her own, but the Ninth Doctor just blinked at him, confused, "She can take a companion?"

The Tenth Doctor grinned and sent him a wink, "Can't really say," before smiling like he knew an exciting secret. He didn't want to ruin it for his past self the wonderful future he knew would be coming for himself and Angel.

The Eleventh Doctor just nodded, "Apparently she can," he shrugged…making the Tenth Doctor's grin start to fade just a little at the words…it sounded almost like he was confused by how that was possible, before the Eleventh Doctor gestured at the doors, "Go on in and say hello," he offered before walking off with the Ponds.

Both Doctors frowned at that, watching him go, that wasn't right at all, for either of them. Something about this wasn't sitting right with them.

"That isn't right," the Ninth Doctor frowned at himself.

The Tenth Doctor nodded, "Very, VERY not right. Especially since Angel's our M…" he cut himself off.

"Our what?" his past self looked at him.

"I can't say," the Tenth Doctor muttered, "But there IS something wrong here and I need to see if Angel's ok."

"Me too," the Ninth Doctor agreed, and they both reached for a door handle, pushing the doors to the TARDIS open.

They could see Angel, working at the console, very deeply focused on what she was doing as she flicked a few switches, as she always was when she was fixing their beloved box. They both felt themselves smile at that, at seeing her dedicated to keeping the ship flying and fit, she loved the box (sometimes they thought) more than they did…but then they saw her stiffen as she made it to a place where her back was to them, as though sensing them behind her.

"What are you in here for?" the Ninth Doctor called, grinning, but the Tenth Doctor's frown remained in place, sensing something very VERY different about his Mate.

"Angel?" the Tenth Doctor asked, but she actually flinched at HIS voice.

"No," Angel started shaking her head, "No, no…you are _not_ doing this to me. Don't do this to me. Please don't do this to me," they both looked on, alarmed, as she started to beg someone they couldn't see, both of them able to hear teas in her voice, making them both very concerned.

The Ninth Doctor looked over, blinking, as the Tenth Doctor literally disappeared from beside him as he ran over to Angel's side in an instant, trying to reach for her…

But Angel just stumbled away from him, "No, no don't touch me!" she walked backwards, farther away from him as the Tenth Doctor stared at her with wide, hurt eyes.

The Ninth Doctor slowly moved to his future self's side, looking at the tears filling Angel's eyes, making his hearts constrict to see, "Angel what's wrong?" he tried to reach out for her as well, hoping it was just his future self she might have issue with but when she stumbled back from even _his_ touch he grew even more concerned, "What's wrong?"

Angel just stared at them, so pale it looked as though she'd seen a ghost, her eyes wide, shimmering with tears, she looked…utterly devastated, "You _can't_ be here," she mumbled, staring at them, shaking her head, looking between them as though she were trying to convince herself she was imagining it all, "You can't be here. You can't. This is impossible. You can't be here. You can't do this to me."

"Do want to you?" the Tenth Doctor breathed, "I don't understand. Angel what happened?!"

Angel looked at the Tenth Doctor, as though just noticing he was there before her, and glanced at the Ninth as well, and back to the Tenth, "Are you really him?" she whispered, before wincing and shaking her head, closing her eyes, "No, no you're not. You can't be him. You're just a…body-snatcher or…or…or a Slitheen or a Gelth or...or the Dream Lord trying to frighten me or Gangers or…" she swallowed, blinking at them, seeming to be struggling to try and keep thinking of what they could be, anything besides what they were, "Are you real?"

The Tenth Doctor nodded, "Of course we're real," he patted himself in the stomach and nudged the Ninth Doctor's side, "See very real."

The Ninth Doctor slapped his future self's hand away as he proceeded to poke him instead, "Stop doing that," he sort of scowled at him in a brooding way,

"Ganger," Angel murmured and they looked at her, the Time Lady shifting in front of them from foot to foot, seeming about to flee their presence at any moment, "Gangers that downloaded your personalities…"

"Angel it's _us_ ," the Tenth Doctor insisted.

The Ninth Doctor nodded, "Yes it's the two of us. Apparently, me, and the next me, and the next next me."

The Tenth Doctor looked at her, "Please tell me I didn't trip over a brick."

His hoped for effect, that she would laugh, failed, as the tears began to fall from her eyes at the notion and the remember of not only the time during Christmas (a Christmas she knew that particular Doctor, and his past self, hadn't had yet) when he'd joked about that, but also at the reminder of the last Doctor's regeneration.

"Angel please," the Tenth Doctor took a step towards her, but she backed up and he felt tears coming to his own eyes.

"Tell me what's wrong," the Ninth pleaded, joining his future self at his side, "I hate seeing you like this."

"You're hiding things from me."

"What do you mean she's hiding things from you?" the Ninth Doctor looked at him, "How can you tell?"

"Because we are…"

"No, don't say it," Angel begged.

But he finished anyway, "Mates."

The Ninth Doctor's eyes widened at that as he looked between the two of them, his future self and Angel…they were Mates? They were… "We…we Mated…we Mated with her?" he blinked, "She's our Mate? She's…ours?"

"Maybe," the Tenth Doctor started to smile, "We're in the process of it. And I would very _very_ much hope that we've finished the process by now…" he looked Angel, but only for his mouth to drop open, his eyes to widen, and his heart to break as he saw her crying into her hands, silently, her shoulders shaking, her head bowed, "Angel…" he swallowed, "Did we finish the Mating?" he whispered, thinking that might be what set her off, that they'd stopped or hadn't finished or…

She slowly sniffled, trying to take a deep breath, and looked up, her eyes red, "Yes, we did."

The Ninth Doctor shook his head, "Why are you crying if that's a happy thing? It…IS happy," he eyed her as she flinched.

Angel looked away, it hurt, it hurt so much to see them there, the two men who would always care for her in a way that current Doctor didn't seem to, "It should have been," she whispered.

The Tenth Doctor stepped closer to her, seeing her not looking and reached out a hand to her.

"No, don't…" she tried to back away, "Don't touch me. Please don't touch me," she started to beg and cry even more the closer he came.

"Angel what's wrong?" he asked her, "Please you are breaking my hearts," he whispered, and they could all hear the tears in his voice as it broke.

"Yes," the Ninth Doctor nodded, "I'd rather like to know what's wrong as well," he crossed his arms, whatever it was that had upset Angel so badly he wanted to have some words with.

Angel swallowed, realizing they wouldn't leave her be till they had answers, "I'll talk to you," she agreed, "But please don't touch me."

"How can you expect me not to?" the Tenth Doctor shook his head.

She looked at him, a heartsbroken expression on her face, "Because it will hurt too much."

"How would it hurt?" the Ninth Doctor asked, shaking his head, not understanding anything that was going on, which was very _very_ frustrating.

She closed her eyes, "Because you forgot me," she told them.

She needed to say that. She needed to get it out. She wanted to confront the Doctor about it, HER Doctor, but in his current incarnation she was terrified of his rejection of her, that he would laugh it off and think it was just some sort of vivid dream or fanciful hope of hers. Especially with the River Song in the picture, she wasn't sure if he would even believe her or even entertain the notion that they were Mates. And she was completely petrified of bringing up the baby and him denying the child was his. But…these two Doctors, despite one not having had any idea they were Mates as they hadn't been Mates during his time, and the other only in the process of Mating with her…they would talk to her, they would understand, and they would listen…because they cared about her still.

She kept getting the feeling that every time the Eleventh Doctor tried to love her or like her or pull her closer something just…pushed him away. And it broke her heart every single time. She just needed to speak to the Doctor, any Doctor, it didn't matter which one it was as they were all the same person to her, they were all the same man in a way but just…different. She loved each of them individually, even the ones she hadn't met yet, because they were just _him_ and why wouldn't she love in any incarnation?

A fire and rage entered the Tenth Doctor's eyes as his hands curled into fists, "What you mean I've forgotten you?!"

The Ninth Doctor looked at him and back at Angel, "But he knew who you were. He said that you were in here. He called you Angel, he knows you…"

Angel looked at them again and this time they could see…defeat…in her eyes, something that had them both tensing to see, it was a look that just didn't belong on her face, "Yes he knows me. He knows I'm a Time Lady. He knows I travel with him. He…" her voice cracked, "He doesn't know were Mates."

"How could he possibly forget that?!" the Tenth Doctor blew up, making Angel flinch at the sudden shout.

The Ninth Doctor turned to him, "Watch the volume!" he hissed at his future self, thinking that Angel had flinched because of the way he'd yelled, which was partially true as she couldn't really ever remember the Tenth Doctor truly shouting at her.

"How…" the Tenth Doctor began to shout again, but took a breath, trying to be calmer, "How could I have forgotten you?" he looked at Angel, shaking his head, "You're too important for me to _ever_ forget. And I think I speak for him as well," he nodded at the Ninth Doctor. Angel glanced at the Ninth Doctor as well, to see him looking at her, nodding in his agreement, "You are the most precious thing in my entire life. More than even the TARDIS."

They looked up as the TARDIS gave an angry hum, but also an understanding one, knowing that the Doctors, both of them had implied on numerous occasions that Angel was that important to them. That they'd give her up, give up the travelling, if it would make Angel happy. But they both knew that the girl loved the box as much as they did.

"Angel please," the Tenth Doctor stepped up to her, trying to take her hands which she pulled back.

"Please don't," she whispered brokenly, making him stop at the tremor in her voice, "Please don't touch me."

"Why not?" the Ninth Doctor asked, seeing his next self too shocked and alarmed to be able to speak.

Angel sighed, rubbing her head, "Because he doesn't anymore," she said simply, "Not a hug, not a hand hold, not a pat on the back…" she let out a bitter laugh, "Nothing."

"What happened to me?" the Tenth Doctor breathed, not sure he even believed a word of what was saying, but...knowing she wasn't lying, and knowing, from what he'd seen of his future self just walking away and leaving Angel alone that it was true.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "You just…you regenerated and that was it. I was gone. It's not just that you forgot we're Mated, you have literally NO memory of us being together," she blinked, trying not to cry again, "It's all gone. Everything, all that time we had together, every moment that's non platonic is gone…and I don't know how to get it back."

The Doctors looked at her, completely horrified, both of them unable to believe they could ever forget her like she was describing. She was such a part of their lives, she was too big a part of their lives to just…forget her. It would be like carving out an entire chunk of their hearts, they wouldn't be able to continue to function properly if they forgot her.

"He doesn't realize does he?" the Ninth Doctor realized, looking at the doors, "He was far too…chipper," but he'd seen it, in the man's eyes, that there was something not quite right, not quite there.

"I don't think he does," Angel admitted, "He might, he might not. There are times where he gets this look on his face, like he's…he's remembering something but then it's gone a moment later and I never know if it's ever gonna come back. I just…I don't know what to do," she started crying again.

The Ninth Doctor watched as his future self walked right over to her, pulling her into his arms even as she struggled, even as she tried to get back.

"No don't," she whispered, "Please don't…" but she didn't have as much fight in her as last time and his future self just held her.

"You can expect me to stand by at the sight of my Mate in pain," he told her, shaking his head, "And not try to comfort her."

"I'm not your Mate," she murmured, "YOU haven't finished the process."

"That's only a technicality," he countered, looking at his past self over her head, a hard look in his eyes.

The Ninth Doctor nodded, "Why don't we step out and go have a little chat with ourself."

"Brilliant idea," the Tenth Doctor agreed, stepping away from Angel…only for her to grab his hand and stop him.

"No!" she shouted, "You can't!"

"Angel we might be able to jog his memory…" the Ninth Doctor tried.

"Don't you think I've tried?" she told them, "I have tried _everything_ , I even told him, to his face, that we were Mates…nothing worked. Nothing will work."

The Tenth Doctor swallowed hard, "Then what do we do? How do we stop it?"

"You can't," Angel shrugged, letting go of his hand, "You need to go back to your TARDISes, and erase this moment from your memories."

"What?!" the Doctors shouted.

"You can't remember learning this," she insisted, "It could change the entire course of your future and…"

"And we'd remember you!" the Tenth Doctor shouted.

"And it would destroy the timelines," Angel countered.

"To hell with the timelines," the Ninth Doctor agreed.

"And thousands, MILLIONS, will die," she cut in, the two of them falling silent, "Everything that happened since you regenerated, everything that you will do, every choice, every action, every decision…was made because you can't remember me. If you do…what if you change something? What if you make it worse?"

"What if we make it better?" the Tenth Doctor countered.

Angel swallowed hard, shaking her head, "That is not a risk I can take."

"Angel…" the Ninth Doctor looked at her, so…alarmed, this was NOT the bright and shining and exuberant girl he travelled with, the woman he was…falling in love with, "It could make you happy."

"And all those people who might die because of it? Because you chose something else this time? I won't thank you for that, that will devastate me more than your amnesia, to know I caused their deaths."

"You wouldn't remember them," the Tenth Doctor countered.

"It would be a separate timeline," his past self agreed.

"I'd know," she shook her head, "I WOULD know, I'd feel it. And it would be worse to be so sad and so hurt and so broken and not know why. This…" she took a breath, "I…can survive this. I couldn't survive the deaths of all those people on me."

The Tenth Doctor looked at her, heartsbroken, "You really want us to do this, don't you?"

She nodded, "Everything happens for a reason. Everything you've done has been influenced by the amnesia. It HAS to happen, for this to happen."

The Ninth Doctor glanced at his future self, "There's not a snowball's chance in hell that we'll ever be able to say no to her, is there?" he asked, already feeling himself giving in, because ANGEL had begged them to.

His future self shook his head, no there wasn't. He looked at Angel a long while, before he turned and gestured his past self on, the two of them leaving to do as she asked, both of them unable to say another word to her for fear of making it harder for her.

Angel watched them go a long while, till the door had shut, before she ran around the console, seeing in some sort of command, looking up as the…helmet that had turned her human started to descend from the ceiling. She swallowed hard, moving to put in instructions, not to turn her human but…the helmet could erase memories, alter them, take them out of her head…like it had when it turned her human.

And this…she couldn't remember this, it would break her to know she'd had a chance to change it all…and decided not to.

She ran over to the helmet, putting it on and scrunching her eyes shut as the program kicked in…and she screamed…

~8~

"Angel!" the Doctor shouted as he bolted up in bed, feeling like he'd been the TARDIS near the end of his dream, watching Angel putting that helmet on, seeing her in such pain, reaching out for her but being unable to stop it.

"Theta," a voice called beside him as he felt the bed shift, his eyes having fallen closed, to feel Angel wrap her arms around him, "Another nightmare?"

He swallowed hard, nodding, "Yes," there was no point to lie at that time, she knew he'd had one, she'd woken up because of it, "I'm sorry…for waking you."

Angel smiled and kissed his shoulder, resting her chin on it as she ran a hand up and down his back, "Do you…want to talk about it?"

He let out a breath, running a hand through his hair as he opened his eyes and stared at the duvet of their bed. He hesitated a moment before sighing, "My last two incarnations ran into us in the Eye of Orion with Amy and Rory, that's all."

He was expecting her to say that it didn't sound like a nightmare and that she was happy he was starting to talk to her about them. He was expecting her to say that she wasn't that bad a pilot that she'd set them all down at the same time as SHE had been the one to pilot them on those trips. He expected her to say that the Universe would explode if the three of them met each other so it had to be a dream…

He did NOT expect her to stiffen beside him.

He looked at her, frowning when he saw her eyes wide, "What's wrong?" but Angel just started at him, shaking her head before closing her eyes a moment, "Nella…what is it?"

"They found out about your amnesia…didn't they?" she wondered.

He blinked and frowned more, "Did you…see my dream?" she hadn't been able to see his last few.

"No," she told him, "I…" she looked away a moment, "Come with me," she took his hand and got out of bed, leading him from their room and to the console room.

"What's going on?" he asked, not sure what this had to do with anything, not sure why his latest dream had clearly upset her so much.

"You'll see," she whispered, moving to the monitor and putting in a few commands, "I…I didn't remember till I was putting the photos of your past companions into Ayla's locket," she murmured, "I still don't remember but…" she shook her head, "Look…" she hit a button…

And his hearts stopped.

There, on the monitor, was Angel, her last self, working at the console, moving around it…when the doors opened…and his last two selves stepped in. He watched as his dream, his nightmare, played out before him, Angel backing away from them, their confusion and anger, her pleading with them…

It…it was all _real_?

"I…I don't…" he shook his head, feeling his hearts start to race now, "It…"

"Happened, yes," Angel said quietly, watching as his past selves left and her own past self ran to send the Chameleon Arch down, preparing to use it, before she flicked the monitor off, not wanting to see herself in even more pain.

"I don't understand…" he looked at her, tears in his eyes, "Why?" he asked, "Why would you ask me to forget? Why would YOU forget?!"

She had been so devastated when he'd forgotten her, was so…adamant about NOT using any sort of memory technology (as was clear by her comment about that poor man in the Inforarium being in a loop) that…to find out she'd had the chance to stop it, that SHE had used it herself…it was jarring.

"I told you why," she nodded at the monitor, "What you did between forgetting and remembering me, you did because you forgot me. I couldn't risk that changing, not knowing if it would be worse. I could handle what was happening, I couldn't handle it if it was worse than what happened."

"And if it was better?"

"I couldn't risk it."

He swallowed, closing his eyes and shaking his head, "But you made yourself forget?"

"Because I couldn't bear to remember it Theta," she sighed, turning to lean on the console to face him, "By that point, after Idris, before we learned about the Gangers…I didn't…" she let out a breath, "I didn't care anymore. I had reached a point where…I'd accepted you'd forgotten me, that you wouldn't look at me with that sparkle in your eye, that you wouldn't care for me in the same way. I accepted it," she looked at him, "To see those other yous, looking at me with love, with fondness…if I had remembered that, remembered you showing concern for me and holding me the way you did…it would have destroyed me. It would have sent me back to how I'd felt when you first forgot me. The MOMENT YOU walked into the TARDIS again after having seen your other selves, to see you look through me once more, to be reminded you'd forgotten me. It would have hurt three times as much. And…I was scared. I didn't want to feel that pain ever again Theta. I'm sorry…" she reached out and took his hand, "I am so sorry, but…of all the memories I have, THAT," she nodded at the monitor, "Is the one I could not BEAR to keep. Seeing my sister die, Ayla being torn from my arms, you kissing River…of all the terrible memories I hold…THAT was the one that would have killed me to hold onto. So…I had to let it go."

The Doctor was silent through that, through hearing her speaking of how that one moment, that should have been a relief to her, to see his past selves, the ones of him that had loved her when he forgot her, was really more a nightmare for her…it hurt. But he understood why she'd done it. He had hurt her enough, one more pain would have sent her over the edge, and all that happened after Idris would never have. He'd never have discovered she was a Ganger, that Ayla had been taken, that River would murder Angel. All the things they'd endured and healed from and worked through…would have never occurred.

He didn't know if it was also a bit of her foresight coming in but…whatever it was, it was truly for the best that she had forgotten that moment.

"I am sorry Nella," he whispered, "That I hurt you so terribly."

She reached out and touched his face, "I'm sorry that I scared you in Utah," she countered, smiling as he leaned into her touch, "Shall we call it even?" she asked, a hopeful note to her voice.

He let out a small laugh, taking her hand to kiss her palm, "I think I still feel quite a bit more guilty," he admitted.

She nodded, "I'll have to work on that then," she leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss, winding her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer, deepening it, she really, really would have to work on that though.

He'd terrified her when he'd woken up screaming and…that nightmare was likely not even the worst of it. She could only imagine what that meant for his mental state that something as simple as THAT had alarmed him so. She could tell he was growing more weary, more worn, his mind a bit more…fractured and strained…and she would NOT see him suffering this much longer.

No, she would help him, if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O.O This time the nightmare was REAL }:) Ooh...scary thought. Wasn't too bad of a nightmare compared to ones in the past and some to come, but I think it's almost a little more chilling to know that it actually happened and that he didn't remember it. Might make someone wonder if all the other nightmares might just be...parallel worlds or an 'aborted' timeline or something }:)


	38. Cold War: Not Vegas

A large submarine made its way through the rough waters under the ice near the North Pole, sinking further down as it went about its drills. The crew within rushed to get their appointed tasks accomplished, knowing what to do, but needing it to be done quicker.

"Signal is genuine," a man called over the radio, "Signal is genuine. Zero bravo..."

The captain and his second in command, a man named Stepashin, stood on the bridge, inserting their control keys into a slot on the control panel before them, unlocking two nuclear missiles on the side of the sub.

"Prepare to launch nuclear weapons," the captain called.

"Aye, sir!" one of the crew rushed to do that.

"Moscow confirming launch sequence," the man called over the radio again.

The captain took a breath and held his hand over the launch button, the button that would end all and start hell, "The Firebird stands ready to serve."

"For the motherland," Stepashin nodded, a grim determination in his eyes.

The captain swallowed, "For the motherland," he agreed, resting his hand on the button, about to push it…when a voice started singing 'Vienna' by Ultravox, an old man bobbing his head to it as he entered the room, listening to it on his walkman.

"'This means nothing to me," the old man grinned as he sang along, "Oh, Vienna…'" and then he noticed the captain and Stepashin staring at him and blinked, "Have I interrupted something?"

The captain sighed, "We were about to blow up the world, Professor."

"Again?" the man scoffed, pulling down his earphones to smile, "Ultravox!" he tapped his player, "I bloody love 'em. Got a friend who sends me the tapes."

The captain rolled his eyes and headed to the radio for the sub, "This is the captain. Drill abandoned. All hands, stand down. Repeat, drill abandoned."

"With respect, sir, we must run it again," Stepashin reminded him.

"Tomorrow," the captain waved him off, leaning over to examine some instruments.

"Comrade Captain, the NATO exercises..."

"Saber-rattling."

"I don't think so."

"Oh, you don't think so?" the man scoffed.

His second was quite the dedicated soldier, but sometimes he got a bit too narrow-minded about things. He wanted things done just so, exactly according to the book, and while the book was essential to their way of life, sometimes the manual left things to be desired. He had often considered, when Stepashin got going, that it would be best to take the manual and fire it out a torpedo slot, just so the man would stop quoting it and using it as a weapon to argue his point. He needed to remember...he was NOT the captain, and he was not the captain for a reason.

"Sir," Stepashin's jaw tensed, "American aggression gets more intolerable by the day. We _must_ run the drill again!"

" _Tomorrow_ ," the captain repeated with a note of finality to him, waiting till Stepashin turned and left the bridge before he looked at the professor, "Did you have your specimen stowed ok?"

"Yeah," the professor shrugged, "Piotr's looking after it."

"Well, at least we have something to show for our little hunting expedition. What is it? A mammoth?"

"Probably," the professor shrugged, to be honest, he had no bloody idea what it was that they'd found in the ice, but it was definitely some sort of creature frozen in it, and it was worth investigating.

~8~

Down in the hold, a young man stood before a large chunk of ice, a lighter in his hand, "What are you, Milaya Moya?" the boy wondered, "Professor wants you thawed out back in Moscow, but..." he smiled, "Life's too short to wait."

He lit a blowtorch and began to wave it across the ice, slowly starting to melt it, frowning when he started to hear a rumbling and cracking noise, as though the ice were starting to break from the _inside_. He stopped, stepping back when he saw something _move_ inside the ice. Suddenly a hand broke through it, grabbing him by the throat with an armor covered hand as the creature within growled…

~8~

The crew was in a panic as something started to attack them, some sort of monster in a suit of large armor, something that had started to come from the hold where they knew the ice and the thing inside it had been kept. The crew that had faced it down first called over the radios, warning the others of the danger within. They were all in a panic as the creature killed its way through them, blasting them with some sort of laser, causing dents and small ruptures to appear in the walls of the sub, compromising its integrity, allow water to enter.

"Ah!" one of the crew screamed as it went after him, "Get away! Alarm! Alarm!"

~8~

In the bridge, the water was slowly flooding, filling the room as the crew wrestled with the controls, trying to keep the sub from sinking amidst the blaring alarms, "Hold the bridge, port side!" Stepashin ordered.

"Evasive maneuvers!" the captain shouted.

"Descending to 200 meters!" one of the crewmen warned.

"We're under attack!" another reported over the radio.

"210!"

They looked up as the hull creaked, the pressure building as they continued to fall down into the ocean, deeper and deeper, "Bring her up, bring her up!" the captain cried.

"It's no good, sir!"

The captain looked around frantically, trying to think of something to do…when he heard an odd wheezing noise sound above the alarms and the shouting of the crew…and then, right before his eyes, a blue police telephone box appeared in the middle of the bridge.

The doors to the box were thrown open and the Doctor, wearing sunglasses along with his normal attire, stepped out, holding Ayla's hand, "Viva Las Vegas!" he cheered…only for the sub to tilt in its descent, sending him toppling out of the box and against the control panel of the sub, twisting so that Ayla, who had gotten pulled along with him, fell in front of him, him blocking her fall.

Clara and Angel stumbled out of the box as well from the sudden change, falling through a wave of water pouring from the ceiling on top of them, making them a bit chilled given their outfits. While Clara had opted for a short white/silver dress with no sleeves, Angel had gone for a more strapless dress, one that was red with white leaf-like patterns in it, her hair down for the most part but with the top of it combed back and clipped back, little white flats on. Ayla though seemed to be mimicking Clara a bit more on this trip with her own outfit of a dark purple sleevelss dress, but with a tiny black shrug over it that had a white butterfly pinned to it and a small black mary jane shoes. Her hair was hanging but with two small butterfly clips on the tops of her head on either side.

They stumbled out, the doors of the TARDIS shutting behind them as they landed on either side of the Doctor.

"Intruders on the bridge!" Stepashin cried.

"Who the hell are you?" the captain spat over the blaring.

The Doctor just took his sunglasses off as Clara winced at the chill, "Not Vegas then?"

"No," the Doctor agreed, "No, this is much better!" he pushed his hair, now soaking wet, from his face, grinning.

"A sinking submarine?"

"It's a _Soviet_ submarine!" Ayla told her, cheering, she hadn't met many Russians yet.

Angel winced at the sound of the alarms and the fear practically radiating off the crew and the fact that it was sinking and…tried to breathe, tried to calm down. She could feel the Vortex swirling inside her and threatening to come out. She closed her eyes, starting to pant, trying to keep it down. The crew were already suspicious enough of how they'd appeared, if she let the Vortex out…they'd _never_ let them go and…she didn't want to be poked and prodded and dissected ever again.

"Break out sidearms!" Stepashin ordered, "Restrain them!"

But most of the crew ignored him, focusing instead on the sinking of their ship and the threat of their own lives first, "410," the crew member continued to report, "420! Turbines still not responding!"

"They've _got_ to!" the captain gasped.

The Doctor looked at Angel, seeing her struggling to keep the Vortex down and took her hand, his thumb stroking over her knuckles in an attempt to calm her and reassure her, though the shouting of the crew was NOT helping them any. He grabbed the sonic with his free hand and flashed it around, needing to find some way to keep the ship from sinking entirely at least, "Ah!" he cheered, "Sideways momentum! You've still got sideways momentum!"

"What?"

"You can go sideways!" Ayla tried to tell the captain, as though it should be obvious, which it really should have been, what else could 'sideways' momentum mean?

The Doctor pointed at her and then him, "Your propellers work independently of the main turbines. You can't stop her going down but you can maneuver the sub laterally! Do it!"

"Get these people off the bridge now!" Stepashin shouted as two crew members finally reacted and grabbed the Doctor's arm, another trying to take Angel's arm, only to pull back with a snap of his hand, feeling her arm was warm, _too_ warm, almost burning but left no mark on his skin.

"Just listen to him, for God's sake!" Clara yelled, reaching out to pull Ayla closer to her, seeing Angel struggling to control herself while the Doctor worked on trying to get the sub to safety.

"Geographical anomaly to starboard," the Doctor told them, "Probably an underwater ridge."

"How do you know this?" the captain shook his head, he couldn't risk it, if the man was wrong, the entire crew really would die.

"Look, we have just a chance to stop the descent if we settle on it."

"Do it!" Ayla huffed, stomping her foot, "Daddy's never wrong! …except for when he's wrong."

The Doctor couldn't help but laugh at that. He had his good days and his bad days, surprisingly...well, not really THAT surprisingly...more good days now that he had both his girls back and fighting fit again.

"600 meters, sir," the young boy called, "610..."

"Or this thing is going to implode!" the Doctor told him seriously, pulling his daughter back against him, letting the man known with that silent gesture that he was NOT wrong, that he would be risking his daughter's life by making some sort of random guess at all this.

The captain hesitated for only a moment, glancing between the Doctor and Ayla, before nodding, "Lateral thrust to starboard, all propellers!"

"Sir?" the young crew member turned to look at him.

"Now!" he ordered.

"You're going to let this madman give the orders?" Stepashin gaped at the captain.

"That's really rude!" Ayla told the man, pointing at him as she tried to keep her balance, Clara having taken the Doctor's place once more in trying to hold her steady so that the Doctor could look after her mother, the human found it rather amusing how the girl had perfect balance in the shaking and jolting TARDIS but lacked it in the sinking sub, "You shouldn't name call!"

"Lateral thrust!" the captain ignored him as well, giving the command.

"Aye, sir!" the young man nodded, turning to help the crew do just that, the Doctor sonicing along, helping them navigate, "660...680..."

The ship jolted as the sub landed, more like crashed, onto the ridge, stilling, everyone holding their breath a moment longer to make sure they were safe, before letting out that breath when they remained steady.

The Doctor smiled, kissing Angel's forehead as he felt the Vortex settling in her as well, now that the danger had passed. He really…didn't know what kept triggering the Vortex in her like that. They faced dangers all the time, he didn't understand why some set her off and others didn't. It was like there was no rhyme or reason behind it, there was no pattern he could see, it just...happened. And it worried him that it was still so random, that he wasn't finding some sort of trigger or anything about it that could help. It was really frustrating to be 'the Doctor' and not be able to help his Mate. Especially when she had helped him SO much without even trying.

"Descent arrested at...700 meters," the young man told them.

The captain eyed the Doctor, "It seems we owe you our lives...whoever you are."

"I'll hold you to that," the Doctor murmured, not taking his eyes off of Angel, "Might come in handy!"

Unfortunately, the second in command was less grateful, "Search them," Stepashin ordered, but the crew hesitated, "Yes, I know, they're women and a child. But the enemy's tricks know no bounds. Now search them!"

The Doctor frowned as he was pulled up with Angel, the crew being, thankfully, more gentle to Ayla and seeming wary of actually searching _her_ unlike they were with the adults. They were pushed back against a pole in the middle of the bridge, the Doctor starting to get patted down first.

"Eh?" he squirmed, "Ooh!"

"Are we going to be ok?" Clara asked them.

"Of course we will," Angel nodded, reaching up to rub her head, still a bit...fuzzy and throbbing from trying to restrain the Vortex for that short while.

"Is that a lie?"

"No," Ayla laughed, seeming perfectly calm despite the situation, "Mummy doesn't lie, that's rule 2!"

Clara blinked, "What's rule 1 then?"

"Daddy lies _all_ the time," Ayla recited, "Then rule 3 is that he doesn't lie to mummy. But the most _important_ rule is not to wander off."

Clara shook her head, completely confused but going with it for the moment, "Right so…where are we exactly? _When_ are we?"

"A very dangerous time, Clara," the Doctor answered, "East and west standing on the brink of nuclear oblivion. Lots of itchy fingers on the button."

"Isn't it always like that?"

"I suppose," Angel had to agree, there were always enemies trying to start a war…the Sontarans being a prime example of it.

That was what she loved about travelling with the Doctor, preventing those wars, keeping all those people from dying. She always hated war and death, the Time War had been a nightmare come true, forcing her to see nothing but that all around her for...too long. It was her opinion that peace could always be brokered, somehow, though she knew it was likely never going to be the case when Daleks or Cybermen got involved. But those were the most stubborn creatures in the Universe! Even Sontarans could be negotiated with at times and they were the most war-driven race out there.

Still, she knew humans were FAR more open to the idea of peace, even if they didn't realize it. Sometimes it just took a small nudge in the right direction for both sides to come to an understanding. She liked to think that the Universe was an ulimately peaceful place, that there didn't need to be war for people to get what they want, that trade and respect could lead to wonderful things. It was why she'd hated the War so much, all that death and destruction, all the...the children...crying. She knew why the Doctor was never able to handle children crying like that, not only because he was, had been, and is a father, but because of the War, because of everyone that had been lost, man, woman, and child.

She closed her eyes, taking Ayla's hand, her mind drifting to all those children who had died, all the children who had been harmed and forced to fight and...scared. She would never ever let that happen to Ayla, not ever, she would never let her daughter become a soldier, she would never let her fight in a blood-filled war, and she would never ever put her in danger like that. Not ever. The Time War was over and, if she had anything at all to say about it, another war of such magnitude would NEVER happen. She wouldn't let it. Somehow...she just wouldn't.

"But there are flash points and this is one," the Doctor added, pulling Angel from her thoughts, "Hair, shoulder pads, nukes. It's the '80s. Everything's bigger! Oi!" he frowned as things were pulled from his pockets, a Barbie doll, some twine, his sonic… "I'd like a receipt, please," he tried to grab the sonic back.

But the captain just took it from the crewman and eyed it, "What is this?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer when the sub creaked and tilted, Clara falling over as she lost her balance, falling to the side, "Clara!" the Doctor reached for her, but Clara hit her head, falling under the water…

"Sissy no!" Angel cried as the TARDIS disappeared before their very eyes as well…

~8~

"Clara!" Ayla cheered as she saw Clara slowly starting to wake up, sitting against the wall in one of the halls of the sub, one of the crew's jackets around her, "Are you alright?"

"Oh…" Clara winced, rubbing her head, "What happened?"

"You hit your head," Ayla told her simply, before moving to kiss her forehead like her parents always kissed her booboos, "Is it better?" she stared at Clara, wide-eyed, expectant.

Clara laughed, "Much, thanks."

"Captain, we didn't know the type of your ship out here..." the Doctor was speaking, him and Angel standing before the captain, the man with the rest of his crew behind him, Angel wearing the Doctor's jacket as her dress was strapless and the water was cold.

"Yeah, well, that's till the rescue ship comes," the captain countered.

"It's _not_ coming," Angel told him.

"Which means the sinking isn't just a coincidence then, is it?" the man glared, "Who are you?!"

Ayla reached out and helped Clara stand, Angel glancing over when she saw the move, "Clara you alright?" she headed over to her.

"Yeah," Clara winced, rubbing her head, "Head hurts a bit."

"I thought it was better!" Ayla blinked up at her.

Clara offered her an apologetic smile, "It is, loads better, but still a bit tender," she corrected, even though it hurt quite badly.

"Here, let me," Angel whispered, glancing at the Doctor who nodded, starting to speak to keep the crew distracted.

"Alright, Captain, alright," the Doctor said, a bit louder than necessary so that the whole crew would look at him and not Angel as a faint golden light travelled from her hand into Clara's head, healing her bump, "You know what? Just this once, no dissembling, no psychic paper, no pretending to be Earth ambassadors. I'm the Doctor, those girls are my Mate, Angel, and our daughter, Ayla, and our friend, Clara, we're time travelers," he glanced at them, "You ok now Clara?"

"Yeah," she nodded, smiling at Angel, "Thanks."

"Time travelers?" the captain shook his head.

"You saw a blue box appear in the middle of your ship," Angel reminded them, looking over from where she was standing with Clara and Ayla, "You can't tell me you didn't notice. Stepashin certainly did."

"How do you know my name?" Stepashin eyed her warily.

Angel smiled, it was staring to become a sort of running question with her, much like 'Doctor Who' when they asked her how she knew things and she just replied, "I'm psychic," she told them.

The Doctor smiled, he _loved_ it when she did that. It had taken him SO long to get her to that point where she had accepted her abilities, where she stopped countering him to calling her a precog or a psychic or a Visionary, it was just…amazing to see her finally embracing her abilities, or her vision at least. The Vortex was severely frightening her at the moment with how uncontrollable it was becoming, but she was still there still using it when she could, still fighting for control and not giving in.

Ayla though, nodded, "You saw us pop up," she pointed to the captain.

" _I_ didn't," the professor remarked, having been elsewhere in the sub, trying to help trap the creature that had been after them. He'd managed to lock it in one part of the ship, but he wasn't sure how long it would last and had been coming to tell the captain...only to see him there with four others he didn't recall being part of the crew...especially not a little girl.

"Your problem mate, not mine!" the Doctor said.

"Daddy that's rude!" Ayla poked him, only for him to laugh and scoop her up, making the crew stare at him oddly, here he was, trapped in a sinking submarine, with his family, with his _daughter_ , and the man was just smiling and laughing with the girl.

"We were sinking..." Clara turned to Angel.

"We _were_ , yes," she nodded.

"What happened?"

Angel laughed, "We stopped."

"No, what happened to the TARDIS, I mean?" Clara frowned, "I remember you shouting at it…er, her," she corrected, recalling what Ayla had said about doing that, referring to the ship as a person, which the box did seem to like as she always hummed whenever she called the old box 'girl' or something.

"Well," Angel put her arm around Clara's shoulder, "You see, the Doctor decided to…"

"Never mind that," the Doctor cut in, "Listen..." he turned back to the captain, "Captain, breath's precious down here. Let's not waste it, eh?"

"You're right," the captain agreed, "Maybe I can save a little oxygen by having you all shot?!"

"That wouldn't help at all," Angel called, trying to remain calm as the Doctor glared at him for his threat, pulling their attention over to her and Clara, "The thing that attacked you," she began, "You're going to need our help."

"And what does it matter how we arrived?" Clara agreed, "The important thing is to get..." she trailed off, frowning when she spotted something down the hall…a creature in big armor walking towards them, Angel stiffening as she saw it, "…out."

Ayla frowned, seeing her mother inching closer to her and the Doctor and looked over his shoulder to see the creature drawing nearer…and poked the Doctor in the cheek to get his attention.

"Exactly!" the Doctor pointed at Clara, snapping his fingers, "Number one priority, not suffocating!" he patted the captain's chest.

"Daddy…" Ayla poked him again.

"Eh?" the Doctor asked as the crew started to back away, not noticing Angel was now beside him or that Ayla was poking him, "Ah, oh, thank you! Finally, seeing sense! Now, what sort of state is the sub in?"

"Daddy," Ayla grabbed his nose instead and used it to turn his head to face her, "Stop talking."

"What is it sweetheart?" he asked her, his voice nasally and high from the pinch of his nose.

Ayla just turned his head more to look over his shoulder at the large reptilian creature peering at him from its helmet, hissing at them and leapt back, beside Angel as they faced the creature, "Ah..." he nodded, "It never rains but it pours."

"It _floods_ ," Angel murmured, "Ice water…" she added.

"We were drilling for oil in the ice," the professor told them, "I thought I'd found a mammoth."

"I don't think that's a mammoth," Ayla eyed it, she'd never seen that particular alien before, not in her lessons at least. Oh that was wonderful! She _loved_ learning about new things!

"No," the professor agreed.

"What is it, then?" Clara whispered to them as she came to stand with them, seeing that they seemed to recognize it.

"It's an Ice Warrior," the Doctor answered, setting Ayla down and moving her behind him, "A native of the planet Mars. And we go way back. _Way_ back."

"A Martian?" the captain nearly laughed, "You _can't_ be serious."

"I'm always serious."

"Liar," Angel remarked.

"With days off," he conceded.

"Doctor!" Clara hissed at him.

"It'll be alright Clara," Angel told her, "We just need to keep _calm_ ," she glanced at the crew, "The men are a bit frightened."

" _They're_ frightened?!" Clara scoffed, " _I'm_ frightened!"

"There's no deed to be," the Doctor turned to her, "If we all stay calm and…"

Before he could even finish one of the men ran past him and aimed his gun at the Ice Warrior, who lifted his weapon as well. But before either could fire, Angel snapped her finger and the young soldier dropped his gun as it sparked gold, the slight electric charge making him drop it.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor moved in front of the man, holding up his hands to keep the Ice Warrior from firing at him, and also hoping to distract the crew from what Angel had done, hoping they hadn't noticed, "Please, please, wait! Just...there's no need for this! Just hear me out! You're confused, disoriented, of course you are. You've been lying dormant in the ice for...for how long?" he looked at Angel.

"5,000 years," she answered promptly.

"How did you know that?" the professor asked.

Angel glanced at him, "I told you, I really AM psychic."

"That's a hell of a nap," the Doctor agreed, "Can't blame you if you've got out of the wrong side of bed. Nobody here wants to hurt you," he crossed his hearts, "Please, just…um…"

"How about your name?" Angel offered, trying to keep it polite and calm, "I'm Angel…"

"My Mate," the Doctor cut in.

"Nice to meet you," Angel had to laugh at that, "This is Clara and Ayla and…"

"What're you talking about?" the captain interrupted before she could introduce the Doctor, "It has a name?"

"Of course it has a name," the Doctor rolled his eyes at the man for interrupting Angel, "And a rank. This is a _soldier_. And it deserves our respect."

"This is madness. That is a monster!"

"He's no more a monster than humans are," Ayla countered, "And humans are the best!"

"Skaldak," the Ice Warrior stated…and the Doctor immediately stiffened, his eyes wide as he turned to the Ice Warrior once more.

"What did you say?" he breathed, alarming all the others with the slight…fear in his voice.

"I am Grand Marshal Skaldak."

Angel felt the air leave her lungs at that...

... _the Doctor stopped short outside a doorway, looking down at the mutilated corpse of Stepashin within_...

'... _Martian law decrees that the people of this planet are forfeit_...'

... _clawed hands shot out in the dark, latching onto the professor's face, the old man tensing as the nails dug in_...

Angel shook her head, looking at the Ice Warrior in alarm at what he'd do...

The Doctor blinked, just...staring at him, before shutting his eyes and shaking his head, "Oh, no…"

It appeared one of the soldiers took his tone to mean that Skaldak was a threat and struck the creature from behind with a cattle prod, making him shudder and hiss before collapsing to the ground, unconscious, electrocuted.

"Stepashin!" Angel cried, seeing who it was, startled that she hadn't seen THAT coming given what else she'd seen, "What are you doing!?"

That future...it hadn't happened yet. There was still a chance to change it, to keep Skaldak from attacking everyone like it appeared he was doing in her vision...but now those hopes were dashed by the boy's rash actions. Skaldak, she knew, would wake and want revenge on those who attacked him. Martians, from what she knew, were a proud and war-like race, he would not stop till his revenge had been enacted for the slight against him. And she knew Stepashin would be his first target as he was the first to attack and 'best' him.

The Doctor lunged forward and snatched the prod from him, "You idiot!" he cried as Skaldak fell to the ground, "You...idiot! Grand Marshal Skaldak…"

"You...know him?" Clara shook her head, even Ayla looked confused.

"Sovereign of the Tharsisian caste, vanquisher of the Phobos heresy. The greatest hero the proud Martian race has ever produced."

"So what do we do now?" the captain asked.

The Doctor looked at the warrior on the ground, knowing _exactly_ what the thing would do when it woke up, not even needing to be Angel, not even having needed her to share her vision with him, to know…and he was NOT going to risk his daughter to the Martian's rage or expose her to that brutality, "Lock. Him. Up!"

~8~

In the torpedo room, Skaldak was being chained to a series of pipes running along the wall, growling at the two crew members tasked with restraining him, "Is it true?" he rasped.

"True?" one of the young men, the one from the bridge that had reported the sub's status to the captain asked.

"I slept for 5,000 years?"

"Er, that's what the professor says."

"5,000 years!" Skaldak growled loudly, before bowing his head, the crew members backing away and leaving, sealing him into the room, not sure what he'd do next.

~8~

Angel sat on a small crate, Ayla on her lap, her arms around her daughter as they watched the Doctor pacing, Clara and the captain standing, watching him as the professor and Stepashin stood more in the back. It didn't take a psychic to know that something about who that particular Ice Warrior was was bothering the Doctor.

"The Ice Warriors have a different creed," the Doctor explained to them, "A different code. By his own standards, Skaldak is a hero. It was said his enemies honored him so much they'd carve his name into their own flesh before they died."

"Was that really necessary my love?" Angel asked, having covered Ayla's ears just in time, the girl might be over 100 but there were some things she didn't believe Ayla needed to hear just yet. If it were possible, she wanted to wait till Ayla had hit about 600, when they tended to stop aging, which meant she was a full adult by their people's standards, to get into things like that.

"Very nice," Clara had to agree, rolling her eyes, "He sounds lovely."

"An...Ice Warrior?" the captain frowned, "Explain."

"There isn't time!" the Doctor shouted.

"Always waste time when you don't have any," Ayla recited, "You mustn't break your own rules daddy," she pointed at him.

He sighed, nodding, that was not a lesson he wanted to teach his daughter, "Martian reptile known as the Ice Warrior. When Mars turned cold they had to adapt. They're bio-mechanoid cyborgs. Built survival armor so they could exist in the freezing cold of their home world, but an increase in temperature and the armor goes haywire."

"Like with the cattle prod thing?" Clara guessed.

He pointed at her, "Like that cattle prod thing. Bit of a design flaw, I've always wondered why they never sorted it."

"Is he _that_ dangerous?"

"Ice Warriors normally aren't," Angel sighed, "But I get the feeling this one will be," she looked at the Doctor, "Especially if the others of his kind don't come for him."

He tensed, knowing what she was speaking of, to think you were the last of your species…it was a heavy burden. He had done things, desperate things, foolish things, things he _never_ would have done if he hadn't lost hope that the others were out there. He did things he regretted, but…he hadn't had a will to live till he'd met Angel again. He'd been desperate and he hadn't cared what happened to him, what did it matter if he died? Then the Time Lords would have been all gone and there was no point, so he'd lived recklessly, not caring if anything happened to him.

Oh how the times had changed.

Well, he supposed that came from finding things to live for. And he'd found five when he never thought he would find even a hint of one. His companions, his family, the TARDIS, his daughter, and his Mate, the five reasons to keep going, the five best reasons in the Universe.

And Skaldak...he may believe he lost all of them.

~8~

Deep in the torpedo room, Skaldak growled, "Find me, my brothers, if you are still out there," he whispered, "Find me!" he looked down at his armor, a light starting to blink within it, a beeping noise carrying from it as he prayed his distress call would be heard.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter :)


	39. Cold War: Martian on the Loose

Angel looked around the room, eyeing every person in it...before she glanced over at the professor, a moment before a beeping noise started to play on his walkman, the headphones around his neck for them all to hear, though only she and the Doctor seemed to notice. The Doctor stiffened hearing the noise, glancing over at Angel as they nodded to each other, knowing exactly what it was. She'd just said it, only moments ago, that Skaldak would be dangerous if his people didn't come and now...now he was signaling them.

And if that signal went unanswered...neither of them wanted to think about it.

"Why are we listening to this nonsense, Captain?" Stepashin asked the captain, "These people are _clearly_ enemy agents."

"Enemy agents who just saved your ship?" Angel remarked, that made no sense at all, but then she thought of something else, "Or enemy agents who are 10 years old?" she gestured at Ayla, even though the girl was over a century old, she looked young in human terms and there was no point in telling them she was over 100, they'd think of an old woman instead of an innocent little girl.

"Spies, captain!" Stepashin called, ignoring Angel.

"Pretty bad spies, mate," Clara scoffed, "I don't even speak Russian!"

The Doctor rubbed his head at that, Ayla giggling at what Clara had said. She could hear it, a faint note that always rang out in her head when the TARDIS translation circuit was at work, it was like...she could hear a faint trace of an accent in what was spoken by others of a foreign tongue but also by English speakers when they 'spoke' the other language as well. She knew it was something her parents heard as well. It was because the translation circuits were redundant for them, they knew every language in the Universe, more or less, and their heads were already translating what they heard, so when the TARDIS helped too it made it sound like there was a tiny accent to the words. _They_ could hear it, but others couldn't.

Stepashin just stared at Clara, "What?"

"I don't..." she began, before Ayla tugged on her arm and she looked down at the girl shaking her head at her, "Hold on…am I speaking Russian?" she looked at the Doctor, "How come I'm speaking Russian?"

"Now?" the Doctor huffed, "We have to do this _now_?"

"Are they speaking Russian?" Clara turned to Angel, sensing she'd be the one to actually _answer_ her.

"Seriously? Now?!"

"Calm down, my love," Angel rolled her eyes at him playfully, " _You_ are even _worse_ with timing," she reminded him, "It's the TARDIS translation circuits, Clara," she explained, "Makes things sound and look like English to you, and Russian to them."

"Really?" Clara blinked, that was pretty cool.

Oh she liked that, she liked learning new things about the TARDIS and about the Time Lords who lived inside the old box. It was SO interesting, it was like...there was so much to see and experience, especially about the TARDIS. She'd once asked Angel for a tour and Angel had laughed a bit, telling her that the TARDIS was infinite, that it went on forever and ever, that she could show her most things but not all. She had to smile at that, the moment she'd said she wanted to see all the TARDIS the box had changed the halls to an endless series of doors that she knew she could spend her life trying to look at each one and not get through all of them.

But there was one room she was SO touched to see...HER room. She had a room, she had a room on the TARDIS. It was just...incredible. Angel and Ayla had helped her make it, had told her how, to just imagine the room she wanted most and it...appeared. It was there, hiding behind a door that had a leaf on it, of all things. Oh her room was lovely, it was a cream color, like a very light tan, with dark wood furniture and little windows that reminded her of the ones in her nursery from her house. There were some red accents, pillows, cloth, a vase for flowers, it was just...lovely. It was cozy and her bed was a large for poster one with the biggest pillow and thickest blanket that made her feel safe and warm.

And it meant so much to her that she'd been given it, because it meant she had a place in the TARDIS, she had a spot in the lives of the Time Lords, in their hearts, and...that they accepted her and liked her enough to let her stay with them however long she wanted, till she returned to the Maitlands only an hour after leaving.

Stepashin just rolled his eyes and turned to the captain, "In my opinion, Comrade Captain, this creature is a Western weapon."

"A weapon?" the captain frowned.

"Survival suit. What is the alternative? The little green man from Mars?"

"Correction," the professor cut in, "It's a _big_ green man from Mars," he smirked, hearing the captain chuckle at that.

"I like you," Ayla told the man, "You're funny, professor."

"Well thank you, my dear," the man smiled jovially at her.

The Doctor shook his head, wondering if…no, 'the Professor' didn't sound like Ayla. The girl loved to learn yes, but much more like HIM, learning in a hands-on way, getting out there and exploring, finding things out through trial and error. And she didn't have the most patience when it came to explaining things...much like his last last self was with Mickey and the 'stupid apes' that were humans. He didn't think Ayla would EVER call the humans that, she thought they were wonderful, but when she'd explained something simply, in the way only a child could, and someone else STILL didn't get it, well...she got a bit frustrated with them so having a title of a teacher wouldn't work out he didn't think. She also seemed to have Angel's attention span when it came to lectures in a more 'academic' setting, not really managing to either pay attention or stay awake, so he'd taken to lecturing in more interesting ways. Taking her to actual events and moments through history and explaining what was going on before her so she had perspective and saw it happening firsthand.

She picked things up remarkably quickly that way.

"I do not appreciate your levity, Professor!" Stepashin snapped.

"Why does that not surprise me?" the professor countered simply, "Maybe they're telling the truth?"

"The truth?"

"Yes. A revolutionary concept, I know."

"I don't lie," Angel added, "I really _don't_. It's not polite."

"See," the professor pointed at her, as though just by saying it it was true.

"It's essential that we inform Moscow of what we have found!" Stepashin insisted.

"The radio's out of action, in case you hadn't noticed, Stepashin," the captain sighed, seeming to grow a bit irritated with the man and his insistences.

"They have our last position. They will find us. When they do..."

"Yes?" the captain crossed his arms.

"Well, the cold war won't stay cold forever, Captain."

"For God's sake, Stepashin, you're like a stuck record! We have other priorities right now. I want you back on repairs immediately, we need to keep this ship alive. Dismissed."

Stepashin glared at the captain a long while before heading for the door, pausing to shoot the Time Lords the same glare, only for Ayla to smile at him, "Things can stay cold longer than you think," she reminded the man, who stormed out of the room, Angel following his path with a frown.

The Doctor waited till he was gone, before he moved to stand before the captain, "All we needed to do was let Skaldak go and he'd have forgotten us. But you've attacked him. You declared war. 'Harm one of us and you harm us all.' That's the ancient Martian code."

"He's calling for his family, even now," Angel told them, nodding towards the professor and his beeping walkman, "That's a distress call. And if it goes unanswered…things will get _much_ worse."

"He'll bring down the fires of hell just for laying a _glove_ on him!" he Doctor snapped, "And, if you hadn't noticed, my daughter and Mate and s…friend are here!"

Angel looked over at him, hearing a slight slip in his words, before smiling, guessing what it was. He'd caught himself, he'd kept himself from saying it but she knew the second he did, the second he accepted what his hearts had already started to do, it would be Christmas! She should really take a bet with the TARDIS about it...

"Unless _you_ talk to it?" the captain guessed.

"I'm the only one who can," he nodded, "I'm _not_ going to let Angel in there to talk to him, never."

He knew that she really _would_ be the best person to talk to Skaldak, she truly was the woman of peace, she could get through to the alien in a way he was sure he couldn't. She could probably even talk the Sontarans out of war by now, he knew she'd failed to in the past but she hadn't trusted herself as much as she did now. He knew Skaldak wouldn't see her as a threat or a true warrior, she'd know JUST what to say, she'd make him feel calm and she'd treat him with the respect he deserved…but Skaldak was growing desperate, and he was NOT going to risk his Mate in there.

"No," the captain shook his head, "Out of the question. We're not losing you. _I'll_ do it."

"What?" he scoffed.

"You can talk to it through me."

"Skaldak won't talk to _you_! You're an enemy soldier!"

"How would he know that?"

"The same way I do," Angel remarked, just a hint of solemnity in her voice, of...regret, "A soldier knows another soldier."

Clara frowned at that, at hearing ANGEL refer to herself as a soldier.

"He'll smell it on you!" the Doctor agreed, "Smell it on you a mile off."

"And he wouldn't smell it on _you_ , Doctor?" the captain countered.

"Hold on," Clara cut in, shaking her head, "What do you mean, 'a soldier knows another soldier?'" she looked at Angel, "YOU _can't_ be a…a…soldier."

Angel sighed, "I HAVE fought in a war Clara, a…terrible war."

"What, _you_?" Clara blinked, staring at her, 'war' and 'Angel' weren't two words she'd think to use together. Sure she hadn't known the woman long but…she'd tucked her in when the robot thing with the Wi-Fi had attacked, she'd nearly died healing a sun just to save her leaf…soldier was NOT a word that struck her when she thought on Angel. The Doctor…she'd seen him get mad and worried and fighting, but Angel…she felt like, as odd as it was to think, that Angel would be the 'healer' in the middle of a battle while the Doctor was the fighter. She was sure it was because she hadn't truly seen Angel in 'mother-mode' as she'd often called it as a child when her mother would get angry and protective of her and fight someone off. Fathers she knew were naturally protective, especially of their daughters, she knew men could fight. Well, she knew women could too but...until she actually SAW Angel fighting like that, she just...couldn't picture it.

"There was a war," Angel began, "The Last Great Time War, between our people, the Time Lords, and the Daleks, our enemies. The entirety of the Universe was at stake Clara, and…we fought," she reached out to take the Doctor's hand as he moved by her side, needing her comfort as much as she needed his for what they were speaking of, knowing he didn't like to talk about this, "The Doctor and I, we both DID fight."

"Hated _every_ second of it," he murmured, reaching out another hand to brush a lock of hair behind Angel's ear, "Every single second."

"What…what happened?" Clara asked them quietly, sensing it was something _very_ important and yet still painful for them.

"We lost," the Doctor shrugged, a resignation in his voice that made her frown, "I…had to take extreme measures to make sure that the War didn't spread, to make sure that our people didn't destroy the entirety of creation. I ended the War, but the price was our planet, our people. To destroy them along with the Daleks, and even now...some of the Daleks survived."

"We're the _last_ of the Time Lords Clara," Angel told her, "The Doctor, me, and Ayla," she smiled at her daughter, "The last of our kind."

Clara fell silent at that, at hearing their story of their planet and the losses they suffered. She could read between the lines. It wasn't _just_ that they lost their planet, they lost their _home_ , it wasn't that they lost their people, but their friends, their FAMILY too. All they really had were each other and...their TARDIS. Well…now she understood why that old box was so important to them, it had become their home, it was the last thing they had of their people.

"Just let me in there before it's too late," the Doctor turned to the captain, not wanting to talk anymore about it, "It can't be you or any of your men."

"Well, it can't be _you_ ," the captain countered.

Clara cleared her throat as the Doctor and captain turned to her, "Well, there really is only one choice, isn't there? I don't smell of anything...to my knowledge."

"You?" the Doctor's eyes widened, "No! No! No way. You're not going in there alone, Clara. Absolutely not! No, no. Never!" before falling silent, "Alright."

Angel just shook her head, "Didn't even need to see that one coming," Angel laughed, getting up with Ayla to help prepare Clara. She knew why the girl was volunteering for this, they'd just told her about the War, the worst war in creation, how much they'd lost because of it. It had to have reminded the girl of all that humanity stood to lose, the devastation that would happen if they let war start now, and...Clara was just trying to stop it, to do whatever she could to prevent it, to protect all those innocent lives.

And that was so human.

~8~

Clara slowly opened the hatch to the torpedo room, a headset on with a microphone around her neck. She peered in, spotting Skaldak still chained to the pipes, unmoving, and stepped inside. She closed the hatch behind her and put the headset on, ready for the Doctor and Angel to talk her through it. She slowly crept in, picking up one of the small lamps and turned it on, glancing at a small security camera, winking at them and holding her thumb up.

~8~

The captain sat before a small security feed, a microphone before him, when the Doctor stepped up behind him, "With your permission?" he asked, gesturing at the controls.

The captain actually seemed to let out a breath of relief at that, "Be my guest," he stood, letting the Doctor sit down, honestly not wanting to have to deal with this, with the alien, and negotiating with it, it was so far beyond him. He didn't want to muck it up and instigate a war, clearly he had already been proven to not know what he was doing when it came to the alien, what it valued, what NOT to do. The Doctor was familiar with them, and...he'd be their best chance at negotiation, knowing what to say that was respectful and what wouldn't be.

"Ready, Clara?" the Doctor tapped the microphone, glancing back at Angel as she came to stand beside him, looking back to see the professor was keeping Ayla entertained so she wouldn't worry about Clara.

"Yeah," Clara replied.

"Ok, now, after me…Grand Marshal Skaldak. The salute, do the salute like I showed you."

They watched as Clara put the lamp down between her legs and saluted Skaldak, her right first pressed to her chest, to her shoulder, as Skaldak hissed, Angel starting to frown at that.

"I'll be right back my love," Angel whispered, kissing his cheek, before stepping out of the room.

The Doctor watched her go, frowning but knowing he couldn't follow her with Clara still relying on him, "Ok?" Clara asked, pulling his attention back to her.

"Good," he nodded, glancing at the door again, "Good. Now, like we rehearsed. Sovereign of the Tharsisian caste...by the moons, I honor thee," he waited till she repeated it, "Good. It's ok, Clara. Go closer," he watched as she did that, slowly, "Grand Marshal, I'm...we're sorry about this. It's not what you deserve…"

He was cut off when the power went out through the sub, ' _Angel?!_ ' he called, feeling his hearts racing.

' _I'm fine,_ ' she said, ' _I'm just…something doesn't feel right about this, I'm heading to Clara._ '

He blinked, freezing, ' _And you couldn't tell me that before! I would have gone with you!_ '

 _'Theta calm down,_ ' she called, ' _I'll be just fine, I'm sure it's nothing, I just want to check._ '

He frowned, NOT liking that at all, "Oh!" he heard Clara groan, turning to see her freeze as well, "Oh, great."

"Hey, it's ok, Clara," he tried to reassure her, glancing over as Ayla made her way beside him as well, not liking the dark. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it, reassuring her he was still there and _nothing_ would hurt her, "Keep going," he watched as Clara put down the lap and pulled out a torch Angel had given her, the psychic, "You're a long way from home. 5,000 years adrift in time. Please, let us help you. You're not our enemy."

"And yet, I am in chains," Skaldak rasped.

Clara froze, "Doctor, what do I say?"

"Yes, Doctor. What should she say?"

"I think he wants to speak to the organ-grinder, not to the monkey," the professor commented.

"I _heard_ that," Clara mumbled, though she pulled her headset down so that Skaldak could hear the Doctor talk more clearly.

"You're restrained until we can trust each other, Skaldak. You would do exactly the same in my position and don't even _think_ about using that sonic weapon," he added, "Not in the torpedo room. Yes, I know all about it, my Mate is rather a bit psychic, she warned me."

"I was fleet commander of the Nix Tharsis!" Skaldak growled, "My daughter stood by me...it was her first taste of action. We sang the songs of the old times. The songs of the red snow. 5,000 years, now my daughter will be...dust! Only dust."

The Doctor frowned at that, feeling Ayla squeeze his hand, knowing where her father's mind had gone. She had been lost to him for a time as well, and while it had only been 6 years for her, it had been nearly 200 for him and her mother. 200 could easily have turned into 5,000 with the way their lives ran. And, for all he knew, he could have never found her, she could have grown old or not regenerated in that time, died and she would have been dust to him by then.

' _I'm right here dad,_ ' Ayla whispered to him in his mind. It was getting a bit more difficult for her to establish a mental connection to her parents, it was fading the older she got. She knew, by 150 she would be completely unable to hear them or speak to them in their minds, but that was alright. There was still Gallifreyan which the TARDIS wouldn't translate for others, she could still communicate with them like that.

He swallowed hard, "No, no, no, listen," he began, "Your people live on, Skaldak! Scattered all across the Universe. And Mars will rise again, I promise you. Just...let us help you."

"What's Clara doing?" Ayla whispered as they saw her creeping closer to the suit of armor.

"I require no help," Skaldak spat, "There will be no help!"

"Careful, Clara," he called.

"I'm ok," Clara replied.

"No, listen, Clara, don't get too close…"

"I'm ok! Doctor, something's wrong."

He tensed, hearing the same words Angel had just spoken, "What?"

"Something's..." Clara stepped closer touching the armor…only for the helmet to fall backwards, revealing it was empty. She jumped back, "It's not there! It's gone!"

The Doctor was on his feet, seeing the armor opening, the advanced tech bare, "Gone? Gone? Gone, what do you mean, gone?!"

"Daddy what's wrong?" Ayla looked at him, confused.

"It's got out!" Clara gasped.

"It is time I learned the measure of my enemies," Skaldak shouted, from somewhere still in the room with her, "And what this vessel is capable of!"

Clara started to edge around in the dark, scared.

"No, no, no, Skaldak!" the Doctor cried, knowing what the creature meant by that, by learning the measure of his enemies, he meant to kill them and dissect them, study how they worked...and he did NOT want to lose any members of this crew, not to a fate like that.

"Harm one of us and you harm us all!" Skaldak sneered, "By the moons, this I swear!"

"Clara! Get out of there! Get out!" he turned to run for the doors, when the captain pulled his gun on him, him immediately moving Ayla behind him, "I've never seen one do this before! Actually, I've never seen one out of its armor before."

The captain lowered his gun and the Doctor ran for the door, "Won't it be more vulnerable out of its shell?" the professor asked.

The Doctor could only pause, "No, it will be more dangerous," he whispered, and ran.

Angel was down there.

~8~

In the room, Clara spun around, flashing her light every which way trying to spot where Skaldak was in the dark…only to hear him starting to growl. She turned and ran for the hatch, needing to get it open and get out, when she heard a thud, Skaldak flying at her.

"Clara duck!" she swore she heard Angel shout from the other side of the hatch. She dropped to the ground, covering her head, a moment before the hatch was thrown off its hinges by a flash of gold, the door itself slamming into Skaldak as he advanced, sending him flying back.

"Sorry!" Angel called to the alien as she hopped into the room, trying to get Clara back on her feet before Skaldak could recover, it was an accident that the door had hit him like that, "Come on!"

"Angel!" Clara gasped, pointing as Skaldak recovered remarkably fast and ran at them again.

Angel turned and pulled Clara down, a flash of gold surrounding them as Skaldak merely sailed over them, out into the hall as they stood…watching him streak past, the Doctor skidding to a halt when he felt the reptile dart by.

"Angel!" he breathed, rushing to her side to help her and Clara out of the torpedo room.

"Mummy!" Ayla cheered, hugging her tightly, "You're ok!"

"Are you ok Clara?" the Doctor looked at her, seeing Angel was fine.

"I'm ok," Clara nodded, "Thanks Angel," she smiled at her, the woman waving her off, "Where did he go? How did I do? Was I ok?"

"This wasn't a test, Clara," the Doctor shook his head, the situation quite unlike the one for the Clara from Victorian times.

"I know but..."

"You were brilliant!" Ayla cheered, hugging her as well.

"Really?" Clara laughed, looking at the girl's parents.

"Yeah, really," the Doctor laughed as well.

"Doctor," the professor called as he and the captain caught up with them, holding up the walkman, "The signal, it's stopped."

The Doctor rushed over, leaning in to listen to the beeping, but it was silent, "Skaldak got no answer from his Martian brothers. Now he's given up hope."

"Hope of what?" the captain frowned.

"That someone will come and rescue him," Angel sighed, "That there are more of his kind out there for him..."

She could empathize with that. Not every person who had possessed her and the Dalek before Van Statten had thought to try and block her brainwaves. She had called out till her mental voice was raw, crying for help, trying to reach anyone out there...but whoever was left was too far away or not there at the right time. She'd been left alone, praying that someone would come rescue her, but no one did, not for 50 long years at least. She'd heard the Time War happening, heard it end, felt the silence that followed...and feared there were none of her kind left. Still she had called out, she had shouted as loud as she could for help...and it went unanswered.

She smiled, till the Doctor arrived.

"Which is absolute rubbish," she added, "One must _never_ give up hope."

The Doctor smiled at that, "Giving up hope makes people…dangerous," he agreed, glancing at the captain, "He thinks he's been abandoned. He's got nothing left to lose."

"But what can he do stuck down here like the rest of us?" the captain shook his head, "How bad can it be?"

"Did you have to say _that_?" Ayla frowned at him, "I think you jinxed us!"

The Doctor had to sigh and agree, "This sub's stuffed with _nuclear missiles_ , Zhukov. It's fat with them! What do you think Skaldak's going to do when he finds that out? 'How bad can it be? How bad can it be?'"

"Daddy don't say it either…" Ayla warned.

But he'd already added, "It couldn't be any worse."

…and then water rushed into the room as a hatch opened, the sub shifting on the ledge, nearly about to fall over, sending them all crashing into the walls in the process.

"Ok," the Doctor nodded, wincing a bit, "Spoke too soon."

Angel just shook her head, before she glanced to the side, her smile falling off her face, "We should get back to the Bridge," she murmured, blinking as she stared down one hall, a pit forming in her stomach.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed, "We should, come along sweetheart," he took Ayla's hand, turning to lead them all off…assuming that Angel was following them…

But Angel remained where she was until they had all passed, taking a few steps after the men so they would think she followed…only to backtrack, stepping quite a few back, before she turned and rushed down the hall.

She could tell, she could _feel_ it as her vision came back to her, Stepashin was in danger.

~8~

The man in question was alone in one of the control rooms, making some much needed repairs…when he heard a familiar growling noise behind him. He tensed, grabbing his pistol from his belt and stood, turning around and examining the room with his torch, "Hello? Who's there? Who's there?" he frowned, hearing the growling from behind a bank of machinery and stepped towards it, "Who's there?!"

He spun around when he heard a noise behind him…only for two green, scaly, clawed hands to reach down and grab his shoulder and his head, making his shudder, "What do you want with me?"

"Much," Skaldak growled.

~8~

The Doctor stood at the controls of the submarine, flashing the sonic about, trying to keep everything running, having rushed there the moment they got into the room, not really paying attention to what was going on behind him, how the captain was gathering the crew to give his report of the situation, "Comrades, you know our situation. The reactor is drowned, we are totally reliant on battery power and our air is running out. Rescue is unlikely but we still have a mission to fulfill. If the Doctor is right, then we are all that stands between this creature and the destruction of the world. Control of one missile is all he needs. We are expendable, comrades, our world is not. I know I can rely on every one of you to do his duty without fail. That is all."

"Daddy?" he _did_ turn at that, hearing his daughter call him, and looked over his shoulder to see her looking around with a frown, "Where's mummy?"

The Doctor blinked and spun around entirely, his head turning quickly to see if she was in the room…before his eyes widened, "Angel!" he shouted, rushing out of the room, the captain, Clara, Ayla, and the professor following him.

~8~

Stepashin flinched as Skaldak moved his other hand to grab his head with both of them, one coming around to feel his face, "Listen to me," Stepashin tried to speak, "We both understand each other. This...this mewling time of peace, it doesn't suit us. We are both warriors...and...together...we can form an alliance."

"An alliance?" Skaldak murmured.

"Yes...to win the cold war!"

"Cold war?"

"Both sides are capable of completely obliterating the other. It's a state we 'call mutually assured destruction.'"

"Mutually assured destruction? But this has not occurred?"

"No."

"Not _yet_!"

Stepashin screamed, feeling the monster above him pull him up, off the ground…when another voice shouted, "No!" and a blast of gold raced past him, striking Skaldak, more like pushing him back than harming him, the alien dropping him to the ground.

"Come on!" the same voice called and he was hauled to his feet, dragged out the door which slammed shut, the girl…the alien girl, Angel he recalled, turning the wheel on the door to stall Skaldak.

"What…" he panted, "How…"

"Psychic," she muttered, turning to grab his hand, "Now let's go! The door won't hold him for long!" she pulled him down the hallway, the man so shaken he was barely aware that he was letting a woman, one of the four he'd been so ready to see shot, save him.

They only made it around a few corners, Angel seeming to be trying to lead him to the control room, when they ran into the Doctor and the others, "Angel!" the man gasped, rushing to her and pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly before kissing her quickly, "What were you _thinking_?!"

She let out a little laugh, reaching up to touch his face gently, "That I couldn't let you be the only one teaching our daughter a lesson on how to save people," she leaned in and gave him a peck, only for the man to kiss her again, and again, and a third time, "Stepashin was in danger," she said simply.

They looked back to see the man standing there, still quite a bit shell-shocked, "Are you alright Mr. Stepashin?" Ayla asked him, blinking and frowning, he seemed very pale and quiet.

"Stepashin?" the captain repeated.

Stepashin looked up, "Um…the…the Martian…he…"

"Cornered him making repairs," Angel explained, "I managed to get him out before Skaldak could harm him."

The captain looked at her, a bit startled, "YOU?"

The Doctor just grinned and wound his arm around her waist, "Never underestimate my Mate."

Angel glanced over her shoulder in the direction they'd come, "We need to get somewhere safe," she told them, "Skaldak will be escaping soon…"

The Doctor nodded and took her hand, leading them back to the Bridge, Ayla jogging to take her mother's hand, the captain slapping Stepashin on the back to jolt him on. Clara and the professor exchanged a smile at that, Angel was most certainly very good.

~8~

The Doctor sat at one of the controls, Angel beside him with one arm around his shoulder, the Doctor absently playing with her hand as it dangled off his shoulder, Ayla and Clara off to the side. The Doctor had to smile when he saw them, Clara had taken to standing with Ayla much like he and Angel did, with the girl before her and her arms around Ayla's shoulders, clasped before her with Ayla's little hands clutching her arms. He felt…better, about all this, seeing that there was someone else there to help protect his daughter and Mate. And Clara...the other Claras had each done so in the past, he didn't doubt this Clara would too, but this time he was determined to protect her as well.

Angel had often said that she couldn't see everything, and it had been even more true with Donna, when her vision had been fading, that she sometimes needed someone. Much like he needed someone besides Angel to stop him at times, Angel could need someone to see what she missed. It appeared that Clara was going to be much the same, helping to keep them safe and seeing things they missed.

"Even if a missile _did_ get launched, that wouldn't be...it, would it?" Clara had to wonder.

"It?" the Doctor looked at her, a bit distracted, not quite sure if he'd heard her question correctly.

"End of the world. Game over. I mean, what if they fired one by accident, what would happen then?"

"I told you, Clara," the Doctor sighed, "Earth is like a storm waiting to break, right now. Both sides baring their teeth, talking up war. It would only take one tiny spark."

"Only you can prevent forest fires," Ayla recited as they all looked at her, amused, as she blinked up at them, "What? It's true isn't it?" she shook her head.

Clara let out a little laugh at that, Ayla really was _adorable_ and seemed to have inherited her mother's knack of making things less serious and scary with her comments, "But the world didn't end in 1983, did it? Or I wouldn't be here."

"'Back to the Future?'" Angel shrugged as Clara frowned, apparently having not seen that movie. She smiled, "History is always changing Clara. Sometimes there are fixed points, where things must happen exactly as they always have like…Pompeii," she supplied, Clara nodding along as though she understood, which made the Doctor laugh to himself.

He'd seen that very same expression and look of concentration on someone else's face once, oh…centuries ago, that look where you tried to make it seem like you were keeping up. The look where you refused to appear as though you were dribbling on your shirt but actually following. The look that said you really had _no_ idea what was going on but that you were making an effort. It was weird how Clara's expressions were so similar to…

"All other points," Angel continued, pulling him from his thoughts, "Can still be changed though. Rewritten. The Cold War isn't a fixed point, it _can_ happen or it can _not_ happen. We just…try to keep things from changing for the worse."

"How many of us are left?" the Doctor glanced over at the captain.

"13," the captain said, "Now that we've got Stepashin back," he nodded at the man who was surprisingly quiet and sitting with the other men, explaining to them in hushed tones exactly how dangerous the enemy was and…how he feared attacking it would _not_ be a good idea. Which was a nice change.

Angel let out a relieved breath, feeling like…if Stepashin hadn't been there they'd end up splitting up to try and find him and…she got the sinking feeling that even more would die if that happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was torn about Stepashin, I didn't really care for him but he was rather easy to save in a way, and I sort of could respect him for wanting to defend his country, so I gave him a chance ;) And, for some reason, I'm very excited for the next chapter to learn what the Barbie Doll will be in this story lol :)


	40. Cold War: Mutual Destruction?

"We need to find him," the Doctor decided, standing, "We need to try and reason with him."

Clara frowned as the captain nodded and walked off, "Is it true you've never seen one outside of its shell suit?"

Ayla blinked and looked up at her, "What's a shell suit?"

"That thing he was wearing."

"Clara that's silly, that's his armor!" Ayla corrected with a smile.

Clara had to smile at that, Ayla had a habit of just saying someone was being silly when they were completely wrong. And yet she never made them feel foolish for being wrong even when she called them silly. She just smiled as she said it and explained why they were wrong but never put the other person down. It was really...a great quality to have, she could tell. It was like a little teacher for kids, you had to explain why they were wrong without making them feel dim for getting it wrong in the first place. She was under the impression it was the girl's smile, the way she giggled as though to say that it really was just a tiny silly thought and not a huge gigantic mistake. She appreciated that. Lord knew the Doctor could sometimes get offensive and rude about things like that.

"For an Ice Warrior to leave its armor is the gravest dishonor," the Doctor added, a bit more seriously than Clara would have liked, she could tell that tone was a dangerous one, that the Doctor felt there was something alarming about that fact, "Skaldak is desperate, he is deadly and we have _got_ to find him."

"Will this help?" the professor walked over, having heard the last part of their conversation, holding up the sonic.

"Ah!" the Doctor cheered, taking it, "You saved it!"

"No, no, it was on the floor with this," he held up the Barbie doll as well.

"My dolly!" Ayla cheered, taking it, "It's ok Rosie," Ayla pet the doll on the head, making her parents smile, well...making Angel smile at least.

The Doctor, on the other hand, sort of stiffened at the name, that particular nightmare a bit too fresh in his mind, not that all of them weren't as fresh as the night he'd dreamt them, but...even though he remembered them, even though Angel was aware of them, and that he'd told he about one or two, he...he didn't want her to SEE them. That was one thing he didn't want, he didn't want her to see how terrible and twisted his mind was, how dark the dreams were, the...gruesomeness that some of them held, like the one with Malokeh or the brutality of others like when he'd been shot in the head by...Rosalie, Rosie as the others called her, just like Ayla's doll.

But he knew it wasn't the same 'Rosie,' Ayla had developed a bit of a habit lately, making dolls, specifically making dolls that represented her family, another way for her to keep them around besides just their images in her locket. It was truly magnificent because she had made all the dolls herself, except for the actual doll. But she'd made the the clothes they wore, she cut their hair, she styled them, she made them all personal representations of her family. She was even working on a Clara doll even with Clara still being right there. It was…very creative, though they hoped she wouldn't call herself 'the Dollmaker' or 'the Puppetmaster' or something like that when she was older, both sounded just a little…creepy, like something out of a horror story. But the little outfits she'd made them _were_ adorable.

"Ah," the Doctor cheered, seeing her happy, with Rose being her first 'Auntie' and his first companion after the War, he knew that doll was the most important to her. Rose was...the only member of the family she hadn't been able to meet which meant the doll was literally all she had of Rose besides pictures and stories from her parents. They'd been going to Vegas to try and see Elvis, much like he'd once tried and failed to get Angel and Rose to, it was Ayla's way of trying to make it up to her 'Aunt Rose' in taking her doll to see the man instead, "Professor, I could kiss you!" he beamed.

The professor blinked, "If you insist."

Angel laughed at that, seeing the Doctor's startled expression, clearly not having expected that from the man, "Maybe later," she offered as the man shrugged and walked off.

"Angel…" the Doctor turned to her, pouting. He didn't like kissing anyone but her, or the thought of it. He knew he wouldn't really ever kiss the man, but...the fact she'd joked about it, he didn't like it. He didn't like the notion of anyone getting a kiss from him but her or Ayla.

"Oh, look, he didn't like me finish," she joked, "I was going to say…maybe later, you'll kiss me."

He grinned at that, "How about right now?" he smirked.

She paused to consider that, grinning, "I think we can spare a moment or two."

"Or more," he nodded, leaning in to kiss her as Clara shook her head at them, Ayla giggling from behind her hands, her parents were definitely very silly and very silly for each other.

~8~

The Doctor, Clara, Ayla, and Angel wandered the halls with the professor, the Doctor unusually tense. Though he knew it was because Angel and Ayla were there with him. He had tried to insist that she and Ayla wait in the Bridge, with the other men to protect them…but Angel had just remarked that where he went, she went, and neither of them were going to leave Ayla by herself with the men and the little girl insisted on going with them. That and he had a thing about guns and people with guns around his Mate, and that was what he'd be leaving them to, men with guns in the same room as not just his Mate but his daughter...men with guns with itchy trigger fingers to boot. So, really, it was probably safer that they were all together in the halls. And, as Ayla had argued, how would she learn to face down their enemies and monsters if she didn't start with them both at her side?

She had insisted she was old enough to go help them, though the fact she'd stomped her little foot hadn't helped her case. But they had to admit, she was over a century old, and they WOULD be there, and the submarine was small, with really only two ways to get to anyone, from the front or back and with a number of them there she should be safe, and Angel would be there to keep them all safe. So they'd relented.

The Doctor flashed around with his sonic, taking the lead as Ayla followed, Clara and the professor between her and Angel as the woman took the rear, the most able to protect them should Skaldak come from behind, she'd sense him coming the Doctor was confident in that.

"So, why have you got a cattle prod on a submarine?" Clara asked, glancing at the professor, really she was trying to just think of the most random question to help calm down the Doctor and Angel and keep it light and cheerful. It was something she had done since she was a child, think of something funny to ask and try and keep other's minds off what was wrong. Usually she'd just flirt to keep things cheerful but that didn't really work quite so well with the professor possibly swinging n the other direction and the Doctor married, she doubted him or Angel would appreciate her flirting and it just felt weird to her. Not just the thought of flirting with a clearly taken man (she really wasn't sure if they were married or not, he kept calling Angel his Mate and not wife but she wasn't sure exactly if that meant wife for Time Lords) but also because...the Doctor was...too much a friend, more than friend. It was like...flirting with her cousin or something, it was just really weird. But she could see the Doctor start to smile for it so she knew she was doing something right even if she wasn't flirting.

"Polar bears," the professor remarked.

"Ah, right."

"We run across them when we're drilling. Can be quite nasty, you know?"

"I'd swap one for an Ice Warrior any day."

"Polar bears are cuddlier," Ayla agreed, "I have a stuffed teddy bear polar bear named Rupert."

"That's lovely," Clara laughed, winking at the girl, knowing the girl had quite the collection of stuffed animals...oddly enough all of them seemed to have bowties though. Ayla even seemed to wear bowties in her hair and things. Maybe it was a Time Lord thing, liking bowties...

"You have quite a bit of courage, my dear," the professor eyed the little girl, who didn't seem alarmed at all that there was an Ice Warrior after them.

Ayla blinked and smiled, "I get it from daddy," she told him, "And Ice Warriors don't scare me," she shrugged, "My Uncle Rory once said that, seeing so many things mummy and daddy do, there's not much left to be scared of. And I already know what I'm scared of and none of those things are here, not really. And I know mummy and daddy will protect me from all the other things too."

The Doctor smiled at that, his hearts warmed at their daughter's faith in them, he truly felt so blessed that Ayla was with them once more. To have failed in protecting her once before, to have lost her, to have known she'd suffered and died of illness...the fear he'd felt in thinking she'd hate him, in knowing she'd be right to...to see that she still loved him and still had that unshakable faith that Angel seemed to have in him, it...it brought tears to his eyes at times. To know his little girl trusted him to protect her, well, that was a father's duty wasn't it? And he'd do it to his last breath. Oh he was sure she'd come to find it irritating one day, when he randomly popped up to save the day when she could 'handle it' but he'd always be keeping an eye on her, she was...she was his little girl, and no matter how old she got, she'd always be his baby girl.

And he'd always take care of her.

He smiled, nodding to himself as he flicked a switch absentmindedly…and setting off an alarm, wincing as he rushed to shut it off.

"You know what I do when I'm frightened?" the professor remarked, smiling serenely as though not even noticing the alarms, it was actually quite a typical occurrence for the sub, "I always sing a song."

"That's brilliant!" Ayla cheered, her mother did the same for her.

"What?" Clara laughed.

"To keep my spirits up," the professor nodded.

"Yes, that would work...if this was _Pinocchio._ "

"Oh I love _Pinocchio_!" Ayla smiled, "And _Mary Poppins_ , mummy's JUST like her. She's nice and she always shows up when you need her and when she leaves you don't want her to go. Mummy," she looked at her, "Will you say the thing?"

Angel laughed, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

"Superc…supercalifrad…" Ayla struggled, reminding her parents very much of Rose when they'd faced Margaret the Slitheen, "Oh I'll get it one day."

The professor glanced at Angel, looking between her and Clara, "Do either of you know _Hungry like the Wolf_?"

"What?" Clara repeated.

"Duran Duran, one of my favorites. Come on!"

"I'm not singing a song!"

"Oh come on Clara," Angel moved to her side, reaching out, without looking, to push a hatch shut that the Doctor was about to open, all of them looking up when they heard a groaning sort of sound.

"What was that?" Clara stiffened.

"Pressure," the Doctor spoke quickly, "Just pressure. We're 700 meters down, remember?"

"Don't worry about it," the professor agreed, "Think of something else," before he started smiled and took Ayla's hands, starting to dance with the little girl as he sang, "Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da I am hungry like the wolf."

"I'm not singing!" Clara had to laugh at that.

"Do you not know it Clara?" Ayla blinked up at her, she knew her mother didn't, her mother didn't listen to many songs, though she knew quite a few Disney ones...though that was probably because of her, she liked watching them with her parents.

"'Course I know it. We do it at karaoke. The odd hen night."

"'Karaoke?'" the professor frowned, "'Hen night?' You speak excellent Russian, my dear, but sometimes I don't understand a word you're talking about."

"Daddy thought the same about mummy once," Ayla told them, recalling the stories her father would tell when her mother had fallen asleep early.

Oh she loved THOSE stories very, VERY much…because when her mother went to bed first, and her father told her stories…it was about her mother, it was about the most important moments to him, like when they'd first met (a very nice version of it), when he'd realized he loved her, even their first kiss! She loved hearing the tales of how much her parents loved each other. She loved hearing stories about her mummy because her mother never really spoke about herself much, she always talked about everyone else, the Doctor, their companions, her mother and friend on Gallifrey, but never really about her and all the wonderful things she'd done. Her father would whisper that her mother was just too modest like that, a trait he did not appear to have as he'd tell her about his adventures too.

But all that cheer was cut off when they heard a loud growl sound from down the corridor. The Doctor just managed to get the alarm off in time to hear it as they turned and ran down in the direction it came from, pausing in a four-way intersection but seeing nothing. He pulled out the sonic…

"This way," Angel took his arm instead, leading them off down one hall, till they reached a dark part of it, a door before and behind them and one at the side that led up a small set of steps.

"Stay here," the Doctor called, heading for them.

"Ok," Clara nodded.

"Stay here! Don't argue!"

"I'm not!"

The Doctor paused and looked back, "Right…good…"

Angel laughed, "Had to happen one day, didn't it?" she joked, "Someone not wandering off. Go on," she whispered to him, putting her hand on Ayla's shoulder, "I'll keep watch here."

He swallowed hard, _not_ liking that thought of them being separated again at all, "Why don't…why don't you come with me?" he held out a hand to her, "Please…" he added when he saw her hesitating.

Angel sighed, glancing at Clara, "Will you two be alright?"

The professor nodded, "I'll keep an eye on her my dear, you two go on," he waved her and Ayla off, knowing that the man was very protective of his wife and daughter.

Angel smiled and nodded, heading for the steps, nudging Ayla ahead of her as they left.

The professor sighed, "It's a young man's game, all this dashing about!" he moved to sit on the edge of one of the doors, "Clara, what is it?" he frowned, seeing her watching the Time Lords go, frowning.

She blinked and looked at him, "I was doing ok. I mean, I went in there and did the scary stuff, didn't I? I went in there with the Ice Warrior and it went ok. Actually, it went just about as badly as it could have done but that wasn't my fault."

"Not at all."

"So, I'm happy about that."

"Yes!"

"Chuffed."

"And so you should be. So what's the matter?"

"I…" she glanced at the ladder again, "I don't…like it when THEY wander off," she admitted, she felt…safer when they were there. It was like…she was part of a family that would protect her. The way Angel, and even the Doctor, treated her, like she was more than just an 'assistant' or a companion or even a friend but...part of their little family...it made her feel safe. It made her feel like her mother was still there, that she was still watching over her when the Time Lords were there. She wasn't sure if it was just because she now knew they'd technically been watching over her her entire life or anything, but...she did feel safe with them. She glanced at the professor, "Are we going to make it?"

"Yes, of course," the professor nodded, looking up as the metal groaned.

~8~

The captain glanced at Stepashin and another crew member as they stood in the Bridge, hearing the groaning and growling beyond. He looked down, seeing something pass by the bottom of the door, "It's out there!" he shouted, rushing out into the hall after Skaldak, Stepashin and the other crew member after him.

~8~

The Doctor opened the door to a room, trying to flash around with the sonic, when Angel reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, "My love…I think we should head back."

He looked at her, "Why…"

But before he could finish there was a rattling and the sound of retreating footsteps above them. Skaldak was in the rafters, "Oh...oh...oh! Fast. He's fast..."

"Come on daddy!" Ayla grabbed his hand and ran down the corridor with them.

~8~

Clara looked around, hearing the groaning again, "What was that?"

"The Doctor told you," the professor shrugged, "It's just the boat settling. Tell me about yourself. What do you like doing? Clara?" but Clara spun around, hearing a rattling now, "Clara?"

"Stuff. You know, stuff."

"'Stuff?' Very enlightening. And the Doctor, what he said, is it true? You're...from another time...from our future? Clara?"

"Yes."

The professor stood, nodding, "Tell me what happens."

"I can't."

"Well, I _need_ to know."

"I'm not allowed."

"No, please."

"I can't!"

"Ultravox, do they split up?" he grabbed her shoulders.

Clara stared at him a moment, before laughing, "Funny. You're funny!"

The professor blinked, "I'm being serious."

Which only made her laugh more…until scaly hands reached down from the ceiling and grabbed her head, making her gasp and stiffen.

"Let her go!" the professor grabbed a pistol and fired up at Skaldak, who immediately let her go and withdrew into the rafters again. Clara stumbling back, panting as the professor grinned, "See...I don't just like Western music!" he twirled his gun…

But then Skaldak reached down and grabbed _his_ head instead, just as the Time Family ran down the ladder, "No, please, don't hurt him!" Clara pleaded, "Please!"

The Doctor aimed the sonic up, but all they could see was Skaldak's red eyes, till Angel held up her hand, her fist glowing, illuminating his reptilian face as well, "You attacked me!" the alien snarled, "Martian law decrees that the people of this planet are forfeit. I now have all the information I require. It will take only one missile to begin the process. To end this cold war."

"Grand Marshal, there is no need for this," the Doctor tried, "Listen to me..."

"My distress call has not been answered. It will _never_ be answered. My people are dead. They are dust. There is nothing left for me except my revenge!"

Angel stiffened and glanced over her shoulder, sensing something coming…

~8~

In the torpedo room Skaldak's armor closed on its own and pulled itself off the chains that bound it.

~8~

"There _is_ something left for you, Skaldak," the Doctor continued, taking a single step closer, nudging Ayla behind him, towards Angel and Clara, "Mercy."

"Mercy?"

The captain ran in with Stepashin, both men aiming their guns at the alien, "No!" Angel called, holding up her other hand, creating sparks of gold that caused the men to drop their weapons. The _last_ thing she wanted was for Skaldak to attack with Ayla and the Doctor right there. She could...she could feel it, the Vortex rising at that thought, at the notion of Skaldak attacking them all and...she was trying to push it down, but it was hard. She had to make sure that the alien didn't attack, that no one attacked it either.

"I will do whatever it takes to defend my world," the captain defended, glaring at Angel for what she'd done to stop him.

"Yes, great, fine, good," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "But we're getting somewhere here. We're negotiating, 'jaw-jaw not war-war.'"

"Churchill?" the professor frowned.

"Churchill," he pointed at the man.

"Can we go visit Uncle Winny after this?" Ayla asked, if just to try and lessen the tension.

The Winston that they'd met, well that her parents had met, didn't know Angel was the Doctor's Mate yet, due to the aborted timeline being the only time it had been mentioned to the man. And she had a sort of Christmas list of her own, to visit every person that didn't know her mother was her father's Mate because her father hadn't remembered at the time and let them know who her mother was. Her mother deserved to be known to be important. Well…visiting anyone that would be able to keep quiet about the Time Lords being alive at least, she didn't want the Silence to find them but she knew her father trusted Winston very much so he should be safe. And she'd heard tales of the man so it would be wonderful to actually meet him.

"Very well, we'll negotiate but from a position of strength!" the captain lunged for the gun, but a gold wall kept him from grabbing it.

"You grab that gun, he'll attack us," Angel warned them, "I will not see my Mate and daughter in danger because you have an itchy finger."

"Excellent tactical thinking," Skaldak complimented her, "Unfortunately, their position is not, perhaps, as strong as they might have hoped."

The Doctor frowned at that, "What do you mean?"

"He's called his armor to come help him," Angel remarked, moments before they heard a thumping down the hall as the armor moved on its own, dragging the chains behind it. Before they could even blink Skaldak slithered out of the ceiling, past them, and into the armor which closed around him instantly, none of them able to even get a glimpse of what he really looked like.

"How did it do that?" Clara breathed.

"Sonic tech, Clara," the Doctor explained, "The song of the Ice Warrior!"

Stepashin lunged for his gun as well, but the gold wall appeared again, "What did I just _tell_ you young man?" Angel chastised him.

"My world is dead," Skaldak stated as he turned to walk off down the hall, "But now there will be a second red planet! Red with the blood of humanity!"

"Skaldak!" the Doctor rushed after him, "Skaldak! Wait!"

The others followed him, all of them running after the Martian as he made it to one of the control rooms, ignoring the men who had rushed after their captain and were firing at him, his armor protecting him. He walked right up to one of the controls and held his wrist out to it, wires coming out of his armor and latching onto the openings of the machines, reprogramming them.

He grinned as the key ports switched on, the lights turning red as the torpedoes opened, the nuclear missiles ready for launch…

"No!" the Doctor shouted, "Skaldak! Wait! Wait! Wait!"

"Skaldak please, listen," Angel pleaded.

"He's arming the warheads!" Stepashin cried from looking at one of the monitor readings.

"Where is the honor in condemning billions of innocents to death?" the Doctor tried to get through to him, "5,000 years ago Mars was the center of a vast empire. The jewel of this solar system. The people of Earth had only just begun to leave their caves. Five thousand years isn't such a long time, they're still just frightened children. Still primitive. Who are you to judge them?"

The wires retracted as Skaldak faced him, "I am Skaldak! This planet is forfeit under Martian law."

"Martian Law has no jurisdiction on Earth," Ayla frowned, speaking plainly and simply, reciting what she knew of intergalactic law, like the Shadow Proclamation and other things, "Earth is NOT Mars."

"Instead…teach them," the Doctor continued, "Teach them, Grand Marshal! Show them another way! Show them there is honor in mercy. Is this how you want history to remember you? Grand Marshal Skaldak, Destroyer of Earth? Because _that's_ what you'll be if you send those missiles. Not a soldier, a _murderer_. Five billion lives extinguished."

Angel frowned, looking at the Doctor sadly, Clara seeing her expression and knowing what she was thinking. The Doctor had just told her about the War, about what he'd done, all those lives that had been lost because he'd needed to end the War to save the Universe. And here was Skaldak, about to do the same and for a FAR less noble reason. Angel could see it in the Doctor, the guilt that ate away at him for what he'd done, he did everything he could to try and save as many planets as possible to make up for that. And now he was trying to stop another making the same choice, but Skaldak...she knew he was only doing so for the _purpose_ of destroying the planet, not for saving others.

Skaldak turned around and put his hand over the launch button.

The Doctor swallowed, "No chance for goodbyes. A world snuffed out like a candle flame!" but Skaldak's hand just got closer. The Doctor looked over at Angel who nodded and he turned back to Skaldak, "Alright, alright, Skaldak, you leave me no choice. I'm a Time Lord, Skaldak. I know a bit about sonic technology myself," he held up the sonic.

"A threat?" Skaldak scoffed as he turned again, "You threaten _me_ , Doctor?"

"No. No, not you...all of us. I will blow this sub up before you can even reach that button, Grand Marshal. Blow us all to oblivion."

"You would sacrifice yourself? Your Mate and child?"

"Never," the Doctor said, "But I don't have to worry about her and Ayla do I?" he asked, flicking the sonic as it turned red, knowing that Angel would be able to protect them, having faith that she'd keep them safe, but Skaldak didn't need to know that.

"Mutually assured destruction!" Skaldak sneered, turning to press the button…

"Look into my eye, Skaldak," the Doctor challenged, "Look into my eyes and tell me you're capable of doing this. Huh? Can you do that? Dare you do that? Look into my eyes, Skaldak, come on! Face-to-face."

Skaldak hesitated and turned, "Well, Doctor," his helmet dropped, "Which of us shall blink first?"

"I'd rather none of you," Angel sighed, "Skaldak…would you do something like this in front of _your_ daughter?" she asked, and Skaldak looked at her, "In front of anyone's daughter?" she placed her hand on Ayla's shoulder the girl looking at Skaldak with wide eyes, "I saw you, back there with Clara, you were going to kill the professor, but she begged you to stop. And you did. You showed compassion for Clara, for a little girl, show it for another," she gestured at Ayla.

"The Doctor's right," Clara added, "Billions will die...mothers, sons, fathers..." she nodded at Ayla, "Daughters. Remember that last battle, Skaldak? Your daughter...you sang the songs..."

"Of the red snows…" Skaldak looked down…

When suddenly there was a crashing noise as the sub shook violently, the Doctor stumbling back to Angel and Ayla's side to protect them.

"What's happening?!" Clara gasped.

Skaldak looked up, hearing a familiar sonic whirring noise, "My people live! They have come for me!"

"We're rising!" the captain called, spotting the gauge, "We're rising!"

"600 meters..." the professor reported, "550..."

The sub shook once more with a jostle and the Doctor grinned, "We've surfaced! Your people have saved us!"

"Saved _me_ , not you," Skaldak sneered.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Just go, Skaldak, please. Please...go in peace."

The humans blinked as Skaldak disappeared before their very eyes, transported into his ship, "We did it!" Clara cheered, "We did it!"

"Not just yet," Angel sighed, pointing to the controls.

The Doctor frowned and ran over, Angel staying back, knowing she wouldn't be any use at all if it came to trying to unarm the warheads or whatever it was that torpedoes did, she…wasn't good with weapons, at all, she...she couldn't help but feel like that was the reason her sister had died. Her sister had died protecting her because she had been utterly useless on the battlefield. Fighting, killing, weapons, guns, anything, she was a very non-confrontational person by nature, preferring peace and growing things to destroying them...she'd failed to be a decent soldier, and her sister had paid the price. And now she'd be even less useless because she was rubbish at operating technology that wasn't TARDIS related. All she knew was red-light meant bad, and the red lights were still on.

"No, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor frowned, "It's still armed. A single pulse from that ship..." he swallowed hard, realizing what it meant, "I'll destroy us if I have to," he murmured, pressing the sonic to his forehead, before he turned to Angel, "Angel…"

She nodded, moving to his side and pressing her hands to the controls, the gold light seeping out of her, spreading through the ship, into the walls like it had with the plane that had been crashing, ready to protect them if the Doctor had to blow the ship up. It would be easier for her to go to the torpedoes and just…short circuit them with the Vortex, but it was too far away, they were already armed, and she wouldn't be able to get to them with the doors around them open.

"Show mercy, Skaldak," the Doctor begged under his breath, "Come on, show mercy."

Angel smiled, "Have faith my love."

Clara though, started to hum under her breath, singing softly, "Da-da-da-dah I'm lost and I'm found and I'm hungry like the wolf."

And then…moments later…the key ports locked again and the lights turned green, the missile hatches closing.

The Doctor let out a breath and shut the sonic off, " _Now_ we're safe!" he cheered, turning to Angel and hugging her as she pulled the Vortex back into her, hugging her tightly as Ayla cheered and hugged Clara, the woman laughing as the little girl launched herself and clung to her neck.

She walked over with Ayla in her arms, the girl a bit big to still be picked up but she was small for her age, or whatever age she appeared to be, "Saved the world then?" she smiled at them.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded.

"That's what we do?"

"Oh yes," Angel smiled.

"Brilliant!"

"Fantastic!" Ayla corrected as her mother took her to hug her, the Doctor hugging Clara as well.

~8~

The small Time Family and Clara stepped out onto the top of the sub, the captain, Stepashin and the professor with them as they looked up at the Martian ship hovering above them.

"The TARDIS!" Clara turned to them, reminded of the other spaceship, "Where's the TARDIS? You never explained."

"Oh, well," the Doctor tried to wave it off, embarrassed, "Don't worry about that."

"Stop saying that! Where is it?"

"Daddy has no idea," Ayla told her.

"What?"

"Sissy will turn up somewhere," Angel reassured her.

"It's not my fault," the Doctor defended "I wasn't to know was I?"

"Know what?" Clara crossed her arms and gave him a look.

"I've been tinkering...breaking her in. I'm allowed."

"Mummy told him not to," Ayla added, "He always breaks Aunt Idris, and she complains really loudly about that all the time."

"What did you do?" Clara looked at him.

"I reset the HADS," he mumbled.

"Huh?" she frowned.

"I reset…" he began, before mumbling again, "The HADS!"

"The what?"

"The HADS," Angel explained, knowing the Doctor was doing a rather terrible job of it, "It's the Hostile Action Displacement System. Usually, what happens is that, if a TARDIS feels threatened, like it's under attack, from anything to bullets fired or being lost at sea or in a solar tsunami…she'll get herself somewhere safe."

"Oh, Doctor," Clara shook her head, "You said usually," she mumbled, knowing that the Doctor getting involved had to have taken THAT aspect out.

"Haven't used it in donkey's years," he defended, " Seemed like a good idea at the time. Well, never mind, it's bound to turn up somewhere!"

"Beep," Angel and Ayla said a moment before the sonic beeped.

He grinned, "Love that," he pointed at them before pulling out the sonic, "Brilliant!"

"Brilliant!" Clara smiled.

"The TARDIS is at the Pole!"

"Not far then," Clara nodded, heading for the hatch.

Ayla, though, blinked, "Which pole?"

"The um…south pole," the Doctor sighed.

"Ah," Clara stopped.

The Doctor glanced at the captain, "Could we have a lift?"

But the men just laughed, Clara joining in, as they headed back inside, the Doctor mocking their laughter as they went…till Angel gave him a peck. He wound his arm around her waist, his other hand coming to rest on Ayla's shoulder as they looked up at the ship. Ayla eagerly waved at them as Angel offered a small salute, the Doctor just nodding goodbye as it flew off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was debating adding an original scene at the end of this chapter, but I felt like there were a few original bits throughout that sort of made up for it and I really liked the image of the little family waving at the Martians lol, if Donna could see them now :) But I can say there's plenty of originality coming tomorrow, when we get a nightmare }:)


	41. With a Whimper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter references loss of pregnancy :(

Rory frowned when he saw Angel step quietly out of the TARDIS, the Doctor was exuberant as always but Angel seemed far more reserved…which was odd because this was his _wedding_ reception and he _knew_ Angel would've been the most thrilled of them all to see him and Amy finally tie the knot. He walked over to her, reaching out to try and take her hand, but Angel's arms remained crossed over her stomach…and he REALLY did NOT like the look in her eye just then. It was…it actually scared him. It was such a mixture of so many emotions he never ever would have thought to associate with Angel, fear, anger, devastation, pain, loss, hopelessness…and…an ever growing hint of what he could only describe as lifelessness…

"Angel, is something wrong?" he whispered as Amy decided to try and kiss the Doctor behind him, but for once he didn't pay her any mind. He knew she was just more excited to see them than anything. He probably would've kissed Angel too if she hadn't looked so solemn.

Angle just shook her head, "I can't do this Rory," she said, her voice shaking, much like she herself was shaking.

He could see tears in her eyes as he turned to lead her off, calling out to Amy that he'd be right back, that he just wanted to say hi to Angel properly. Amy waved him off, turning more to the Doctor, watching as he moved the TARDIS to go park the box somewhere else so that the dance floor would be clear. Rory followed Angel through the halls, not quite sure where she was going until she opened the door that would lead outside and stepped aside, the Doctor rushing back in, shouting something about 'how he'd moved the TARDIS,' before he ran into the reception hall, hearing the music starting play. Rory frowned, watching him go, seeing the man so interested in the dance that was starting that he hadn't even noticed the tears in Angel's eyes or how she was hugging herself tightly.

Rory shook his head and turned back to her, "Angel what happened?"

But she shook her head, "Not here," she whispered, turning to lead him further out, into the cold night's air. He followed her right to the TARDIS, her pushing the doors open, not even needing the key. He would've asked how she did that but he felt this was far too serious a conversation coming to make light of it with jokes about keys and locks and the Doctor and how the TARDIS never opened for the Time Lord. He followed her up to the console but the moment she turned around to face him…she started sobbing.

He didn't even hesitate to quickly grab her and pull her into his arms, hugging her tightly as she clutched at the fabric of his suit, her fingers curling against his shirt as she held him, her body shaking with her sobs, "Angel please…tell me what happened? What's wrong?"

Angel closed her eyes tightly, "It fired at me," she murmured, her voice hoarse.

"What," he frowned, the briefest image of a metal pepper pot thing and a laser hitting her, "The Dalek? I remember that," he nodded, "But the Pandorica's light brought you back, healed you…right?"

Angel took a breath and looked up at him, the sheer torment in her eyes making his own fill with tears to see, "Not all of me," her voice cracked as a hand dropped to her stomach.

Rory's eyes widened, his heart dropping into his stomach as he realized what she meant, what had happened, "Oh my god," he whispered.

The baby…the Pandorica had been too late to save it…the baby had died.

"Angel I…" he shook his head, he couldn't come up with the words to express what he was feeling, he couldn't think of any words that would possibly comfort her at a time like this, "What can I do to help?" he pleaded.

It was the only thing he could think to say to offer some sort of comfort. He didn't know what to do in this situation. He had seen so many women in the hospitals when they would lose their children, when he would be sitting there and he saw the doctors comforting the distraught women with the words he should say but…it felt different because this was _Angel_. This wasn't some random woman, this wasn't his patient, this was…this was his…his sister.

"I want to go home," she whimpered.

Rory looked around, "I…I thought you _were_ home in the TARDIS," he wasn't quite sure what she meant.

Angel looked at him, trying to take a deep breath but struggling to really breathe, "It's not home anymore," she sniffled, "I can't be here Rory. I can't be around the Doctor. I can't be in the TARDIS. Please, please I just…"

"Ok," Rory cut in, hugging her again as he saw her growing as distraught as the women in the hospital, "Ok," he nodded, "Which home exactly? I know…I know you can't go to Gallifrey but…"

"Call Jack," she whispered, "I need Jack."

"Jack Harkness?" he asked, more to himself than her, recalling a time or two she'd mentioned the man, "Your…well, I suppose MY brother now too?" oh, that would make some getting used to, going from being an only child to having a brother now.

"Please Rory, I just want Jack."

He nodded, understanding what it was. He was the younger brother and while he knew that didn't make much of a difference to Angel, older or younger, he knew Captain Jack had been around longer than him, had seen Angel go through more things, and was more aware of the Time Lord history that she had with the Doctor. Jack was the older brother, he was the one who could comfort his little sister more at the moment, and she just wanted her big brother. He understood and it was his job as the younger brother to get her to what she wanted.

He gently helped her sit on the jump seat, his heart breaking when he saw her hunch over, her arms wrapped around her middle, he could only imagine the pain she had to be in because of what had happened. He…he didn't know what had happened to the baby and…he wasn't sure he wanted to know, it would break his heart to know. He walked over to the console, looking at the monitor, looking at the controls and frowned. He wasn't quite sure…no, actually, he WAS sure, he realized. He actually knew which buttons to push, Angel had taught him a little before he'd turned into a Roman. He reached out, flicking a few switches, turning some knobs, typing something onto the keypad, and hitting a button…the monitor flickering to life. He could see something, some sort of Hub with people, but it didn't seem like they noticed he was standing there. They were all in the back, just talking quietly.

"Jack!" Rory called, trying to see if anyone would hear him, "Jack! JACK!"

Finally one of the men, in a blue shirt with braces and a WWII jacket on, looked over. He could see the man had black hair and blue eyes, bore an actual family resemblance to Angel really, it was in the ears.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, walking over.

"Rory," he pointed at himself, "Rory Williams…"

Jack's eyes widened as he stared at the man, before smirking, "Hey there bro," he laughed, turning to call over his shoulder, "Gray, come meet our newest brother!"

Rory blinked as another man who bore striking resemblance to Jack walked over as well, "That's creepy," Rory muttered.

"What is?" Jack looked back at him.

"You have Angel's ears."

Jack laughed at that, "Actually I think _she_ has _our_ ears. For once we came first," he joked.

Until he heard the words Gray spoke, "What's wrong?" he asked Rory, "You wouldn't be contacting us alone if something wasn't wrong."

Jack fell silent at that, realizing how true that was, "What happened?"

Rory swallowed, "Is there any way you can get to Leadworth?"

"Yeah," Jack nodded, "Why?"

So Rory said the only words he could think of that would get the men moving without needing to explain anything else, "Angel needs you."

Jack's expression turned serious in a split second, "We're on our way," was all he said before the monitor flicked off.

Rory sighed and looked back at Angel, sitting there, her head bowed, her arms around her stomach still, and walked over to her, hearing her quietly sobbing. He knelt before her and took her hands in his, holding them, just…trying to be there for her until Jack showed up.

~8~

Rory hadn't moved an inch from Angel's side the entire time, unable to help but feel his heart break more and more as Angel's sobs grew deeper, the true impact of everything starting to hit her. Not only had she nearly died herself, but she had felt the baby nearly dying in 6 billion explosions, and then she had been struck by the Dalek laser, right in the stomach and the baby had suffered. The baby had been dying, he had realized it even then, the pain she'd been in…it wasn't just from being hit by a laser but something FAR more internal. He'd felt horrified and desperate, but he knew it had to have been 12 times worse for Angel, to know and feel it inside her, to feel her baby struggling to keep going and then to realize that, even with the Pandorica, the baby had still been lost, that it was beyond saving…

The baby had died and with it everything that kept her going.

He looked over when he heard a bang on the doors, the sound of someone trying to push them open, "Jack just use your key!" a man who sounded like Gray spoke.

"I would if my hands would stop shaking Gray!" Jack snapped.

Rory glanced at Angel, making sure she would be alright for a moment, before he got up to go answer the doors. It had barely been five minutes, he knew (Angel had implied) that Jack had some sort of teleporter thing, a Vortex Manipulator she'd called it, that could get him there instantly. He understood leeway though and really, five minutes at the drop of a hat was truly a testament to how much the men cared for Angel that they'd come right there. He threw open one of the doors and saw the two men standing there.

"What happened?" Jack demanded right off the bat, not even exchanging pleasantries, which Rory found himself actually quite happy about. It proved to him that the man really _did_ care for Angel even though he knew Jack did, he was the older brother of the group, probably the eldest brother…which was odd because HE was over 2000, but then again, Jack was also immortal he might be over 2000 at that point or something too.

"Angel…she…" Rory swallowed, sighing, "She was pregnant."

Jack's expression hardened, not just hearing that 'Angel was pregnant' but that 'Angel WAS pregnant' as in she wasn't anymore.

"Where is she?" Jack shoved his way past Rory, through the other door, storming in, looking for Angel, "Angel! Angie?!" and then he saw her, "Angie…" he breathed, seeing her sitting on the jump seat.

The moment she looked up and saw him and Gray, she burst into tears again. Jack and Gray were at her side in an instant, gathering her into their arms as Rory slowly made his way back to them.

"Angie it's ok, it's ok, I'm so sorry," Jack murmured over and over as he held her, Angel just sobbing brokenly in his arms.

Gray just held her tighter, his heart breaking to see her like this, the woman who had saved him, who had saved him even as she was dying, who had saved all the children of Earth, who had healed him once again when they'd stopped the Miracle…was just…broken in his arms.

"She said she wanted to go home," Rory told them quietly.

Jack nodded, dropping a kiss to the top of Angel's head before he looked at Rory, "What happened?"

Rory just closed his eyes, bracing himself to tell the man exactly what had happened…

~8~

Rory stepped back into his party a short while later, more than a bit pale at the…rather colorful word choices and anger he'd seen off of the infamous Captain Jack. He swore he would NEVER get on the man's bad side. Ever. When he'd told the man about the Pandorica, about the exploding TARDIS Angel had volunteered to go into, about the Dalek blast…he'd shouted profanities that had made the TARDIS hum in (he almost thought) agreement, leaving Gray to comfort Angel as she whimpered, recalling the event all over again. Those whimpers though were what snapped Jack out of it and reminded him of the true matter at hand.

He wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing but…he'd kept the Doctor as out of the explanation as he could. He just…he felt like Angel wouldn't want him to blame the Doctor and…thinking on it, the Doctor hadn't been at fault this time. I mean, yes, the enemies were all there for HIM, but…Angel had been the one to decide to go into the TARDIS, Angel had been the one to push the Doctor out of the blast…not that it was Angel's fault either, no, NO ONE deserved to experience what Angel had. But he knew he couldn't justifiably blame the Doctor so he'd left that out of his explanation to Jack.

What really broke his heart though and made him so…solemn that he was sure he wouldn't be able to enjoy his wedding, was the fact that…Angel had left. He knew it was her choice and that she was going home and that she had to be away from the box that (he was probably sure) her child had been conceived in and around the child's father constantly and that he should be happy as it was his wedding reception but…his sister had just lost her baby in the most brutal way and seemed on the brink of a breakdown. How did one celebrate after something like that?

He felt terrible about Angel leaving because he knew…she might partially blame Amy for what had happened. Deep down he knew he would if it was him. If the Time Lords had never met Amy, they would've never found the cracks and Angel would never have been in the exploding TARDIS. She would have been pregnant during it, but she would've left. He knew she'd only stayed because of _him_ and that HE had stayed because Amy. It was a no-win for Angel. She had lost her companion and stayed for Amy, sensing a kindred loss, but equally when he HAD been there, she'd been forced to see him and Amy

being so happy.

He didn't know how he would explain this to the Time Lord, that Angel had left, that she'd gone with Jack to Torchwood to be with her family in this trying time. The worst part was…he couldn't even be there with her, because Amy wouldn't leave the Doctor and he couldn't leave Amy, not after having waited 2000 years for her.

He sighed and walked over to the Doctor, who turned to him as he approached, "Ah, Rory, there you are!" the Doctor smiled, "Where's Angel?"

Rory just looked at him. _Now_ he cared about Angel? The man had barely given her second thought throughout all the travels he'd had with Angel from what he'd seen. The Doctor let her walk into an exploding TARDIS! He didn't even _try_ to protect her when the DALEK shot at them.

"She left Doctor," he said simply.

The Doctor's expression fell, "What you mean, she left? Where did she go?"

"She um, asked me to call Jack," Rory shrugged, "She wanted to leave for a little bit."

It was a lie and a truth, Angel _begged_ him not to tell the Doctor what had happened because the Doctor was so happy that the Universe was safe and she didn't want to destroy that happiness. And he supposed…she just didn't want anyone to know what happened besides him and the Harknesses, it was a…difficult thing to bear and to have to tell someone else, it was worse. Yes, the baby was the Doctor's but…he couldn't bring himself to say anything. In his mind, despite knowing it wasn't the man's fault, he STILL blamed the Doctor for it. He had seen how much the Doctor hurt Angel during their travels even when the man didn't realize it. He just…he didn't want the Doctor to keep hurting her, which he knew the man would if he found out. He didn't know how the Doctor would hurt her, but he knew he would.

"She just wanted to be with her family," Rory continued, "I guess everything was just a little too much for her. She just wanted to be with Jack and the others."

"Oh," the Doctor frowned at that. He hadn't known Angel had felt that way. He should've known though, he should've realized it. Angel always knew everything about him so how had he not noticed? He glanced at Rory, "Is she ok?"

"I think she just missed her family," was all Rory could bring himself to say, because he was as rubbish at lying as Angel was and…he couldn't lie about something like that, about something like what Angel was going through.

"Well see," Amy smiled, nudging them, "She'll be fine, just a bit homesick then, come on Mr. Pond," she grabbed Rory's hand, pulling him to the dance floor "You owe me a dance!"

~8~

It was odd, wasn't it? How…revealing encountering your worst fear could be. How jarring. Opening his door in a space hotel he had expected all manner of things. The Doctor he'd been during the War, Daleks, all the ghosts of all the companions he'd ever lost…

Angel standing there and backing away from him in fear, seeing hatred in her eyes…he had NOT been expecting. He had stood there for ages, frowning, staring at her, wondering why he was so afraid of that…and when he'd tried to talk to the her in the room, she'd just begged him and threatened him not to hurt her again. Which, of course, had made him pause and wonder when he'd hurt her the first time. It was made worse when her prior selves stepped out of the shadows, her last self saying she'd wished she'd just died in the TARDIS if she'd known this was what was coming for her, gesturing at HIM when she had said 'this.' The version of her that had originally travelled with him had just looked at him so sadly and asked him why he would ask her to Mate with him if only to betray her in his next body.

And then it had hit him…literally hit him, like a bolt of lightning, he'd seen it, seeing the three versions of her there, all so hurt and sacred and angry with him…hating him…it had been too much. His brain had shut down for a moment and flooded with so many images and memories that…he'd just broken. He hadn't bothered to try and save the others, he couldn't focus on that. Rita and Gibbis had been the only ones left and Rita was already taken by the Beast, Gibbis wanted to submit to it, they didn't need him. He'd grabbed the Ponds, some small portion of his mind remembering that Rory was important to Angel and should be saved, before he'd activated the emergency protocols of the TARDIS, allowing it to home in on his sonic, appearing around them. He could have done it at any time, but the programs wouldn't have let the box set down but take off as far as it could go after they'd been on board and he couldn't teleport Gibbis or the others into it. He'd left the Ponds at a house, before heading to Torchwood, needing to find Angel, and he knew Jack would be the best person to help him.

He hadn't quite expected to see Jack looking ten years older, at least in expression. He seemed wearier. He'd actually expected Jack to pull his pistol on him, knowing how important Angel was to him, and knowing that Jack was protective of the woman, knowing that he'd likely want to hunt him down for not protecting her. To be greeted with just…solemnity and exhaustion was different. He'd demanded where Angel was and followed the man down the halls to a small room in the Hub. He ran into a room that Jack had showed him and stopped dead at the sight before him.

Angel was sitting there, before large window, her back to them in what looked like a wheelchair, staring blankly, her hands in her lap, a small blanket over her legs, but wearing what looked like a hospital gown.

"Jack…what happened?" he ran into the room and over to Angel, kneeling before her and taking her hands but she didn't even react. He reached out to touch her face between his hands as he searched her eyes but they were dead, empty, it was like she wasn't even there any longer.

Jack just walked over to him, "She's been like this since she got here," he told him, "She cried at first, when we picked her up, and then she went to sleep. The next day she woke up and was just…like this. She didn't move, she didn't react, she barely sleeps or eats unless we feed her…"

"What happened to do this to her? Was it an alien? Or…"

Jack just looked at the Doctor, "She lost her baby Doc."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he stared at her, "Baby?"

"You didn't know, did you? That she was pregnant."

"Pregnant? But…how?" he couldn't even form a coherent thought, the words that shocked him right down to his very soul ringing in his ears.

"It's all we were able to get out of Rory when we went to get her. Something about a Dalek that shot her in the stomach."

The Doctor winced, realizing _that_ was why Rory had gone to the TARDIS with Angel, why he come back without her at his wedding. He felt the breath leave him as he recalled that…oh God. Angel had been pregnant during the Pandorica incident, the Dalek had shot at her and…it killed the baby, the Pandorica hadn't been able to restore them both. He felt sick…because it just hit him, the baby…was HIS baby.

"She just…disappeared," Jack continued, "She couldn't cope. She couldn't handle it Doc. She just…shut down. She's been like this for a year already."

The Doctor looked at her, completely startled to see Angel in such a state. She was always so happy, so full of life, so exuberant…and now she was just sitting there, lifeless, listless, staring out of the window with a vacant expression on her face, barely even conscious he assumed. He stood up, "I'm taking her with me Jack."

"Doctor I don't think that's a good idea," Jack shook his head, "She left because of travelling with you.

The Doctor just turned to him with a hard look in his eyes, "I'm going to take care of my Mate, Jack. I may have failed in the past, I will NOT fail in the future," and with that, he moved behind the wheelchair and began to push her out of the room. He led her past Jack, but the man grabbed his arm. He merely yanked it out of Jack's grip and continuing on, walking through Torchwood, ignoring the glares and the disappointed looks the different members of the team were sending him. He knew what they were all thinking, that they blamed him for what Angel was going through.

And they were right. He never ever should have let her get that close to the Dalek when he'd seen her future self appear, clearly having been shot by one. He had recognized the signs of a Dalek blast, he should've been more aware. He should've done something to protect her.

And now…all he could do was hope that he'd be able to protect her now and get her back.

~8~

He didn't know what he'd been hoping for, taking Angel with him, taking care of his Mate in her current state. He just knew he couldn't leave her at Torchwood, it was HIS job to protect her and his job to make her better. He was the Doctor, that was his duty…but whatever he tried to do didn't seem to work.

Angel sat in the jump seat all the time, not moving, staring unblinking, barely eating unless he physically fed her, barely sleeping unless he put her lying down and tucked in. He really didn't know what he could do. This wasn't some sort of physical illness that he could just heal with medicine, this is something going wrong in Angel's own head and even though he had a direct connection to her mind, whenever he tried to enter…it was like there was a brick wall, a golden wall, keeping him out. It hurt deeply to realize Angel didn't want his help, that even on a subconscious level she did _not_ want him to help her. It just tore his hearts out to know that she trusted him so little, that she had lost her faith in him. And it killed him to know he deserved it.

He taken her with him, 200 years of trying to help her get better and it got him nowhere. If anything Angel seemed to be almost worse, which was saying something because she was in a terrible state to begin with. But now time had run out, his time to avoid the Silence had run out. It was time for him to go to Lake Silencio, to Utah, to face down whatever was waiting for him there. He paused only a moment to stop by Angel, pressing a kiss to her hair, his hand on her cheek, his thumb stroking it as he looked at her…but she barely even looked at him, she barely seemed aware that he was standing before her about to go to his death…or so everyone else would think.

They had no idea he was actually hiding inside of the Teselecta, but that was all the better. For this to work, for the Silence of think him dead, everyone had to believe that it was really him out there. For him to be safe, to keep trying to get Angel better, he needed the Silence to leave him alone. He swallowed hard as he looked at her once more, before sighing and stepping out of the TARDIS, going to face his fate…

Angel didn't even blink as the doors shut or as the rotor started to slow or the lights dimmed.

Amy and Rory would be able to tell, of course, that his mind wasn't there, that his thoughts were on Angel, that he was distracted. Even River Song would know that something was wrong and something was bothering him, but he couldn't bring himself to tell them. He couldn't bring himself to look Rory in the eye and tell him that he would come to hurt Angel so terribly that she would be all but comatose, sitting in the TARDIS, unresponsive to anything. Perhaps that was why, when he found himself standing at the edge of the lake, he almost couldn't remember how he'd gotten there.

He looked up, seeing River Song within the suit, just standing there, staring him down. This is good, this was for the best. He knew that River would've targeted Angel if she had known Angel was there. As far as she knew, Angel had left after the Pandorica incident and that was it, she had no idea Angel was really in the TARDIS. He eyed her, shaking his head, wondering how Melody Pond could possibly become this person…this person who would kill him and look so sad about it yet he knew would kill Angel and not bat an eyelash. He kept quiet, waiting for her to make the first words.

"Look at you," she said, which made the Doctor frown a bit, it didn't usually sound like River did when she was speaking to him, "Pitiful."

"Hello River," he sighed, eyeing her.

"You're not even going to defend yourself, are you?" she shook her head, tsking.

"Why would I?" he shrugged, "What would be the point?"

"As though you could EVER be worthy of the Doctor," she smirked.

"I like to think I'm…" he paused, stiffening, "What did you say?" that…didn't make sense at all, he WAS the Doctor.

"A weakling like you," River continued as the Doctor frowned and edged closer, "Just look at you, letting something so trivial break you like this."

"River?" the Doctor called, now noticing, the closer he got that River's eyes weren't on HIM, but directed more downward.

"Suppose that makes my job all the easier, doesn't it?" she laughed, lifting her arm, a weapon affixed to the top of it…lifting it _right through_ the Doctor.

He gasped and jumped back, looking at her arm as it flickered and realized with mounting horror…the River he was seeing was a hologram…and he could guess who she was REALLY talking to, "Angel!" he shouted, turning on his heel and running for the invisible TARDIS parked to the side. He glanced back only as he reached the doors, fumbling with the key, to see River was still standing there, her arm raised, he still had time!

He shoved the doors open and ran in…only to see something that shocked him. Angel…was looking UP at River, focused, aware, for the first time in centuries…

"Do it," he heard Angel whisper, her voice hoarse and weak from disuse, "Please."

"NO!" he cried, rushing forward, but he was too late…River fired at Angel, not at her hearts…but at her head…and he fell to his knees as pain raced through him…

~8~

"Theta wake up!" he heard Angel's voice yell, feeling her hands on his shoulders as she shook him, "Wake up!"

He gasped, panting as he laid on his back, not even jerking awake but twitching awake. He could feel the sheets wrapped tightly around him, able to feel the last few movements of his body settling…he'd been thrashing about in his sleep, in his dream-like efforts to get to Angel and the shock and horror of what had happened afterwards.

He looked at Angel, his eyes shooting up at her, before he pushed himself up and grabbed her, holding her tightly as he panted, needing her close, needing to hold her, to feel her breathing, feel her hearts beating, feel her warm and alive and aware in front of him.

"I'm here Theta," she whispered, hugging him just as tightly back, her hand lifting to his hair, stroking it soothingly as he felt himself starting to shudder, starting to cry. It wasn't even that that was the worst or more horrific dream but…Skaldak…the alien that had tried to attack them. They hadn't dealt with many aliens recently, none like him. The Wi-Fi had been invisible, the sun not really alien, the Great intelligence using snow, the Weeping Angels were statues, the cubes were cubes, the Gunslinger a humanoid cyborg, and the dinosaurs dinosaurs…the last true alien they'd encountered were the Daleks…and he'd dreamt of the last time she'd gotten shot by one.

During the Pandorica. He'd dreamt of losing his daughter similar to how Skaldak had, lost her in death, lost his Mate to apathy and a terrible mental state. He'd lost both his girls in more ways than one and…to see that, to be reminded also of a time when Angel had been so willing to die…it was too much. It was just too much…

"I'm here," Angel whispered as she held him as he shook in her arms, feeling tears come to her own eyes as she held him, her hearts breaking to see him in such a state and to know right now…was NOT the time to ask him about it. She could guess, from his reaction, the nightmare involved her dying. When it was about Ayla, he rushed to check on her, so she could assume this one was about her mostly.

For now…she would just hold him, but she was going to speak to him about this nightmare once he'd calmed down. He had never woken so scared before, reacted so violently while still asleep, and…he'd never cried in her arms before because of it. She just…she had to do something to help him because seeing him like this…it was breaking her hearts.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sort of took the title from Series 3, the Universe ending with a Whimper, sort of meant to represent the quiet way the Doctor's 'universe' starts to crumble and end. Poor Doctor :( I wanted to explore what I thought Angel's reaction might be if she had lost Ayla during the Pandorica incident, if the light hadn't restored them both. I think, after enduring all that, she'd just...shut down to the point that Gray and Jack had both reached once upon a time, wanting to die :( Poor her though too, she gets to such a state when the Doctor remembers and has 200 years with him, being unaware of how he feels now :(


	42. Hide: Caliburn House

A thunderstorm raged outside the walls of a remote manor house, located in the middle of the woods, the Caliburn House it was called, the most haunted house in the area. But within the house, the storm went unnoticed as an older man in thick glasses stood in a parlor, surrounded by electronic equipment of varying sizes and ranges and functions. A young woman in a sweater vest entered, her hair short, looking pale, but she offered the man a smile nonetheless, "How are we looking?" she asked.

The man glanced at her, a bit nervous, as if he hadn't expected her to be there, "Oh...about ready, I think."

She nodded, "Any thoughts on the, er, interference?"

The man took a seat before the equipment, stuttering a bit, trying not to look at the rather lovely young woman as she smiled understandingly at him, as though sensing his confused and conflicting emotions, "Erm, a stray FM broadcast, possibly? But I've fitted some ferrite suppressors and some RF chokes. Just in case," he swallowed and stood up, grabbing a camera and placing it around his neck, ready. But he paused when he looked at how pale the woman was, how tense she was, the bags under her eyes, "Are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean, the last time was very..."

Hard? Trying? Terrifying? All of the above really. But more for him than her. He'd _never_ been so alarmed and scared than when he'd seen her collapse, when he'd seen her gasping for air, unable to breathe, and when he'd touched her to help...she'd been cold to the touch. And that was truly saying something given all the things he'd seen and lived through in his life. It was the ghost of the house at work, he was sure, and he'd felt awful for doing that to her. HE had been the one to request her assistance in this endeavor of his, and she had agreed, she was…sweet like that, always trying to help him.

"But she's so lonely," the girl frowned.

He smiled, always trying to help everyone actually, "Excellent, then. Excellent," he sat down and put on a headset, pressing a button to turn a microphone on, tapping it and nodding to himself as he heard it working, "Caliburn House, night four, November 25th, 1974. 11.04pm," he glanced over at the woman and nodded.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward, towards an archway at the base of the stairs that she had constantly been drawn to throughout the entirety of her stay at the house, the place the ghost often came through. She glanced back as the man stood, holding a microphone out and nodding encouragingly at her.

"I'm talking to the spirit that inhabits this house," she spoke loudly and clearly, trying to keep her voice neutral and calm and as steady as she could despite the nerves she could feel trying to get the best of her, "Are you there? Can you hear me? I'm speaking to the lost soul that abides in this place."

The man glanced down at the equipment as some static began to play over his earpiece, he eyed the energy levels, the needles moving over the paper, signaling the ghost was getting closer.

"Come to me. Speak to me. Let me show you the way home."

He winced and pulled the headset off when a high-pitched wail came over it, the equipment starting to go haywire, reacting to the noise, trying to record it as a distant, distorted scream went off.

The woman backed away, sensing something getting closer, "Let me show you the way home!"

The man grabbed a camera when he saw a white sort of light appear in the archway, very vague, very foggy, like a mist, snapping pictures of it as it came closer. The woman gasped as the figure went _through_ her and collapsed back into a nearby chair, the man running to her side, "Emma?" he held her hand and helped her stand, putting his hands on her shoulders as she gripped his lapels, panting.

"She's so..." she breathed.

"So what?"

"Dead."

A second later...there was a knock at the doors. The man stiffened, glancing over in the direction of the front of the house, confused as to who that could be. It was his house, his research, and while a few people were aware of his tests, no one but he and Emma were meant to be there…so who was knocking, and why?

He glanced at Emma to see her frowning, as though she were either equally confused by who that could be or that she was getting odd sensations off of the person knocking on the door. Emma was...rather remarkable, a rather strong empathic psychic so for HER to be confused it had to mean something. He headed out of the room, to the main doors, where the knock sounded again. He pulled the doors open…but no one was there…

"Boo!" the Doctor stuck his head around the corner of the door frame, grinning as he stepped into sight.

"Hello," Angel added, joining him, smiling apologetically at the man.

"We're looking for a ghost!" Ayla cheered, fidgeting in excitement as she looked up at them.

Oh she was SO excited! Because 'ghosts' rarely ever turned out to be traditional ghosts. Sometimes they were Gelth or Cybermen or echoes in time or any number of things. She was very eager to discover if this was a real actual ghost or another alien. Either way it would be wonderful to learn about it, to be able to help it if it was a ghost and to get a closer look if it was an alien. Her mother had said she didn't sense anything BAD about the house or the ones inside it, so she had to wonder if it was a friendly ghost, like Casper!

The man blinked and eyed the three of them, "And you are..."

And then Clara moved to stand beside the trio too, a bright red umbrella in hand, "Ghostbusters!"

The Doctor nodded, pointing at Clara a moment, before turning to the man, holding up the psychic paper to him, "I'm the Doctor…"

"Doctor what?" the man squinted at what was written on the paper.

"That's new," Ayla giggled.

"I'm Angel," she held out her hand to shake his.

"My Mate," the Doctor winked at them.

"Nice to meet you…"

"And I'm Ayla!" Ayla cheered, shaking the man's hand eagerly, "Pleased to meet you!" she grinned, before stepping into the house to shake Emma's hand as well, "I like your jumper," she told the woman, making her smile, amused.

"And this is Clara," the Doctor added, pointing back at her with his thumb as he and Angel stepped into the house, Clara following as the man shut the door behind them, trying to rush after them as they headed into the parlor, not wanting them to disturb any of his equipment…which, it seemed, was exactly what the Doctor wanted to do.

"Ah, but you are very different!" the Doctor ran over to the different bits of tech, eyeing them closely, seeing what they did. Ayla moved over to his side, standing on her tip toes to peer more closely at them, "You see this sweetheart? Science at work!"

"Science leads," Ayla nodded.

"Exactly," Angel nodded as she and Clara walked over, moving to sit on the edges of the table that held the equipment.

"And you!" the Doctor spun around, pointing at the man, "Are Major Alec Palmer. Member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," he walked closer to Alec, "Specialized in espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance behind enemy lines. You're a talented water-colorist, professor of psychology AND...ghost hunter!" he shook Alec's hand, "Total pleasure. _Massive_."

"Actually, you're wrong," Emma called out, seeing Alec tense and grow uncomfortable at what the Doctor was saying, "Professor Palmer spent most of the war as a POW."

"Which is a lie," Angel told her, "I can tell. But it's one that a very brave and selfless man would tell for modesty's sake, isn't it?" she eyed the man.

Emma looked at Angel curiously at that. She had…often gotten the same feeling off of Alec, that there were things he didn't talk about because he didn't think they were remarkable or worth discussing. He liked to think of things as a whole, in terms of the big picture, instead of the small role he played or might have played in it. It made him so…modest, as the woman, Angel, had said. And that was…startling to realize, that the woman had managed to get that off of Alec as quickly as SHE had. She eyed Angel a moment longer, watching as the woman brushed her daughter's hair back over her shoulder, the girl resting between her and that Clara woman.

She seemed…calm, very peaceful, but…there was something inside her, something that was scaring her, she could tell, something she was hesitant about. It was like Alec really, he was so strong and brave but he was so quiet and there were things he tried to keep buried around her, things that he didn't want to talk about that made him into the great man he was. But she felt…warm, looking at Angel, like she was very protective and confident and strong. The girl, the little girl was much the same but she possessed a curiosity and a zest that she saw in the man, the Doctor. That man…she felt herself shiver as she looked at him. He was…amazing, she could tell, fiercely protective of his wife and child, determined, and he tried so hard to do good…but there was…something inside him, something dark, but…

She blinked when she saw the Doctor step aback to Angel's side and drop a kiss onto the top of her head, the moment he touched her…it was like the darkness was pushed back, like…it wasn't even there, like all the...buried rage she'd felt rolling off the man was calmed and soothed.

"The kind of man who keeps a Victoria Cross in a box in the attic, eh?" the Doctor glanced at the man with a smile.

"YOU knew that already though, didn't you?" Angel smiled at Emma, "You could tell he was lying, but didn't say."

"And of course you would," the Doctor agreed, moving over to Emma, "Because you're Emma Grayling!" he gave her two Gallic air kisses, careful not to actually kiss her cheeks.

He still wasn't quite comfortable with women around him yet. It had actually surprised him how easily he got on with Clara, how he didn't physically cringe or feel ill or want to get back whenever Clara patted his shoulder or hugged him or touched him. He took it as a sign that Clara was not going to cause a problem for him, that whatever relationship that developed would be completely platonic...

Which it really would have to be. Clara she...she just reminded him FAR too much of someone he once knew and, to feel anything remotely less platonic was just ridiculous and completely wrong...though, thinking on that made his mind drift to a particular adventure from last week. They'd had a run in with a harem…it hadn't been pretty for him. So many…hands…just… _grabbing_ …he shuddered, it gave him nightmares and not the normal sort. So he had found himself being quite careful around other women since then, stay as far away from them as he possibly could without being too rude.

"Daddy?" Ayla called, moving over to her father's side, as though sensing him getting a bit lost in bad thoughts, taking his hand, "Is she the professor's companion?"

"Assistant," Emma corrected, still looking at Angel, alarmed the woman been able to tell that SHE'D known Alec was lying, especially when she had been the one to argue against the Doctor and call the man a POW.

"That's what you called them at first too right?" Ayla looked at her father.

He nodded, "It's 1974," he agreed, "So she's the assistant and 'non-objective equipment,'" he moved back to Clara and Angel with Ayla, "Meaning 'psychic,'" he shot Angel a grin at that, making her roll her eyes playfully.

Clara nodded, amused, "Getting that. Bless you, though."

"Relax, Emma," Alec called, recalling what he'd read off the paper the man had presented, "He's Military Intelligence. So what's all this in aid of?"

"Health and safety!" the Doctor cheered, reaching out to take Angel's hand, pulling her off the desk and spinning her around as he danced with her, "You be health, I'll be safety," he winked at her, recalling that moment.

"Like Smith and Jones eh?" she laughed.

"Yeah," he nodded, looking at her softly, before pointing at Alec, "The Ministry got wind of what's going on down here. Sent us to check that everything's in order."

"They don't have the right…" Alec began, offended.

"Don't worry, Guv'nor," the Doctor grinned, "I'll be out your hair in five minutes," he turned to the equipment, snapping his fingers when he saw Ayla…had snatched the sonic off him and was trying to scan them, he laughed at that and jogged over to her, getting down on one knee behind her, wrapping an arm around her stomach as he rested his chin on her shoulder, "Oh!" he eyed the readings she was getting over it, "Oh, look at that sweetheart! Oh, lovely!" he scooped her up and spun her around, sitting in between Clara and Angel, with Ayla on his lap, looking at the readings, "The ACR 99821. Oh, bliss, nice action on the toggle switches. You know, I _do_ love a toggle switch," he reached back and started to toggle one, "Actually, I like the word 'toggle.' Nice noun. Excellent verb…" and then slapped Clara's hand when she went to do the same, "Oi, don't mess with the settings. Sweetheart?" he held out his hand.

Ayla sighed but handed over the sonic to him.

' _What do you think dear?_ ' he asked Angel in her mind, ' _A sonic for Christmas?_ '

She laughed and shook her head, ' _Imagine the trouble she'd get into with a sonic._ '

' _Oh…not much,_ ' he shrugged, ' _She's as much an angel as her mum._ '

' _And as curious as her father,_ ' she countered, ' _Neither of you can resist a locked door._ '

He grinned, he LOVED it when Angel did that, when she brought something to his attention that he and Ayla shared in common. He really _did_ love that very much. He liked to see a bit of him in his daughter, but the good bits not the bits that were in the bottom of the yogurt. He liked that his daughter was curious and interested and loved to explore new things. He loved that she was so set on helping people and that she loved the running, that she wanted to see the Universe. He was relieved that she didn't have that darkness in her that he did, that bite, that…rage. But she was so small, just over 100, he didn't suppose she'd develop something like that now, and he was glad for it, he was going to do everything he could to make sure that never happened.

He looked at Alec and Emma and scanned them with the sonic, "What's that?" Alec looked at it.

"Gadget," he answered, "Health and safety. Classified, I'm afraid," he looked over, seeing Angel's attention was on an arch off to the side, "You know, while the back room boffins work out a few kinks," he murmured, walking over to it, glancing at Angel before scanning it, not seeing Emma frown and look at Angel again as the woman shook her head and looked back at the rest of them.

"What's it telling you?" Emma glanced at the Doctor once more.

"It's telling me that you haven't been exposed to any life-threatening transmundane emanations. So..." he spun around, clapping his hands, "Where's the ghost?" he walked over and picked up a candelabrum, "Show me the ghost."

They looked up as an eerie whoosh noise sounded, making the Doctor smile wider, "It's ghost time."

~8~

The Doctor led them down the hall, his hand in Ayla's as she swung it between them, Angel and Clara in the rear while Emma and Alec walked between them. Angel liked this sort of setup they'd seemed to have developed. She did LOVE seeing her Mate and her daughter together and Clara was good company, she was kind and sweet and she thought that was marvelous. She also liked the reverse situations, where SHE was with Ayla and the Doctor was with Clara just as well. Clara had proven through her comments and concern that she understood that the Doctor was _hers_ and that there was nothing to be taken from a relationship with him except being his companion, something she was relieved about.

She could admit that she had gravitated more towards Rory than Amy, mostly because she DID relate to Rory, but also due to...how Amy acted around the Doctor at first. Granted, he hadn't remembered her, he hadn't known not to flirt with Amy or push her away when she'd tried to kiss him. And Amy had eventually realized she loved Rory, but...and she felt truly terrible to admit it...she hadn't been able to truly be as close to Amy as she would have liked, as close as she typically was to all the other companions. Every companion that had been in the TARDIS after the War had ended up being _so_ close to her, as a brother or sister, or a best friend, or a first companion...but Amy hadn't quite gotten that title, she had gotten sister-in-law. And while that _was_ a magnificent title, and made her a part of the family regardless, it...wasn't as close as the others had been. Amy's relationship with her had been forged largely through who she was to Rory, she was _Rory's_ fiance, _Rory's_ love, _Rory's_ wife, and because of THAT she was a part of the family. She hated to think that, if Rory hadn't travelled with them, Amy would likely have just remained the Doctor's companion and NOT one of her family members. She hadn't liked how Amy had 'gone after' the Doctor at first and even after she'd changed, a small part of her hadn't been able to fully trust Amy. She DID trust the girl, 99 percent, but there was still that sliver of 1 percent that kept her from fully trusting Amy. And then with River being Amy and Rory's daughter, with River constantly popping up during their trips with the Ponds...she was...anxious of the Doctor taking another companion.

But Clara was proving to be _wonderful_ , especially in her consideration of HER feelings and the closeness Clara was forging with the Doctor. She had seen a growth in Clara and the Doctor's relationship, they were getting closer but the nature of their unique relationship was getting clearer and clearer with every adventure. And she was very excited for the Doctor to _finally_ realize what that relationship was. It should have been obvious in how they bickered at times, in how Clara challenged him and joked with him, how she looked up to the Doctor and the pride she was sure Clara felt whenever an adventure ended well. She saw it, the TARDIS saw it, even Ayla saw it...but Clara and the Doctor didn't quite seem to.

But she could tell that the Doctor himself was starting to enjoy Clara's presence, she really couldn't wait to see their relationship fully form. She and the TARDIS talked about it _all_ the time, not that the Doctor was aware, it was more the TARDIS humming about it, about what she thought would come of the Doctor and Clara, and they were both SO excited to see it. Because it was something he hadn't done before and something she truly wanted him to experience. And he was close, growing closer every time.

"I won't have this stolen out from under me, do you understand?" Alec called as he followed the Doctor.

"Erm, no, not really, sorry," the Doctor smiled back at him.

"I will not have my work stolen, then be fobbed off with a pat on the back and a letter from the Queen. Never again! This is _my_ house, Doctor, and it belongs to _me_."

"This is actually your house?" Clara blinked.

"It is."

"Sorry...you went to the bank and said, 'You know that gigantic old haunted house on the moors? The one the dossers are too scared to doss in? The one the birds are too scared to fly over?' And then you said, 'I'd like to buy it, please, with my money.'"

"Yes, I did, actually."

"That's incredibly brave," Clara smiled.

"I agree," Angel nodded, "We love bravery, don't we my love?"

"Yes, we do," the Doctor called from ahead, "Brave heart Alec!"

Angel smiled but paused, looking back over her shoulder, swearing she'd heard something, sensed something, behind them. But there was nothing there.

"Listen, Major," the Doctor continued, "We just need to know what's going on here."

"For the Ministry?" Alec frowned.

"Daddy can't say," Ayla told him, putting a finger to her lips, "It's a secret."

Alec sighed, knowing that if the Ministry had assigned him to do this, he really _couldn't_ say, "Very well. Follow me," he took the lead, bringing them down the hall.

~8~

Alec had brought them to a small room where he had all his printed information for the house, everything that didn't require electricity to power, photos and notes and blueprints and other odds and ends everywhere. He was currently updating his board of information while the Doctor stood in the back of the room, snapping pictures of Ayla making funny faces, taking some photos of the two of them to add to her locket. Angel and Clara had taken to sit with Emma though, off to the side, the woman telling them of her role in this whole business, how she was an 'empathic psychic.'

"So what's an empathic psychic?" Clara asked, not even looking over as the Doctor slowly came to join them with Ayla, the girl climbing onto Angel's lap as the Doctor dropped a kiss to Angel's head.

"It means she can sense emotions," Angel explained.

Emma nodded, "Sometimes. The way a telepath can sense thoughts. Sometimes, though. Not always."

The Doctor nodded, "The most compassionate people you'll ever meet, empathics. And the loneliest. I mean, exposing themselves to all those hidden feelings, all that guilt, pain and sorrow and..."

"My love?" Angel cut in, seeing Emma getting upset by that.

"Yes?" he smiled at her.

"Shush," Ayla put a finger to her lips, making him laugh.

"Did you just shush me young lady?" the Doctor moved to his knees to poke her stomach, making her laugh and smile as well.

Clara looked at Emma, "I'm sorry, about him."

Emma waved her off, "It's not so bad, really," she told them, "Don't you think Angel?"

Angel blinked, "What?"

"It's not a bad thing, being an empathic psychic. You should know, you're one as well."

Angel shook her head, "I'm just a psychic, Emma."

But Emma frowned, "No, you're not, you're…more than that," she looked at Angel, "More than just…what you are, you're…" and then she blinked, "You haven't noticed, have you?"

"Noticed what?" the Doctor asked, seeing Angel stiffen, not sure if he liked where the conversation was going. Anything that made Angel even the slightest bit uncomfortable was not a good thing in his book and was something he felt a need to get her away from. He just...wanted her safe and smiling and happy, all the time, no tears, no anxieties, no hurts, nothing like the women who kept featuring in his nightmares.

"I'm so sorry, I thought you knew," Emma winced.

"You really think _I'm_ an empathic psychic as well?" Angel asked, a bit startled at that. She hadn't...well, she hadn't ever considered it even a possibility. She knew she was psychic, yes, a precog, a Visionary, whatever it needed to be called, but an empathic psychic was slightly different, in seeing emotions and not visions.

"You must be," Emma nodded, "Have you not noticed that you…can sense the emotions of other as well? Like…" she frowned, trying to think how to phrase it, before deciding on using an example of how SHE had felt before she'd discovered what she was, "Like there's so much of one emotion in a room you can't help but feel it?"

"Yes, but…"

"Or that you just…sense how someone else must be feeling?"

"Yes…"

"Or _you_ even feel it in here," she put a hand to her chest, "Like YOU feel it because you see it in them."

"...yes."

Emma nodded, "It's not just intuitiveness, I thought it was that at first as well, that I was just sensitive but…it's _more_ than that. And it's more than just being psychic for you as well."

Angel let out a breath, blinking a bit at that, "Well, how 'bout that," she murmured.

She HAD noticed that, ever since she'd regenerated, she'd been feeling more emotion around others. She'd always just thought that it was because there was so much emotion to be felt in a room that she just…couldn't not feel it. That her intuition allowed her to guess what others felt. But…even just the more recent adventures, in Akhaten, in the sub, she'd _felt_ the sun's pain, she'd _felt_ the fear of the crew…she HAD felt their emotions as well. She…there were quite a few times like that in the past as well, but…she wasn't sure when it stopped being intuition and started being…empathy.

But before she could think more on that, Alec called them over, "Would you, er, care to have a look?"

The Doctor glanced at Angel, "You ok?" he asked her, but she nodded, getting up with Ayla in her arms, not…not really wanting to let her daughter go after finding that out, as they gathered around the board.

"Caliburn House is over 400 years old," Alec began, "But _she's_ been here much longer...the Caliburn Ghast. She's mentioned in local Saxon poetry and Parish folk tales. The Wraith of the Lady, the Maiden in the Dark...the Witch of the Well."

"The well…" Angel murmured, looking at the pictures…

... _a white disc rotated in the air, starting to crack as it spun_...

'... _she's not a ghost... but she's definitely a lost soul_...'

... _a young woman ran through a forest, through the mist_...

The Doctor glanced at Angel, hearing her talk, seeing an expression on her face he knew meant she'd had a vision or that something said was important to remember.

"Is she real?" Clara wondered, "As in, actually real?"

Angel shook her head, coming back at Clara's words, recalling how Oswin had said the same, asked the Doctor if he was actually, properly real, in the Asylum.

"Oh, she's real," Alec nodded, "In the 17th century, a local clergyman saw her. He wrote that her presence was accompanied by a 'dreadful knocking, as if the Devil himself demanded entry.' During the war, American airmen stationed here left offerings of tinned Spam. The tins were found in 1965, bricked up in the servants' pantry, along with a number of handwritten notes. Appeals to the Ghast, 'For the love of God, stop screaming.'"

"Why is she the same?" Ayla asked, pointing at the pictures.

They looked over to see Ayla with her head on Angel's shoulder, looking at the pictures from the side, but they could see it too.

"The angle's different," Clara agreed, "The framing, but she's always in _exactly_ the same position. Why is that?"

The Doctor grinned, picking up the candelabrum, and looking closer while Alec answered, "We don't know. She's an objective phenomenon. But objective recording equipment can't detect her..."

"Without a psychic around," Angel remarked.

"Absolutely," Alec nodded, "Very well done."

"Well then," the Doctor grinned, "Things are about to get _much_ more interesting then."

"How so?" Alec frowned.

The Doctor just wound his arm around Angel, "Because now we have two and a half psychics, and my Mate is the most powerful one in the Universe."

Angel blushed, "I'm really not THAT powerful."

The Doctor just tapped her nose, "One day dear."

"She knows we're here..." Emma murmured as they glanced at her staring at an image of the ghost, "I can feel her...calling out."

"What's she saying?" Clara frowned.

"'Help me,'" Angel answered instead, "I can feel her too. Oh that's _weird_ ," she murmured, realizing what she'd just said...it was true, wasn't it? She had a bit of empathic psychic in her too. She couldn't help but wonder how much more her psychic abilities would develop on top of the Vortex based ones as well, "That's going to take some getting used to," realizing all that time she'd really and truly been feeling the emotions of others.

Clara turned to look over her shoulder, seeing something scuttle past the door, but it was gone, disappeared into the shadows before she could make it out.

"'The Witch of the Well,'" the Doctor murmured, recalling what Angel had repeated before, "So where's the well?"

Alec pointed at him, before leading him and Angel over to a table with the blueprints of the house on it as Angel set Ayla down, "A copy of the oldest plan that we could find, there is no well on the property. None that we could find, anyway."

"None you can _see_ ," Angel remarked.

The Doctor grinned, he _loved_ it when she said that, meant there was something interesting there that they _couldn't_ see. True it was usually bad...and trying to take over the world...but it was always interesting!

Clara was standing before the photos, looking at them, when she felt someone suddenly take her hand and shout, "Clara!" making her jump and gasp, before looking down to see Ayla standing there.

"Oh, Ayla," she smiled, "What is it cutie pie?"

Ayla grinned, "Come on!" she tugged her off.

"Where?"

The Doctor grinned when Ayla led her over to him and Angel by the doors, "To find the ghost."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can say we won't see much of the empathic psychic ability in Angel develop beyond just sensing/being affected by the emotions of others, it'll be a very minor aspect to her natural psychic abilities. It's really more like her intuition strengthening than anything, but with Emma there and with how much more Angel's been feeling, I felt it was fitting to have Emma be the one to point it out to her ;)


	43. Hide: Ghost Hunting

"Why would I want to do that?" Clara stared at him.

"Because you know you do," Angel smiled.

"Well, I dispute that assertion."

The Doctor stopped, turning to Clara, only to see Emma watching them and nodded his head back, trying to signal to Clara to keep moving, "I'm giving you a face," he whispered to her, "Can you see me? Look at my face."

"Fine," Clara rolled her eyes, whispering back, "Dare me."

The Doctor laughed, "I dare you," he poked her, "No takesies-backsies."

Clara shook her head at him and took the candelabrum, walking off, as the Doctor turned to watch her go. Angel smiled when she saw the look on his face as he watched Clara stop out in the hall with Ayla, holding the little girl's hand. She knew where his thoughts had gone, to how…familiar Clara seemed to him, not Clara exactly and not because they'd met her before, but…her personality. They had talked often about Gallifrey, about the people they knew, their friends and family and neighbors and just…everyone.

They didn't want to forget anything about their home, so they tried to keep it alive in their minds, talking about it with each other. She knew EXACTLY who Clara reminded the Doctor of and she…just wanted him to accept it, to accept that the similarity wasn't a bad thing, that it wasn't something to be ignored or pushed away, but embraced. She had found it often in his companions and hers and it had made her that much closer with them and SO much happier. The Doctor though, had spent so long trying to distance himself from the war, from Gallifrey and thinking on it. It wasn't till he'd met her that he'd started to actually heal instead of ignore the pain, till he'd started to talk about it and share with the companions and admit to the things he'd done and the things he missed. Talking about it had helped him, so much, and she just…she knew that this would help him even more, she just…had to get him to accept what she knew he already felt, what he was starting to see Clara as.

"Come along my love," Angel took his hand, "The Music Room is the center of the house," she glanced back and winked at Emma, who had just opened her mouth to say the same, the woman smiling as the Time Lords stepped out of the room after the others.

~8~

"Say we actually find her," Clara remarked as she held Ayla's hand.

Ever since she had learned about her and Ayla having similar backgrounds, both having gotten lost when they were younger, and finding out that the girl was a bit afraid of the dark she'd sort of taken to making sure she was there for the girl, like an extra helping hand, just…wanting to be a comfort like her mother was to her. SHE was the adult, and Ayla was a child…well, she knew the girl was older than her, but she was so small it made her feel protective. She…actually felt very protective of all of them, Ayla, the Doctor, Angel, they were so brave and strong but she always felt like they needed someone. Ayla was small, the Doctor was a bit easily distracted, and Angel…she could tell there was something bothering the girl, something about that yellow light she always seemed to be able to make that was scaring her.

She hadn't asked about it, because she thought and could tell it was rather personal, but…she wanted to see if there was a anything she could do to help, anything that she might be able to 'assist' Angel on, "What do we say?"

"Hello Miss Ghost!" Ayla cheered, "Are you ok? How can we help you?"

The Doctor laughed, pointing at her as he walked with his arm linked through Angel's, "Brilliant sweetheart," he winked at her, "We ask how she came to be...whatever she is."

"Why?" Clara shook her head.

"Because he's got no idea," Angel nudged him, "And he's curious."

"And because ignorance is..." the Doctor frowned, "What's the opposite of bliss?"

"Carlisle," Clara answered promptly, which made the Time Lords laugh, they'd been to Carlisle during their search for Clara, knowing she from the Cumbria region, it was…a rather dreary place from what they had seen.

Even Ayla had disliked it.

"Yes!" the Doctor nodded, pointing at her, "Yes, Carlisle. Ignorance is Carlisle."

Angel glanced back as they turned a corner, frowning as though she'd sensed something there but there was nothing. She sighed and shook her head, returning her attention to the others, not seeing a shadowy figure scuttle across the shadows behind them as they entered the rather disused kitchen.

~8~

In the parlor, Emma was standing by the fireplace, just looking into it sadly. As odd as it was to say, she wished the others, the Doctor and Angel, were there. It was actually…hard for her to sense the spirit in the house when the two were there. From the spirit she felt such loneliness and fear, but those two were…warm and happy and…the love she could feel rolling off them not just for each other but their daughter as well, it was touching. It warmed her soul in a way she'd not been able to the last few days she'd been in the house. It was just…nice, to feel that radiating off them so strongly. She could tell that they'd both been through much, that they were hurt by so many things, and yet they were still so happy. It was quite an amazing thing to witness.

"Is he really from the Ministry?" she asked, glancing back at Alec as he worked at looking at the plans on the table behind her.

"Er, I don't know," he shrugged, "He's certainly got the right demeanor. Capricious...brilliant."

"Deceitful," she added as she made her way over to stand beside him.

"Yes! Ha...he's a liar...but, you know, that's often the way that it is...when someone's...seen a thing or two. Experience makes liars of us all. We lie about who we are...about what we've done..."

"And how we feel?" she eyed him intently, hoping he might…open up to her a bit, she felt…so many things off him, so many things about HER as well and, there was one, a very strong emotion she felt, but…she just…wasn't sure if was him or her wishing it was him.

"Yes...always, always that," he glanced down, seeing her fingers nearing his as his hand rested on the desk, "You know, I have to...have to be getting on with things. The, erm, the equipment and so forth."

"Of course," Emma nodded, watching sadly as Alec backed out of the room, sighing as she was left alone to look at the plans herself.

~8~

The music room was lovely, if old and dusty and very nearly spooky in its emptiness. It had a few instruments still there, cloth covering them as the Time Lords and Clara entered. The moonlight was streaming in through the windows, not doing much to help the flickering lights of the candelabra. There were a few music stands here and there as well, Ayla immediately running for them to look at them. She'd found an old copy of some…rather bad music once, her mother had told her it was the Doctor's attempt to compose a symphony of his own. She was very curious to see the music, what songs they were, and what instruments played them. She had tried to ask if she might be able to have lessons in instruments, like piano or violin, once a few years ago. Her parents had of course said yes…and then gotten Mozart to be her teacher. It was…odd, and she'd realized very early that she didn't do well with instruments, she was uncoordinated in them, couldn't seem to get her fingers to do what her head was telling her to, stumbled over the notes and things, repeatedly, for quite some time before they had to call it quits. But just because she couldn't play music didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it.

The Doctor chuckled, seeing Ayla's eagerness, and made his way over to his daughter, tapping her on the shoulder before holding out his hand with a flourishing bow. Ayla laughed and took his hand, the Doctor helping her step on his feet as he mock danced with her, waltzing around the room to no music as Clara and Angel smiled, watching them.

"Sonic my love?" Angel called, knowing he was about to get distracted, not that she could blame him. He took Ayla by one hand and spun her around so his other hand was free to toss Angel the sonic, letting her scan around as he resumed his dance with his daughter.

Angel shook her head at him, absently wondering if Ayla might be 'the Dancer' or 'the Ballerina' or 'the Choreographer' or something to that affect, but probably not. Those…just didn't strike her as being _Ayla_. There were still a few more years to go before Ayla would need to pick a title or keep her nickname.

"The Music Room!" the Doctor cheered, "The heart of the house," he glanced back at Angel as she soniced around, "Do you feel anything dear?"

"Not at the moment," Angel murmured, scanning around.

"What about you Clara?" Ayla glanced at her as her father turned them in their dance.

"No," Clara shook her head.

"Your pants are so on fire," the Doctor smirked at her, he knew that Angel didn't feel any presences there, but he could tell Clara was a bit on edge.

It was another reason why he was keeping Ayla so close to him. He knew his daughter was more than a little afraid of the dark and with the lights out through most of the house and only the candles for it (they both knew Angel couldn't exactly reveal her Vortex abilities in creating light just yet, not when the humans could wander over and see) it wasn't helping Ayla. So he was doing his best to keep her mind off of that, to keep her happy and cheerful, like doing a little impromptu dance performance with her. He loved that really, spending time with his daughter, being silly with her and making her laugh, playing with her. His children on Gallifrey…he got the impression that they were aware of his tense relationship with their mother and it just made everything awkward. He loved his children, yes, but Ayla…she was his little girl, his baby girl born of the love of a Mating, and that was…remarkable. SHE was remarkable.

Clara glanced over at them, at Ayla, as though sensing the Doctor's plans to keep her calm and unalarmed, and walked over to Angel, whispering to her, "Do you feel like you're being watched?"

"Sometimes," Angel nodded, "Most of the time it ends up being him," she nodded back at the Doctor, "But right now…I'm not quite sure it is him."

Clara watched as Angel's attention drifted to the door to another room and headed over, when a whoosh noise reached her from behind. She spun around, swearing she heard something, but there was nothing there.

"Oh that's odd," Angel murmured and she looked back to see that Angel was standing just before the open door to the next room, breathing out with her breath visible, "I think she's here with us," Angel remarked.

The Doctor looked over and led Ayla over to Angel, watching as his Mate held out a hand, trying to feel the 'ghost' but there was nothing. He exhaled as well, seeing his breath, before he stepped back, trying it again…seeing nothing, "Cold spot," he guessed, "Spooky," he spun around and started moving this way and that way and back and forth, breathing out to see where his breath would appear, "Cold...warm…cold...warm...cold...warm...cold...warm…cold…"

"Daddy you're making me dizzy," Ayla remarked, watching her father basically spinning in circles to try and work it out.

"It's a circle," Angel murmured, glancing up and around the room, she felt like that spot…it wasn't the ghost itself, but a…well, it felt a lot like she did in the lift in that department store with Craig or on the ship with Avery, like it was just…the gateway.

"Doctor?" Clara called as she heard a creaking, looking over to see the Doctor drawing said circle on the ground in chalk, "Angel?"

"What?" the Doctor looked over.

"I'm not happy."

"No."

"It'll be alright Clara," Angel reassured her, moving over to Clara's side to link her arm with the woman's, leading her towards the Doctor as they started to leave the room.

"Wait!" Ayla called, "Daddy you're not finished," she rushed over and took the chalk from him. They stood there, watching as Ayla ran back over to the circle and crouched down. They had to chuckle and smile when they saw her stand, realizing she'd drawn a smiling face within the circle, "Much better," she smiled, "Maybe the ghost just needs cheering up!"

"Maybe," the Doctor agreed as he held out a hand to her, taking it as they walked out, none of them seeing steam start to rise from the circle.

~8~

Alec stood in the parlor, looking at the equipment, at the machines as they started to act up, the needles moving. He frowned when he saw them starting and stopping over and over, walking to them to try and read the measurements.

~8~

The small quartet walked through the halls, down one that had quite a few rather large windows on the side. They'd just stepped past a doorway…when they heard a thudding behind them.

Clara stopped, "What was that?" she whispered.

"Knock knock," the Doctor joked, squeezing Ayla's hands when two more thuds hit.

Angel frowned and let out a breath, seeing that it was misty and visible…when a sudden gust of air blew past them, flickering the candle flames out, "It'll be alright," she whispered to Ayla, kneeling down to take her daughter's other hand when she heard her whimper at the lights going out, "What would you like beautiful, the sun or the stars?"

"Stars," Ayla said this time.

Angel smiled, "Would you like to help me?" she held out her hands flat before Ayla, her palms up, starting to glow. Ayla nodded and leaned over, blowing on her hands…as small specks, like fireflies, drifted off of Angel's hands, golden in color, and up to the ceiling, drifting above them like miniature stars in the night's sky.

Ayla smiled at that as Clara let out a rather impressed breath, at least now they weren't alone in the dark.

~8~

Alec looked back as Emma entered the room, seeing her frowning, pale, "Does it seem colder?" he looked at the thermometer as the mercury continued drop…down to zero.

~8~

The Doctor tugged off his jacket, placing it around Ayla's shoulders as it got distinctly more chilly in the hall, frost was even starting to coat the windows…

~8~

Emma let out a breath as she turned to the archway, staring at the darkness beyond, "She's coming."

~8~

Clara winced when the thudding sounded again, "Ok, what is that?"

"It's…a very loud noise," the Doctor murmured as Angel looked around, frowning in concentration, trying to sense more, as he watched her, "It's a very loud, very angry noise."

"But what's making it?!"

"I don't know. Are you making it?" he glanced at Ayla, "Are you playing a trick on your daddy, sweetheart?" but Ayla just shook her head and held up her hands to show him she wasn't the one knocking.

Clara looked back at another thud, "Doctor?"

"Yes?" he glanced at her.

"I may be a teeny, tiny bit terrified."

"Yes?"

"But I'm still a grown-up."

"Mainly, yes, and..."

"There's no need to actually hold my hand."

The Doctor blinked and Angel froze, looking over at him, and him at Ayla, holding up her hands, and held his own up, looking to make sure he wasn't actually holding Clara's hands, "Clara?"

"Yes?"

"Daddy's not holding your hands," Ayla pointed at his upheld hands.

All of them looked back at the dark door they'd stopped before, a flash of lightning striking and revealing…something…crouched there. The Doctor and Clara screamed, rushing past, the Doctor pulling Ayla up into his arms, grabbing Angel's hand to pull her on as the Time Lady just stood there frowning as she tilted her head at the thing…

She didn't even get a chance to tell them that she didn't feel like the creature was dangerous before she was being pulled off down the hall, to the stairs and down those as well. They ran into the parlor, seeing Alec and Emma within, staring at something…a white disk, dish thing had appeared in the archway that Emma was staring at, spinning around and starting to glow.

The Doctor paused, handing Ayla to Clara before he leapt beside Emma, flashing it with the sonic he'd nicked back off of Angel, "Has this happened before?"

"No," Angel answered, slowly making her way to Emma's side, taking the woman's hand, able to tell that SHE was terrified because of that.

"Never!" Alec agreed.

The Doctor spun around, "Camera! Camera!" he grabbed it from Alec's hands, the man too stunned to really try to argue or hold onto it, and began snapping pictures as the disk spun faster, starting to crack…

Emma gasped as a figure appeared before them, seeming to be standing in a forest.

"Doctor?!" Clara called from behind them, "Angel! Look!"

They turned as the ghost shouted, "Help me!"

Angel lunged forward to grab Emma moments before she collapsed, Alec rushing over to check on her when a crash sounded from upstairs.

"What is that?" Ayla asked.

Angel, Alec, and Emma looked over to see the Doctor, Ayla, and Clara staring at writing that had appeared on the staircase, 'Help me!' in letters that faded away just as the spinning disk disappeared.

~8~

Angel poured a nice cup of tea for her, Clara, and Emma as they sat in the small room that Alec had set up for his information gathering. Ayla had gone with the Doctor and Alec to the man's dark room to develop the photos while she took care of Emma and Clara helped her.

"Much better than my plan," Clara smiled as Angel handed them the cups, the three of them sitting down together. Clara nodded at the bottles of alcohol off to the side, "Whisky's the 11th most disgusting thing ever invented."

"Wait till you've met a Slitheen," Angel joked, nudging her.

Emma took a sip of the tea and sighed, smiling, "Thank you…this is wonderful."

"You're welcome," Angel nodded, "Learned how to make tea from the very best."

"Your mum?" Clara guessed.

"Yes…and no," she shrugged, before laughing at their confused expressions, "My mother…she died when I was very young, just…just a few years older than Ayla actually. I was talking about one of our companions, her mother taught me," she smiled, "Jackie Tyler."

"Was that the mum or the daughter?" Clara frowned, trying to keep up.

"The mum, her daughter was Rose."

"Was she like a mum to you?" Emma asked.

"Something of the sort," she agreed, "Rose was…she reminded me quite a bit of my sister, she um…she died as well, my sister."

"In the War?" Clara gently rested a hand on Angel's shoulder, not wanting to ask too personal of a question but wanting to make sure she understood.

"Yes," Angel nodded, patting Clara's hand, "Rose was…so much like her, it was almost like she was there. We looked alike as well, people thought we were siblings. Started to call her my sister, which made Jackie like my mum."

"What happened to her?" Emma wondered, she got…such odd sensations off her and the Doctor, perhaps this would help clear it up.

"She was lost, during one of our adventures," Angel's smile turned sad, "But still, she was alive, she was with her family, made a good life for herself. And…we moved on as best we could, travelled with other friends."

"So I'm not the first then?" Clara asked, though she asked it with gentle understanding. She hadn't presumed to think she was the first, not when they gave away subtle clues that there were others out there.

"No, but you are just as important and special as they are," Angel smiled at her reassuringly, "We travelled with a Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Amy Pond, Rory Williams…all of Ayla's aunts and uncles."

Clara blinked, "They became her aunts and uncles yes?" Angel nodded, "Does…does that mean _I'm_ Aunt Clara?"

Angel laughed, "More than you realize," she remarked.

Clara just blinked again, not quite sure what that meant.

~8~

Alec glanced at the Doctor oddly, the man standing there as Ayla dangled off the back of his neck, like a piggy back of sorts, the girl's chin resting on the man's shoulders, as they stood in the dark room, developing the photos the Doctor had taken. The duo were standing by one of the others, clipped onto a string to dry, "I had a little peek at your records," the Doctor remarked, "Back at the Ministry. You've certainly seen a thing or two in your time, disrupting U-Boat operations across the North Sea, sabotaging railway lines across Europe, Operation Gibbon, the one with the carrier pigeons…brilliant! I do love a carrier pigeon."

"Mummy says no pets though," Ayla sighed, "I'd love a birdie too, a dove or an owl or a hummingbird or a penguin or an ostrich or…"

The Doctor laughed and patted her hand as her birds began to get a bit bigger and more unique, "I'm working on it sweetheart."

And he was, he was trying to get Angel to agree to even just a little pet, something, a hermit crab, a goldfish, even a pet rock…but all he'd been able to succeed in convincing her to allow…was the rock. Which really was a rubbish pet. He'd had a pet rock once…he was pretty sure he'd lost it.

"I did my duty," Alec waved it off, "But then so did thousands of others, MILLIONS of others..."

"You sound like Angel," the Doctor remarked, "She's always doing that. Doing absolutely amazing, brilliant, wonderful things, and then claiming she didn't have that much of an influence in them, that it wasn't that big a deal that _she_ had a hand in it. What matters is that the end result was favorable."

"I agree," Alec nodded, "All that matters is that the people we care for are safe in the end, we don't do it for praise, truly….truly good people, don't do anything they do for praise."

"Like you daddy," Ayla poked him in the side of the face, "Mummy said the same thing to Lorna, I heard her. You don't do and didn't do anything you did for fame, just…because it was the right thing to do."

The Doctor smiled at that, turning to give his daughter a small Eskimo kiss for that.

"I was just lucky enough to come back," Alec added.

The Doctor frowned, seeing the photo developing before him, it was Ayla making a funny face, her tongue stuck out, her eyes crossed, pulling her lips back with two fingers…and the ghost right behind her. That made him stiffen to see the apparition so close to his daughter and to know HE wasn't aware of it. It reminded him too much of the silence, too much of the enemies that had nearly torn his family apart.

"Yes but, how does that man, that war hero end up here, in a lonely old house, looking for ghosts?" the Doctor wondered.

"Because I…" Alec glanced at Ayla, trying to keep it as 'PG' as he could, "Killed...and I caused to have killed. I sent young men and women to their deaths, but here I am, still alive, and...it does tend to haunt you. Living, after so much of...the other thing."

The Doctor nodded, understanding that, "What you need…is something to drive the nightmares and the ghosts away, keep the shadows out," he glanced at the man, "You need an angel of your own."

~8~

"So," Clara began, glancing at Emma, wanting to try and take her mind off of the ghost, "You and Professor Palmer, have you ever...y'know?"

"No," Emma shook her head with a shy smile.

"But you want to," Angel laughed lightly.

"Yes."

"So why don't you?" Clara asked, "You do know how he feels about you, don't you? You of all people?"

Emma sighed, "I don't know. People like me, like Angel and I, sometimes we get our signals mixed up. We think people are feeling the way we want them to feel...you know, when they are special to us. When, really, there's nothing there."

Angel nodded, "Sometimes you can't be sure if what you feel or what you think or what you… _see_ …is wishful thinking or something that's actually properly real."

"Oh, this is real," Clara remarked, sipping her tea.

"How do you know?" Emma eyed her.

"Because it's obvious," Clara told her, "You may not see it, either of you, but…it sticks out like a...big chin."

Angel laughed, recalling Oswin saying the same about the Doctor, "I have been…seeing and sensing things for a very long time Emma. But even I miss things," she smiled at Clara, sending her a wink, "Sometimes I need someone to see what I miss."

~8~

"See, I was alone and unmarried," Alec continued, not looking at the Doctor or Ayla as he spoke, just…absently working on developing the film, "And...I didn't mind dying. I mean, not for that cause. It was a very, very fine cause...defeating the enemy."

The Doctor nodded, he could very much relate to that. It was…quite how he had been during the War. Similar enough anyway. Alone, without family, with nothing left to lose and nothing to live for…oh. He paused in his thoughts, it was…very odd to think that way now. He couldn't quite…manage it, believing that he'd ever been like that. He just…he had so much to live for now he almost couldn't believe he'd ever reached that point, that he'd ever NOT wanted to live. He couldn't imagine feeling that way now, not when he had Angel and Ayla there to keep him going.

"And if you could contact them, what would you say?"

"Well, I'd very much like to thank them."

Ayla smiled, "I think they'd say you're very welcome," she remarked, "People never realize how much a thank you can mean."

Alec looked at her, "You're a very smart little girl."

Ayla beamed, "I get it from my daddy," she told the man, "He's brilliant!" she squeezed him, making him laugh.

"Oh I think you get it from your mother," the Doctor laughed, before seeing a picture finishing developing, "Ping!" he cheered, clipping it up onto the string.

"What do you think she is?" Alec asked, glancing at the photos, all the white hazy images, all the exact same image but in different places.

"Not what I thought she'd be."

"What did you think she'd be?"

"Fun," he sighed, glancing at Alec, "Can I borrow your camera?" the man just handed it over, "Ta."

Alec shook his head as he watched the man walk out, his daughter still hanging off his back.

~8~

"What about you?" Emma glanced at Clara, "Have you got anyone?"

"No," Clara scrunched her nose. It wasn't that she didn't want anyone, it was just…well, the right person hadn't come around yet.

Emma glanced at Angel and back at Clara, "So the Doctor isn't…"

"No!" Clara shouted, her eyes wide, "No, no, definitely not. Not ever. No."

Angel laughed, "I really _do_ have to introduce you to Donna, I think you'd get on with her the best," she remarked, Clara had sounded SO much like her just then.

"I look forward to it," Clara smiled, before looking at Emma, "Why would you think me and the Doctor?" she shook her head, "I mean…he's _Angel's_ Mate, they have a child and…"

"I just…wanted to be sure," Emma defended lightly, "It's…good. It's really good that you and he aren't…he's just…" she trailed off, not sure how to phrase it, especially with Angel right there.

"It's alright Emma," Angel reached out and put a hand on the woman's, "I'm sure I've heard it before."

She sighed, "I…I'm not sure if he can be trusted, with…with either of you. There's a sliver of ice in his heart."

"There, you see," Angel sat back, sipping the last of her tea, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Clara blinked and looked at her, "You're not…mad that she just said that?"

Angel smiled, "She's just speaking what she feels. And you _are_ right Emma, the Doctor, despite his numerous pleas to the contrary, CAN be a hard man to trust, once you get to know him," she looked at Clara to see the girl looked confused as to why she'd say that but also how it could be true, "What's rule one Clara?"

Clara nodded, "The Doctor lies."

"You see, right there, hard to trust someone who lies."

"But you trust him because he doesn't lie to you," Clara realized.

"Exactly, and the sliver of ice…" she turned a bit sad at that, "Could _you_ endure what he did? Fight in the War we described? Do…do what he _had to_ do to end it? And come away unscathed? Unchanged? Or would you have a bit of…ice there?"

"Not me," Clara murmured, understanding now. Emma was sensing the bit of guilt and darkness in him, the guilt of the War and the darkness of what he'd had to do…but Emma didn't understand what it was from, just that it was there. Looking at it from Angel's perspective…Emma's warning…wasn't really a warning, but more…an observation.

"Mummy!" Ayla cheered as she ran into the room, right up to her mother, "Come and see! Daddy's got a thing!"

Clara laughed as Angel was tugged up and out of the room by her daughter, understanding that the Doctor had a 'plan' of some sort, before she followed the Time Ladies out.

~8~

The small group huddled under the rather large red umbrella, which was bigger on the underside, as they ran out into the rain, Angel holding Ayla's hand to keep her close. Her daughter seemed to love jumping in puddles, but the Doctor seemed rather eager for his plan and to see if he was right, so they had to be quick. They dashed towards the TARDIS, waiting outside the doors as the Doctor fished for the keys. Even though Angel and Ayla could easily push the doors open, they both knew how much he loved unlocking and locking the doors himself so they waited just outside for him to do so.

"I've got this weird feeling she's looking at me," Clara whispered to them as she glanced at the box, "Are you sure she likes me?"

"The TARDIS is like a cat," the Doctor shrugged, "Sometimes she's a bit slow to trust but everyone gets there in the end."

Angel shook her head as he pushed the doors open and let them in, "Clara, Sissy absolutely _adores_ you," they looked over as the rotor brightened and a happy hum sounded from the box, "See?"

Clara laughed, hearing the…happy and agreeing note in the hum, "Don't know what I did to make her like me so much."

"Oh there's loads of things," the Doctor waved her off as he headed for the controls with Ayla, "Call her a 'she' and not an it, respect me and my relationship with Angel, protect Ayla, not try to repeatedly kill Angel…"

Clara blinked and looked at Angel as she took the umbrella from her to set by the door, "Is he being serious?"

"Oddly enough, yes," Angel sighed, "There is one woman, who um…the TARDIS rather dislikes…" she rolled her eyes when the hum turned more annoyed, "Alright, alright, Sissy _hates_ her," she corrected, "She um…doesn't really do any of those things."

Clara nodded, understanding why the box might dislike that woman, if she called the old girl, as she'd heard the Doctor and Angel call the box at times, a _thing_ instead of treat it like a person (because clearly it could understand what was going on around her), if she sort of got a bit too flirty with the Doctor, or just left Ayla all by herself, or…she blinked, wait a minute.

"Someone tried to kill…" she began, looking at Angel with wide eyes.

But the Doctor cut in, "Enough chit-chat," he said, Clara frowning at the bit of a…bite in his words.

"He doesn't like talking about it," Angel smiled apologetically at Clara, before leading her up to the console.

Clara had to sigh at that, she could understand it, his reluctance so…she'd let it go for now, but one day she'd have to find out more about it. Because Angel had said there IS a woman, not their _was_ , meaning that they probably still ran into her from time to time, she'd want to know who the woman was if she ever came across her, "So...where we going?"

"WHEN," Ayla corrected.

"Yes," the Doctor pointed at her, "We're staying right here. Right here, on this exact spot…if I can work out how to do it."

"Leave it to me, my love," Angel walked beside him, kissing his cheek as she passed, before getting to work as he grinned and watched her.

He loved watching her. He knew she was a bit frustrated with this current incarnation, she was rather…lacking in the technological aspects of things. She would look at a computer, even one that looked like the TARDIS monitor, and be completely lost. It was…amusing, because he knew that her prior incarnations were able to see similarities between the TARDIS qualities and other pieces of tech, and help that way, trying to relate what she knew and apply it to other areas, like maths and things. But this new her seemed to have lost that. So to see her in her natural element, in the TARDIS, working on the old box and piloting her and fixing her and controlling her, literally doing things with the box that even HE had no idea was possible…

He loved it, so much. That smile she gave when she knew what she was doing, that confidence…she had regenerated remarkably confident, very much like her last self had. But this time, he had been determined to keep that confidence going, to not let it fade or weaken or chip away like it had last time. And while he knew the lack of technological knowledge frustrated her, while he knew that the Vortex scared her at times…it warmed his hearts to see her still so confident, and he always tried to give her every opportunity to expand that confidence and to see it grow.

Clara looked between them, watching the Doctor as he watched Angel. She glanced at Ayla, who had moved to sit on the side-chair, grinning widely at her parents, when she noticed the Doctor wasn't so much watching Angel as staring at her. She had to let out a soft laugh at that, that man loved his Mate so much it was just…heartwarming to see. There weren't many men who were as open with how much they loved someone as the Doctor was, it was beautiful to watch…

But given the fact that he hadn't said anything or explained what exactly they were doing…she was sure she should probably remind him that there WAS something they were supposed to be doing, "So, _when_ are we going?"

"Right, yes, sorry," the Doctor laughed, turning to lean on the console, "We're going always!" he pushed off and headed down the steps to the lower levels.

"We're going always?" Clara raised an eyebrow, heading to the railings to look down as he dug through some cupboards for things.

"TOTALLY!" he called up.

"That's not actually a sentence."

"Well, it's got a verb in it," the Doctor defended as he headed back up with a bright orange spacesuit, "What do you think sweetheart?" he held the suit up to himself, spinning around with it before Ayla.

"You look like a pumpkin," Ayla told him bluntly.

"Colour's a bit boisterous," Clara agreed.

Angel laughed at the pout on his face at that, "But it _does_ bring out your lovely eyes," Angel walked over to him, kissing his cheek again, before she continued on her way back to the controls…or tried to, but the Doctor grabbed her hand, tugging her back and kissing her again, winking at her before he let her go with a laugh.

"Makes my eyes hurt," Clara laughed.

"And here we go…" Angel called, pulling a lever.

Clara immediately grabbed onto a railing…only to blink when the TARDIS just calmly hummed, no shaking, no rattling, no jolting…just…calm.

Ayla giggled, "Mummy's piloting," was _all_ she had to say.

~8~

Alec and Emma stood within the manor house, staring out the window as the blue police telephone box that the small family and Clara had entered disappeared.

"Did you see where he went?" Alec asked, "I could hear an engine but I can't see any lights…"

Emma could only shrug, staring out the window, neither of them noticing the ghost appear behind them in a flash of lightning.

~8~

Angel stood before the monitor of the console, Ayla in her arms so the girl could see, the two of them watching the Doctor step out of the TARDIS and onto a very…volcanic landscape, the sky dark, cloudy, standing there in the orange spacesuit, scanning with the sonic before he picked up the camera he'd brought, snapping a few pictures.

"He's coming back Clara!" Ayla called, when she saw her father turn around to come back in.

Clara, who was standing by the doors, opened one for him, allowing him to burst in, the orange suit actually seeming to be smoking and steaming from the heat of the outside.

"Back off!" the Doctor shouted, trying to pat down the suit as though it would help, Clara holding up her hands and staying back, "Hot suit! Hot, hot, hot!" he moved to the console, pulling the helmet off.

"When are we?" Clara glanced out the doors as she shut them, looking at the rocky and very jagged land.

"About…six billion years ago," the Doctor answered, taking a deep breath once the helmet was off, holding it under his arm, "It's a Tuesday, I think."

"6,231,864,521 years ago, a Wednesday actually," Angel corrected lightly, off-handedly. Before looking over to see Clara staring at her with wide eyes, "Give or take a year."

"Actually don't," the Doctor pointed at Clara without looking at her, "She's right."

"How do you know?" Clara asked, the Doctor wasn't even at the console yet.

"Mummy's always right," Ayla shrugged, "Especially about time."

Angel pulled a lever, not denying it this time, and the TARDIS was off.

~8~

The Doctor was very much enjoying playing the part of an explorer as he led them through a prehistoric jungle, overgrown with vegetation, a tan helmet on his head, a machete in his hand as he cut through the tall grasses and bushes. Angel laughed and shook her head at him as Clara and Ayla walked behind them, Clara wanting to keep the girl away from the Doctor and his sharp, pointy object. Angel held up the camera she was holding and snapped another photo.

~8~

The Caliburn House actually looked quite remarkable in the daylight…and decades earlier, when it had just been built. It was the Victorian era now, Angel and Ayla for once not in period style clothes as they were just popping out for a family photo opportunity, Clara taking a picture of them standing before the house, before they dashed back inside.

~8~

"Be careful my love," Angel called as the Doctor, back in his orange spacesuit, headed for the doors of the TARDIS.

"Back in a mo," he winked at her and went to step out…when he heard Ayla speak.

"Are you ok Clara?" the young girl was looking at her from her position sitting on the side-chair, Clara standing by the monitor a bit quiet.

"Totally," she nodded at the girl, "Peachy keen."

"Ok," the Doctor nodded, "Well, don't press any buttons or pull any levers, or make any funny faces. Actually, don't move. Stand completely still. Don't breathe. Well, you can breathe...but shallow breaths."

Clara gave him an odd look, holding up a thumb as he stepped outside.

"I'm sorry for him," Angel apologized this time, "Sometimes his mouth gets ahead of his mind and he ends up rambling."

"Which is funny," Ayla added.

"I think so too," Clara reassured the girl.

Angel smiled, and brought the monitor around, her and Clara watching while Ayla focused on fiddling with her locket, observing as the Doctor stepped out onto what appeared to be a rather sickly planet, the sky was gray like the first one but a more ill gray, a faded gray, the ground and grass dying or dead, rocky and abandoned.

Angel looked over when she saw Clara sigh, staring at the landscape with a solemn look on her face, "Is everything alright Clara?" she asked the girl, putting a hand on her arm.

Clara nodded, watching as the Doctor turned to head back in, "Fine, everything's…fine."

"Not exactly smart is it," the Doctor called as he entered, closing the doors and pulling his helmet off, "Lying to a psychic?" he headed up to join them at the monitor, "What happened?" he asked Angel and Ayla, "Did your Aunt Idris say something mean?" he pointed at Ayla.

"Nope," Ayla popped her 'p' not really knowing why Clara was sad either.

"It's not that," Clara agreed, "Have we just watched the entire life cycle of the Earth? Birth to death?"

"Just about," Angel nodded.

Clara frowned and looked at them, "And you're ok with that?"

"Yes…" the Doctor answered slowly.

"How can you be?"

"The TARDIS. She's...time. We...wibbly Vortex and so on."

Clara just stared at him.

"I don't like death Clara," Angel tried to explain, "But…everything, all things, must die one day, even the Earth."

"That's not what I mean," Clara frowned, which did confuse Angel as well.

"Ok..." the Doctor shook his head, "Some help? Context? Cheat sheet? Something?"

Clara sighed, "I mean, one minute you're in 1974, looking for ghosts but all you have to do is open your eyes and talk to whoever's standing there. To all of you, I haven't been born yet...and to you, I've been dead 100 billion years. Is my body out there somewhere? In the ground?"

"It might be," Angel nodded sadly, the Doctor turning to walk away…

He really didn't like that, the thought of Clara's body being buried out there somewhere. It was…it hit too close to home, not just because of losing the Ponds, how their graves were there, how they had VISITED the graves of their companions, but also…Clara Oswin Oswald…she'd died and been buried as well. Her grave was most definitely out there, and to know that, on the same planet, Clara's own body would one day be placed there as well…it alarmed him to think about. He (though Angel would insist it was THEY) had failed to protect her last time, and she'd died and had a grave stone. He didn't want to think about the same thing happening with Clara either. He didn't want her to 'live out her life' the way Amy and Rory did. Even though they were happy, he didn't want her to be sent to the past, to have to live it out without them able to pop in and watch it happen.

If it hadn't been for Angel, for her letting them see how the Ponds had been happy…he doubted he'd have been in a place he was right now, where he could accept another companion filling Amy's rather practical shoes. And…it bothered him to think that Clara might die on an adventure with him. He knew it was possible, it had happened in the past, but…with Angel there, he felt like his companions were safer, because Angel saw them as family and she protected them fiercely. To hear Clara worrying about her own mortality…he didn't like it. They'd just found her and he didn't want to lose her so soon. He knew Angel cared for her a great deal and Ayla just adored her, he didn't want to put his family through another lose like that again.

"But here we are," Clara continued, making him pause, "Talking. So I am a ghost. To you, I'm a ghost...we're all ghosts to you. We must be nothing."

"You're giants," Angel smiled.

"You're the best!" Ayla cheered.

"No," the Doctor smiled, "I think you're more than that."

"Then what are we?" Clara frowned walking over to the stairs he had started to head down, "What can we possibly be?"

He smiled up at her, "You are the only mystery worth solving," he winked, before heading down to get out of the suit.

They had a ghost to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love the little father-daughter moments for the Doctor and Ayla :) I really think he'd be the best father in the Universe with how much he cares for children, so I try to bring that out in his relationship with his daughter :) And Clara got a bit more information about the companions ;) I can say we'll be seeing that pop up again sooner than you might think ;)


	44. Hide: A Love Story

A slide projector was set up on a small table, the Doctor holding a small handful of slides for Alec, though Ayla was the one to hand it to the man…one at a time, wanting to make sure that each slide got put in the right way, much to the amusement of the women. The Doctor had quickly developed the small bit of film and gotten them onto slides while in the TARDIS…had been infinitely saddened to learn that making slides didn't involve actually going down a slide in the process, but he'd recovered quickly.

Angel and Clara stood over by the board of pictures and information, just looking at them, at the images of the ghost. Angel reached up and touched one of the pictures, feeling a bit…sad, for the ghost. She could tell it wasn't a real ghost, it didn't wish harm but…it was just…sad and lonely and lost. She knew that the Doctor had worked out what she was, he was brilliant like that, and she was hoping this would be over soon. She really didn't want it to get any 'spookier' with Ayla there, the Doctor having nightmares was enough and she could tell that this, being in a haunted house, it was sure to haunt him in a way. He still hadn't told her what his dreams were about, but she got the feeling that they happened after specific adventures.

She hoped this one wouldn't trigger one, she couldn't really think of anything in it that would make him remember an old adventure. It seemed to be the ones that SHE was a part of that worried him, more so the ones that happened during his amnesia from what she could gather from brief snippets of his thoughts. The only ones with ghosts that she could think of were the Gelth, which she hadn't been a part of, and the Cybermen, which he'd remembered her during. There was that moment on San Helios, she'd heard the ghosts of the people dying, but that hadn't really been a ghostly presence that would bother him, and pretending to be the Ghosts of Christmas for Kazran didn't really count either.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, appearing at their side as they looked on.

Angel glanced over when Clara spoke, "I just saw something I wish I hadn't."

"What did you see?"

"That...everything, all things, must die," she gave Angel a sad smile.

"No," Emma shook her head, casting a glance over at Alec, "Not everything. Not love...not always."

"Not ever," Angel had to agree, "Finally," she laughed, happy, "The one thing that _won't_ ever die," before she moved to Emma's side, hugging her tightly, "Thank you for that," she smiled at the woman, thankful for her reminding her of the one eternal thing in the Universe, love.

"Right!" the Doctor cheered, "Done! That's it, gather round," he ushered them over to a small white screen that Alec had set up for the projector to play on, "Gather round. Roll up! Roll up!" he flashed the sonic at the projector, turning it on so it would run without electricity that the house seemed to be lacking everywhere except the parlor, "The Ghast of Caliburn House…"

"Ghost," Ayla corrected.

"Ghast/ghost," he shrugged, "Potato/potahto, tomato/tomahto, biscuit/scone…"

"Those are two very different things my love," Angel laughed.

"Yes, right," he nodded, "Sorry thoughts got derailed. You know, I never understood that…"

"Focus dear," Angel smiled at him.

"Yes," he pointed at her, before clicking through the slides, showing the images that Alec had taken, "Never changing, trapped in a moment of fear and torment but what if she's not? What if she's just trapped somewhere time runs more slowly than it does here? What if a second to her was 100,000 years to us? And what if somebody has a magic box, a blue box, probably," he winked at Ayla, "What if said somebody could take a snapshot of her, say, every few million years?" he began to flash through the photos HE took, showing a young woman in white, running, her hand outstretched as though asking for help, calling for help as she went, "She's not a ghost...but she's definitely a lost soul," he moved up to the screen and flashed to one final image, of the young woman, but standing there, smiling, like a photo one would see of a profile, "Her name's Hila Tacorian. She's a pioneer, a time traveler."

"Not quite YET though," Angel remarked, "In a 450 years though," she smiled, "She'll be amazing."

"Time travel's not possible," Alec argued, "The paradoxes…"

"Will eventually resolve themselves," Angel said wisely.

Ayla reached up and tugged the man's jacket sleeve, "Listen to mummy," she whispered to him.

"How long has she been alone?" Emma wondered.

"Well, time travel's a funny old thing. I mean, from her perspective, she crash landed..." he checked his watch before bopping himself on the head and pointing at Angel with a smile.

"Three minute and 4 seconds ago," she answered.

"Crash landed?" Emma frowned, shaking her head, "Where?"

"She's in a pocket universe," the Doctor added, "A distorted echo of our own. They happen sometimes but never last for long," he paused, trying to think of how to explain it, "Ah," he nodded, pulling out two balloons from his pocket and blowing them up, "Our universe," he held up one in his right hand, "Hila Tacorian's here," and another in his left, "In a pocket universe."

"You, Emma, are a shining light in the dark, calling Hila home, right across the dimensions," Angel smiled at her.

"Her very own guardian angel," the Doctor cast a meaningful glance at Alec, before leaning over to kiss Angel, "Takes one to know one eh?"

"Takes a thief to catch a thief," she shot back.

"Oh, I don't think that's true anymore," he remarked.

"Oh?" she looked at him, curious.

"No," he agreed, "You," he let go of one of the balloons, Ayla laughing as it deflated and flew around the room, though the Doctor didn't notice as he gazed at Angel, "Caught me," he took her hand with his free hand, "And you're the farthest thing from a thief there is."

She leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss, "But YOU have stolen my hearts," she added, "My thief."

"My psychic," he murmured, kissing her again.

"Um, sorry," Clara cut in, a small smile on her face but also a bit…disturbed to see them kissing. It wasn't that she was jealous or anything, seeing him kissing anyone. Not at all, she was thrilled he and Angel were so happy. But…it was just weird, really weird, to observe it happening, "But what's she running from?"

"Well, that's the best bit," the Doctor turned, moving to sit on the arm of the chair Angel was currently in, his arm moving around her shoulder, "We don't know yet. Shall we see?"

He flashed the sonic at the projector and the image shifted. Their expressions all grew a bit more serious and disturbed as they saw the figure in the next picture. It was like a creature, a short, scuttling creature, that had a long sort of neck that veered to the side, like it was…crooked or something.

"Oh," the Doctor's smile fell.

"What _is_ that?" Clara grimaced, able to see what looked like a rather distorted face in the image.

"He hasn't a clue," Angel remarked.

"I think it's cute," Ayla stated and they looked at her, stunned, "What?" she shrugged innocently, "Maybe it's just…a misunderstood monster this time."

Angel tilted her head as she eyed the picture, "He's no monster."

" _He's_ not?" Clara blinked.

Angel smiled, "No," she nodded, sure of it the more she thought on it, "People tend to not like what they don't understand, it scares them, and that thing…the 'monster' is quite mysterious at least," she turned and tickled Ayla's stomach, "Like the Beast, right beautiful?"

Ayla giggled, seeing the 'Beauty and the Beast' reference there, "Right!"

"So, what do we do?" Emma asked.

"Not 'we,'" the Doctor corrected, "YOU," he looked at Emma, "You save Hila Tacorian because you're Emma Grayling. You are the lantern, the rest of us are just along for the ride, I'm afraid. We need some sturdy rope and a blue crystal from Metebelis Three. Plus, some Kendal Mint Cake. Come along sweetheart!" he called, taking Ayla's hand as they headed out of the room.

"Couldn't Angel do it instead?" Clara asked as she followed them into the hall, Angel beside her, "You said she was the most powerful psychic ever or something, couldn't she do it instead of Emma?"

"She could," the Doctor agreed, "But Emma would be better."

"Ok…bit lost."

Angel laughed, "The ghost, for some reason, has a stronger connection to Emma than to me," she explained, "It would take me longer to be able to establish a connection than it would Emma."

"That's what you get when it's your great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter," the Doctor remarked.

"What?!" Clara's eyes widened as she followed them out of the house, "It's her granddaughter?!"

The Time Family just chuckled as they headed for the TARDIS.

~8~

Alec paced inside the parlor before the equipment, trying to sort through it and see if there was anything he could offer the Time Lords that they might find useful…trying to at least. But he was rather a bit distracted by Emma standing off to the side, looking at the archway the ghost seemed rather fond of appearing within.

"Don't do it," he said suddenly.

Emma blinked and looked back at him, "I'm sorry?"

"Nobody asked her to risk her life. This woman. She doesn't deserve..." he struggled to find the words as he faced her, "Whoever she is, however brilliant, however brave, she's not you. She's not worth risking a single hair on your head. Not to me!" he looked away, unable to bring himself to look up at her, knowing, just KNOWING, that she'd sense what he was feeling at that moment if he did…

Emma looked at him closely, stepping up to him even more, only a foot away from him, "Tell me what I'm thinking."

He shook his head, "I can't. I don't have your gift."

She moved closer still, "You don't need it...just look at me and tell me," she watched as he glanced up at her, staring into her eyes. She smiled at him and he smiled back, and she felt like laughing at what she felt, what she saw in his eyes, love, "There you are, you read my mind."

~8~

Clara stood at the railing of the TARDIS, looking down at the Doctor as he and Ayla dug through a few cupboard, trying to find the items the Doctor had mentioned before, though it appeared the Doctor was more making a game out of it by 'accidently' tossing some items onto Ayla, the girl laughing as she took them off and threw her own over him. They really were adorable, she'd walked in on the Doctor playing with his daughter a few times and it just…it reminded her quite a bit of what her own father was like when she'd been growing up.

She would play dress up and he'd be right there, he'd put on heels and a dress if she wanted him to, he'd let her do his hair and put her mother's makeup on him, just to see her laugh and smile. He wasn't afraid to take pictures with her that way either, they were still in her family's album. He would have tea parties with her and pay dollies with her and any other came she wanted. He as just…he was always there for her, much like the Doctor was for Ayla. It was really just remarkable how men became brilliant fathers almost instantly. Women had months to prepare, to feel like a mother as they carried their children to term, men didn't reach that point of being a parent till they held their baby and then…it was just magic, it had to be, the transformation that happened, how they just instantly knew what to do and what they would do for their daughters and sons.

She pushed away from the railing and moved over to the console where Angel was checking some of the controls, "Can't you just...y'know?" she asked.

"Not quite sure I do know," Angel smiled at her.

"Fly the TARDIS into the parallel universe?"

Angel shook her head, still smiling, "It's not parallel, it's a pocket universe. And even if it was parallel, those were all sealed away," she glanced back at the stairs to the lower levels, "Rose…she um, she's trapped in a parallel universe."

"I'm sorry," Clara said quietly, feeling a bit bad that her word flub had led to bad memories.

"It's ok," she reached out and squeezed Clara's shoulder, "Like I said, she's with her family and she's happy. She's got her own Doctor to keep her going, a psychic Doctor to boot."

"Do I want to know how that happened?" Clara eyed her.

"Probably not," Angel sighed, her smile fading, "Not right now at least, not…not with the Doctor right there with Ayla. It's…not a good time, it wasn't a good time for us. There were a lot of things happening that…he'd rather not think or talk about. I'll tell you, one day, but when it's just us," Angel crossed her hearts.

"Ok," Clara nodded.

"Thanks."

"So…would we be able to fly into the pocket universe then?"

"No," Angel looked at the rotor, stroking it, "Sissy COULD get in there, but…" she frowned, "Entropy would just drain her batteries so to speak, and she'd be trapped there until that universe died out. They don't last long remember? Once the TARDIS sets down, she'd become a part of the chain of events, and she'd be stuck. Three minutes exactly and the entire Universe would collapse around her, she'd be lost."

"Well then," Clara nodded, "Good thing we're not going the long route then eh?" she hesitated a moment before reaching out to pat the console, "Can't lose a beautiful girl like you to another universe right?"

Angel laughed as the rotor brightened and the TARDIS hummed loudly, and quite happily, "She really LOVES you Clara."

Clara beamed at that.

~8~

A bundle and twist of wires ran out of the TARDIS, right to Caliburn House, up the stairs, through the halls, right to the music room. Angel had insisted it would be the right place to set up the Doctor's little experiment. She'd sensed something there earlier, like a gateway of sorts, and the Doctor knew that it had to be the place the connection between the pocket Universe and this one was strongest.

The room was now full of books and small tables set up with a variety of clocks stationed on top of them, all connected to the various wires. The Doctor stood by a chair, fiddling with a bunch of wires, while Angel worked on hooking an ovalish object with a warm golden light in the middle to a small tripod-like device.

"What is that?" Clara asked reaching out to touch it.

"Clara no!" Ayla shouted, grabbing the girl's hand and pulling it down, "You mustn't touch it!"

"But your mum is…" Clara pointed at Angel, working on it with her bare hands.

"Because mummy's a Time Lady silly."

"It's a subset of the Eye of Harmony," Angel explained, "It's basically like a telepathic link and a power source all in one."

"Right," Clara nodded, "Why don't you just explain everything?" she asked the woman, "You're much better at it than him," she jerked a thumb at the Doctor, "I think he makes up the words he uses half the time."

Angel laughed, "Oh FAR more than half."

"Right, you, sit down," the Doctor guided Emma, now in a thicker, fur-like coat, over to a chair in the middle of the room, gently placing what looked like a crown of wires on her head with a large blue crystal in the middle of it, "All the way...from Metebelis Three."

"What does it do?" Emma tried to straighten the 'crown' on her head.

The Doctor pulled out the sonic, before smiling and tossing it over in his hands, tossing it to Ayla who grinned widely and ran around the room, sonicing all the clocks to sync to one another, "It amplifies your natural abilities," he explained, "Like a microphone. Or a pooper-scooper!"

"Is that ok daddy?" Ayla asked, running back to him with the sonic as the clocks started to tick.

"Perfect sweetheart," he grinned at her.

"What exactly is this arrangement?" Alec had to ask, standing close to Emma, worried for her.

Angel smiled, seeing the man's concern. She didn't have to be psychic, whether normal or empathic, to know that the man loved her and was worried. She had seen that look in the man's eyes in another man's eyes, her Doctor. He was always looking at her like that, with love and concern, especially when she'd been dying and ill. Like he knew this was something that was only affecting her yet he wished there was more he could do to help her.

"It's a psychochronograph," Angel told him, moving over to the Doctor's side to help him into a harness. Ayla was trying to help, but she was a bit too small to reach the higher up places.

"Forgive me, but isn't it all a bit, well...make-do and mend?"

"Non-psychic technology won't work where I'm going," the Doctor shrugged as Angel came around his front to buckle up the harness, "All I need to do is dive into another dimension, find the traveler, help her escape the monster, get home before the entire dimension collapses and Bob's your uncle."

"Be careful my love," Angel told him, giving him a quick kiss…only for him to pull her back for a second…and third and…

"Doctor?" Emma cut in quietly, smiling at them a moment before the fear she felt got the better of her and she started to frown, "Will it hurt?"

The Doctor hesitated in answering, "No," he said.

"Daddy that's rude," Ayla pointed at him, "You should tell the truth when people are trying to help you. It's polite."

He chuckled at that, "Sorry sweetheart, I forgot," he glanced at Emma again, "Yes. Probably. A bit. Well, quite a lot. I don't know. It might be agony. To be perfectly honest, I'll be interested to find out."

Angel glanced over at the clocks, "It's almost time."

Emma looked at Alec who nodded encouragingly, squeezing her shoulder before stepping back, letting her know he wouldn't be too far from her. She took a deep breath before closing her eyes, "I'm talking to the lost soul that abides in this place. I'm speaking to Hila Tacorian…"

They looked over, feeling a wind pick up, Clara quickly attaching the end of a rope with a hook on it to the back of the Doctor's harness, the rest of the rope attached to a winch in the back of the room.

"It's starting," Angel warned, seeing the clocks going mad, some going forward others back, some repeating…

Emma's eyes opened and the spinning disk from before appeared once more, spinning faster and faster…until it shattered and a bright light appeared in the doorway before them, an enormous wind flying about out of it.

"See?" the Doctor called back to Alec, "The Witch of the Well! It's a wormhole! A reality well! A door to the echo universe!"

"Emma are you ready?" Angel yelled to her.

"READY!" Emma shouted above the sound of the whipping wind.

The Doctor looked at the gateway a moment, before glancing at Angel and Ayla, the two standing to the side, Angel with her arms around Ayla's shoulders as the girl clung to her mother's arms, "I'll be back in time for tea," he told them, before cracking his neck, "Geronimo!" he shouted, taking a running jump at the wormhole, flying through it as the others could only watch.

~8~

The Doctor clung to the rope of the harness, sailing down through the wormhole, squinting through the light, trying to see, "Whoa!"

~8~

"Doctor!?" Clara shouted, wondering if he could still hear them as the winch spun, the rope pulled with him, Alec holding her back.

~8~

"Whoa!" the Doctor panted as he landed on a forest floor. He immediately took off the harness and ran off, trying to find Hila. He ran in one direction only to fall backwards when he nearly ran…right off the edge of the pocket universe, like a waterfall with no bottom.

"Wish Angel were here," he muttered, scuttling back and rushing to his feet, before hurrying back the way he'd come, "Hila! Hila! Hila Tacorian!"

He stopped short, hearing something crack behind him, something shifting and crinkling through the forest…the monster that they'd seen in the photos. He spun around, hearing a scampering, and walked slowly towards it. Angel had said it wasn't a real monster, just…a lost creature. Perhaps he could help it as well…

"Help me!" he heard someone call in the distance, "Help!"

He spun around, "Hila!" he shouted, rushing off in that direction, nearly running right into the woman as she appeared out of the fog, "Ah! Hila Tacorian, I presume," he took her hand to pull her off.

"Who are you?" Hila stayed where she was.

He spun to her, "Collapsing universe. You and me, dead, two minutes. Mate and child back there. No time, complete sentences, abandon planet!" before he tried to pull her again.

"Wait!" he rolled his eyes, that woman was more stubborn than Donna! "There's something in the mist."

"Then run!" he finally managed to get her going, "Run!"

~8~

Emma panted as she kept her eyes on the wormhole, trying to keep the connection going as she felt like she was seeing the Doctor and Hila running through a forest in her mind, "Doctor!" she shouted, "Doctor! Come home. Doctor, come home!"

~8~

The Doctor ran through the forest, trying to backtrack his way to the harness…only to get lost in the attempt, "Not that way. Which means...probably..."

"What's wrong?" Hila asked as they turned and ran again, only for him to stop once more.

"You know that exit I mentioned?"

"Yes?"

"I seem to have misplaced it," he told her, stopping when they heard the scamper noise again, that scuttle of the creature.

"Doctor!" he heard Emma shouting.

He grinned "This way!" and took Hila's hand, leading her off.

"DOCTOR...come home! Doctor, we're here!"

"Whoa…" the Doctor stopped, staring at something appearing in the mist, the Caliburn House, right ahead of them.

"What's that?" Hila panted.

"An echo house, in an echo universe. Clever psychic, that is just top-notch," and with that, they ran on, the Doctor's hearts pounding with the desire to get back to his Mate and daughter.

It wasn't quite the Mating instinct this time, _Angel_ wasn't the one in danger, there was nothing he was running to…but her. And that as always all it was, wasn't it? Him, running to her, running to his light in the dark. This time…he just needed a bit of help.

~8~

Emma winced, reaching her hand towards the wormhole as the wind got worse, Alec holding Clara steady as Angel held Ayla to her, the girl trying to squint through the bright lights for her father as she clung to her mother.

"Doctor!" Emma shouted, "Doctor!"

~8~

The Doctor and Hila ran as fast as they could, seeing that the creature was following them, till they reached the house and ran in, slamming the doors behind them. The Doctor locked them, pressing his ear to the door when he heard a growling and snarling on the other side, "It's looking for a way in."

He jumped back when the creature rammed itself against the door, grabbing Hila's hand as they ran up the stairs, needing to get her to the music room.

~8~

"I'm not strong enough!" Emma screamed.

"Please Emma," Angel called, knowing that if Emma gave up, the Doctor would be trapped, "Hold on!"

"Just a few more seconds!" Clara agreed.

Emma could only screech as the pain struck her.

~8~

"Yes!" the Doctor cheered as they ran into the music room, him holding the doors shut, when he spotted the rope and harness before them, "Grab the rope, give it three tugs! Quick as you like!"

Hila immediately ran over to it and put it on, "What about you?"

He just yanked off his tie and started to wrap it around the door handles to keep the creature out, "I'll be next."

Hila tugged on the rope three times…

~8~

"The rope!" Ayla shouted, pointing at it as it tugged.

Alec ran for the winch and began to crank it as fast as he could, Angel and Clara with their eyes on the wormhole…

When the woman in white, Hila, fell through the portal.

~8~

The Doctor jumped back when he heard the ramming on the door, the creature had reached him. He backed up, heading for the wormhole, waiting for the harness to return…when he heard a thudding, the creature banging on the door twice, like it was knocking. He nodded, shrugging, "That's what that noise was! Lovely."

~8~

"Emma no!" Angel shouted when, with a gasp, Emma fell off the chair to her knees, the crown and crystal falling off her head as Alec rushed to her side.

"No!" Clara cried as the portal faded, her running to it as it disappeared.

"Daddy!" Ayla yelled.

~8~

The Doctor turned around, frowning when he felt something shift. He took a step forward…

Only to appear in the forest once more, the house gone, his tie on the ground. He spun around, hearing a scuttling again. He swallowed hard and crouched down to pick up his bowtie, his eyes never leaving the trees, "Oh, dear."

~8~

Angel ran to the windows, looking out when she heard the cloister bells of the TARDIS ringing, meaning the box felt one of her Pilots was in danger.

"Where is he?" Clara breathed as she looked around.

~8~

The Doctor stood slowly, eyeing the forest, realizing what happened, "Oh...dear," he spun around, hearing the scuttle again, the scamper of the creature, "Where are you?" he whispered, before hearing it in the distance and running.

~8~

Clara ran to Emma, cradled in Alec's arms as she slowly came around, having fainted, "Wake up!" she shouted, "WAKE UP! Open the thing!"

But Emma could only shake her head, sobbing into Alec's chest, in so much pain, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Alec whispered, "Don't be. What you did..." he couldn't even find the words to describe how amazing it had been as he gently stroked her hair.

"Wasn't enough, she needs to do it again," Clara cut in.

"Clara…" Ayla walked over to her, looking over, her eyes on her mother as the woman hunched against the windows, the vaguest traces of the Vortex starting to swirl around her at the danger her father was in.

"She can't," Alec shook his head, "Look at her."

"She HAS to!" Clara demanded, before she stood, "We can't leave him!" before she ran from the room.

Her mother had left her, she knew how hard it had been, it never got easier. She would NOT let the Doctor leave Ayla, or Angel, or…or her. He'd become like family to her, she was NOT going to lose another member of it. She refused to let that little girl lose a parent like she had, so suddenly, so unexpectedly. She would NOT let it happen, she'd…she'd do something! That was what the Doctor did, he didn't walk away, he helped!

"Ayla…" Angel called, sounding like she was struggling to breathe, "Stop her."

Ayla nodded, before dashing off after Clara, only imaging what the woman would try to do and knowing her mother MUST have a plan if she wanted to stop Clara's.

"I know you feel that you can't do this, Emma," Alec began, "But...look at that woman over there," he gently helped her look at Hila, on the ground but picking herself up, "You saved her. She's only here because of your strength and so am I."

~8~

Clara ran right for the TARDIS, trying to pull the doors open but it refused, "Oh, come ON!" she dug in her purse for the key, sliding it into the slot and turning it, but the TARDIS _still_ refused to open, "Let me in, you grumpy old cow!"

"Clara!" Ayla's offended little voice carried to her, "That's rude! You sound just like daddy!"

There was an electronic buzzing behind her as Clara turned, jumping back when she saw a woman in a sort of patchwork, blue, Victorian style gown with large brown hair standing there, brown eyes, just looking blankly ahead.

"Whoa," she breathed, "What is that?"

Ayla just grinned, "Aunt Idris!"

~8~

"I was as lost as her..." Alec whispered to Emma, "But being with you...you give me a reason to be, Emma. You brought me back from the dead," he smiled at her, "My own light in the dark, my guardian angel. You can do this…"

"No," Angel called. They looked over, the three of them, their eyes widening when they saw Angel glowing golden as she turned around, "This has to be ME."

"But…" Alec began.

"Emma was needed for her connection to Hila…" Angel seemed to be struggling to speak, "HE is MY Mate. Please," she added, wincing, "I c…can't…control it for long."

Alec swallowed, a bit…relieved it didn't have to be Emma. He helped the woman up and tugged her back, gently handing her over to Hila as he moved to put the crown of wires on Angel's head as the woman sat in Emma's chair.

~8~

"That's…the TARDIS?" Clara stared at the woman, "Looks like her," she nodded.

"It's her holographic form," Ayla explained, "The Voice Visual Interface."

"Whatever," Clara shook her head, "You have to help the Doctor."

"Thief is in the pocket universe," the hologram stated.

Clara looked at Ayla, "That's Aunt Idris's name for daddy, her Thief."

"Right," she sighed, why wouldn't the magic sentient box have names for everyone, "You can enter the pocket universe."

"Sister told you, the entropy would drain the energy from my heart. In four seconds, I'd be stranded. In ten, I'd be dead."

"You're talking but all I hear is, 'meh, meh, meh,'" Clara cut in, "Come on, let's go!"

"It's ok Aunt Idris," Ayla told it as it stood there, "Mummy said to take Clara back."

"Goodbye then," the projection started to flicker out, "Goodbye Soufflé Girl."

Clara blinked, "Oi!" not even realizing that the TARDIS had known of her love of soufflés when she hadn't said anything about them, but was too concerned with Ayla pulling her away from the box that could save her father and back towards the house, "But the Doctor…"

"Mummy's saving him right now!" Ayla told her, tugging her more, "Now come on, I want to be the first one to hug him when he gets back!"

~8~

Angel closed her eyes, Alec stepping back to Emma and Hila's side as they watched the gold flowing around her seep into the crystal, into the wires, into every facet of the room, the wormhole appearing in the doorway with a flash as her eyes snapped open, golden as well.

"Doctor?" she called, staring at the wormhole, concentrating, "Can you hear me my love? Doctor…can you hear me?"

~8~

The Doctor stopped in the middle of the woods, turning in a circle, when he heard it, "Doctor?" Angel, calling to him, "We're here my love. Come back!"

He smiled, seeing the house appear again, and ran for it, "Angel!" he shouted.

~8~

Angel let out a breath, hearing his voice echo through the room, "I'm coming!"

~8~

The Doctor spun around, hearing the creature starting to snarl, "What do you want?" he asked it, "I know you're not a monster, my Mate told me. So why are you trying to frighten me? Is that just what you do? You hide...like…like a bogeyman under the bed. Seeking whom you may devour. You want me to be afraid? Then well done," he turned, seeing the creature peeking out at him from behind a tree, "I am the Doctor...and I am afraid!"

"Doctor!" he heard Angel call, "Hurry!"

"But not as afraid as I would be," he added, "Without my nightlight," he grinned, before making a mad dash for the house, running faster than ever even with the creature chasing him, because he wasn't running from it…but running to Angel.

"You're not gonna catch me mate," he yelled to it as he ran, "I'm not going to be the one to piggyback you across," he laughed, "So you better run faster. 'Cos I've been running all my life, and I'm never ever gonna stop!"

He reached the doors of the house and threw them open, not even bothering to waste the time to lock them as he bolted up the stairs. He ran faster, turning the corner of a hall and nearly crashing into the wall as he stumbled, but he kept going, right to the music room.

He laughed when he saw the sight before him. He didn't even need the harness, Angel was connected to him, and she was more powerful than she knew. There was no need for the harness because the doorway across from him, in the same place it was in the real music room, was glowing golden, the portal there for him to jump right through.

And so he did.

~8~

The Doctor landed with an 'oomph' in the music room, "Get it off her!" he shouted to Alec, who dashed over and grabbed the crown of wires off Angel, the portal fading moments before the creature could reach it.

He pushed himself to his feet and dashed over to Angel as she slumped forward in her chair, dropping to his knees before her and reaching out to take her head in his hands, lifting it, pushing away her hair to smile at her, "Hello," he whispered, seeing her eyes flutter open.

"Hello," she breathed, before wincing, pressing a hand to her head. She frowned, looking down at herself, stiffening, "Doctor…why am I sitting here?" she asked.

He swallowed hard, realizing that she…she didn't remember, it was just like with the Daleks in the Asylum, she'd reacted, the Vortex had controlled her, much like it had when she'd faced Simeon and the Great Intelligence, it had made her speak.

"Because you needed to sit there, to save me," he told her, stroking her cheek, trying to calm her.

"I don't remember it," she told him, her voice barely a whisper.

"It'll be alright," he promised her, smiling at her, "I promise."

But he could see the fear in her eyes, to realize she'd been controlled again and…she'd had no control over it, it terrified her to think of what she might do next time, if…if she might hurt someone like she'd harmed the Daleks or the Great Intelligence…

"Daddy!" Ayla shouted as she ran into the room, pulling Clara along. He turned, holding out one arm to catch her…only to be tackled back, the unexpected force of it knocking him all the way to the floor, and taking Angel with him as he hadn't let go of her hand, her landing beside him with a small squeak.

He started to laugh as Ayla started to pepper his face with kisses before hugging him tightly. He wound his arm around Angel, pulling her closer as his other arm hugged his daughter, "Let's just…stay like this for a moment," he murmured to them, all three of them just lying on the floor for a moment resting, as Clara looked on, leaning in the doorway of the music room, her arms crossed smiling.

Her dad used to do that with her too, take random naps.

~8~

Mornings at Caliburn House were startlingly different than the nights, the sun shown and just lit up the rooms, the flowers were bright and vibrant, the birds sang cheerful tunes, and the fact that it had rained the night before made the grass and the leaves sparkle. Ayla was rather enjoying running around and picking the various flowers while Clara, Hila, and Alec followed her, Hila was even showing her how to weave a crown of them.

Emma paused, watching the Doctor and Angel as they stood in the hall, watching their own daughter outside with soft, though concerned smiles on their faces. She knew that what had happened last night hadn't just worn them out physically (they had actually fallen asleep on the floor, Clara covering them with a quilt) but also emotionally. Whatever that yellow light had been, she knew it frightened Angel terribly to see it.

"I know you're there Emma," Angel smiled, turning around, "And it's not because we can also see your reflection in the glass.

"You wanted a word?" Emma walked up to them.

"Well, if that's..." the Doctor began.

This entire thing had made him…a bit more polite, when it came to psychics at least. The first encounter with one…poor Gwyneth, that had been a heavy burden on his mind, especially after meeting Angel. He had SWORN that he would treat her better with more respect when he'd learned she might be a psychic. He'd tried, hard, to respect any that came across him, but some, like Lucius Petrus Dextrus, were harder to treat amicably than others. Being here though, he'd fully intended to pop in, ask Emma about Clara, and dash off. Finding out though that Angel was also an empathic psychic…well, he couldn't just do that to Emma now. He couldn't ask her to try and sense something when he equated it with Angel opening herself up to sense or feel something now too. What if it hurt her? What if it was bad?

"That's fine," Emma cut in, but she eyed them, "You didn't come here for the ghost, did you?"

"No," Angel shook her head, being honest.

"You came here for me."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I, um…WE needed to ask you something," the Doctor said.

"Something Angel couldn't answer?" Emma wondered, the girl was…remarkably strong, she'd proven that in how well she'd endured that psychic connection, she hadn't screamed, she hadn't winced, she hadn't been in pain at all, unlike her. She was just…SO strong, and she didn't even seem to realize HOW strong.

"I can't see everything," Angel shrugged, "Sometimes I need help to see the things I miss."

Emma nodded, it made sense, "Then ask."

"Clara..." the Doctor hesitated.

"Yes?"

"What is she?"

Emma blinked, "She's a girl."

"Yes, but what kind of girl? Specifically."

"She's a perfectly ordinary girl. Very pretty, very clever, more scared than she lets on…"

The Doctor nodded as Angel eyed her, "Is that all there is?" she asked.

"Why?" Emma shook her head, "Is that not enough?"

Angel smiled, "No, if that's it…then it's more than enough."

~8~

Angel stood by Alec and Ayla as the girl introduced her 'Aunt Idris' to the man, Alec feeling along the side of it. Clara was leaning on a column, watching both that and the Doctor walk over with Emma and Hila, the two women hugging as the Doctor joined in.

"Where will you go?" Emma asked Hila.

"They can't take me home," Hila shrugged, "History says I went missing."

"But they can change history…"

"No, no, no," the Doctor cut in, "We can't, actually. There are fixed points in time you see..."

"My love?" Angel called, glancing over.

"Yes?" he smiled at her brightly.

"Shush!" Ayla held a finger to her lips as he pouted and sulked, till Clara tugged him away to give the two women some privacy.

"I knew you were there," Hila eyed Emma, "I could feel you."

"I know," Emma nodded.

Angel smiled and picked Ayla up as they watched the small interaction, the Doctor trying to get involved as Clara tugged him back.

"Have we..."

"We can't have. You haven't even been born yet."

And then the Doctor managed to slip away and over to the women, "No, you can't have met but she can be your great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter," he grinned as Alec joined them, "Yours too, of course! But you'd guessed that already, hadn't you?"

"I don't think so dear," Angel remarked as she moved to his side, "They appear rather stunned."

"Right…" he winced, realizing that Emma and Alec hadn't actually officially even gotten together yet.

"The paradoxes..." Alec shook his head.

"Will eventually resolve themselves," Ayla recited, "Mummy told you that before, were you not listening?"

The Doctor chuckled at that, at the bit of…attitude Ayla had displayed. He'd actually discovered the only ever time his daughter was even slightly rude…which amused him to no end because she was so polite normally. It was when she had either fallen asleep or was napping and woke up too soon, when she didn't get enough sleep she got a bit…short, like just now. He was actually a tiny bit happy that that particular bad quality of his had ended up in their daughter, his rudeness was a trait he'd always seemed to have.

"It's why the connection was stronger for Emma to get to Hila," Angel explained, "Mummy always comes, doesn't she sweetheart?" she asked Ayla, smiling when the girl merely nodded, already drifting off on her shoulder, "That goes for grandmummies and great-grandmummies as well."

"Not everything ends, eh?" the Doctor grinned, slapping Alec's arm as he walked past him, ready to open the TARDIS and let Angel put Ayla to bed, "Not love. Not always."

"Not ever," Angel corrected with a nod to Emma, the woman nodding back with a smile.

Alec, though, followed them, "Doctor, what about, what about...us? Emma and me?"

"What about you?" the Doctor pulled out the key to the TARDIS.

"Well, what's supposed to happen? I mean, what do we do now?"

The Doctor glanced over as Emma joined them, "Hold hands," he took Angel's, smiling at her, "That's what you're meant to do. Keep doing that and don't let go. That's the secret," he kissed the back of her hand, turning back to the TARDIS to bring Ayla in…when he froze, "Hold hands…" and smacked himself in the forehead.

Oh how could he have missed that?! That creature, when Clara had remarked that he was holding her hand…it had been the creature yes, but not to scare them, just…to comfort Clara. It had been IN the house…but if it was there…then the one in the pocket Universe…

He spun around, "I'm so...slow!" he shouted, "I am slow, I'm notorious for it, that's always been my problem, but I get there in the end. Oh, yes."

"Doctor?" Clara frowned, shaking her head.

"How do sharks make babies?"

She blinked, not having a clue what that had to do with anything, "Carefully?"

"No, no, no…happily!"

"Sharks don't actually smile. They're just...well, they've got lots and lots of teeth, they're quite eaty."

"Exactly!" he pointed at her, "But birds do it, bees do it, Time Lords do it," he gestured at Ayla, now completely asleep in Angel's arms, "Every lonely monster needs a companion!"

He turned to run off, when Angel tugged him back by the hand she was still holding, "I prefer to think…every great man needs an equally great woman."

He smiled at that, "Love it," he whispered, kissing her quickly, knowing that she had caught his little slip, how he'd been referring to himself among that parallel, "Come on," he smiled, walking off at a slower pace, Clara following.

"There," Angel pointed their joined hands at window.

Clara's eyes widened, seeing the weird, crooked creature in the window before it scuttled off, "There's two of them?!"

"It's the oldest story in the universe," the Doctor smiled, "This one, or any other. Boy and girl fall in love," he smiled at Angel, "Get…get separated by events, war, politics, accidents in time, women in eye patches," his voice grew soft in thought, before he shook his head, "She's thrown out of the HEX or he's thrown into it. Since then they've been yearning for each other across time and space, across dimensions…"

"It wasn't ever a ghost story Clara," Angel smiled, "It was a love story the whole time."

"Brilliant," he grinned, before looking at Angel, "What do you think dear? Can you muster another go?"

"For the sake of true love?" she smiled, nodding, "Of course."

"Clara!" the Doctor turned to her, "Would you um," he nodded at Ayla.

She laughed, "Of course," she smiled, taking the girl as Angel handed her over, "Just call me the nanny," she winked before heading to the TARDIS to put the girl to bed.

"Oh she's not just 'the nanny,' is she?" Angel smiled at the Doctor.

He gave her an innocent smile, "I don't know what you mean."

She laughed and poked you, "Yes you do, and one day…soon…you'll admit what she is. Uh uh," she shook her head, putting a finger to his lips, "Don't argue with the psychic."

He laughed and took her finger off his lips, kissing it before running with her back to the house.

~8~

The Doctor stepped out of a golden swirl, walking across the music room of the echo house and over to the window. He looked out, seeing the crooked thing…like a melted skeletal crab thing…running across the lawn. He pushed the window open and leaned out, "I'm sorry!" he called to it, "I understand now! I can take you to her! I can take you to a safe place far away from here! You can be together! Well, come on then!" he laughed as the creature stared up at him, "She's WAITING!" before it took off towards the house.

He walked back to the golden passageway, waiting as he heard stomping and thudding as the creature made its way through the house and up to the room, "Well, hello again, you old Romeo you," he greeted, trying not to grimace at its partially decomposing appearance, "Now...off we go," he gestured at the portal, the creature running for it.

He laughed, "Geronimo," he grinned, stepping in after it.

~8~

Angel smiled as she snuggled into the Doctor, the two of them lying in bed after one of the longer days they'd had. She wasn't sure if it was the fact it had been nighttime or the strain of maintaining the psychic connection, or something else, but…she was just tired, knackered most definitely. The Doctor, even for all his stores of energy, seemed to be just as exhausted as he laid beside her in bed.

He was on his back, his left arm wrapped around her, his other hand resting on top of her left hand as it laid on his chest. She was on her said, her head resting on his shoulder as they both started to drift off.

"What's bothering you?" he asked her, a hint of sleep already in his voice.

"What makes you think something's bothering me?" she wondered, cracking an eye open to look at him, seeing him doing the same to look at her and laughed.

"I know you," he shrugged, "I may not be an all-powerful psychic," he squeezed her, letting her know he was saying it lightly, but that he truly believed she was that powerful, "I may not be an empathic psychic either, but…I DO know you Nella, better than anyone."

She smiled, "You do," she agreed, before sighing, "It's just…an empathic psychic? Me?"

He looked at her, his hand lightly massaging up and down her back, "Why are you so surprised by that?"

"I dunno," she thought on it, "I just…I've always had such a hard time believing I was even JUST psychic or a precog…and now it's…it's not JUST that anymore. I'm not sure if I believe it or not."

"I do," he remarked, "I…had a suspicion that you were one, or that you might grow to be one one day."

She blinked, lifting her head to rest her chin on his chest, looking at him, "You did?"

"Oh yes," he nodded, moving his right hand off her hand and onto her cheek, stroking it with a thumb, "Empathics…I've met empathic psychics before, quite a few and, from what I've seen, they have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever, EVER met."

She frowned a bit, "But how did you know _I_ would be one?"

He laughed softly at that, at how she didn't see it, "You've got two," he said simply, "Two of the biggest, warmest hearts that I have ever encountered," he shook his head, gazing at her simply, "How could you not be an empathic psychic?"

She blinked again and started to smile, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Know exactly what to say to make me feel better," she leaned in, brushing her nose against his, "I'M supposed to be the psychic one of the two of us."

"Ah," he agreed, "But…I'M the Doctor, it's my job to make people feel better. And YOU, my magnificent Mate, are the one I strive to keep happy above all else. You and Ayla, I always want you both to feel your best."

She let out a small, happy breath at that, "I love you Theta."

He grinned widely, leaning in to kiss her, "I love you too, Nella, my angel."

"My madman," she countered, kissing him as well.

"My psychic," he added another kiss.

She laughed, "My thief," and one more.

He leaned in, kissing her deeply, holding her there a bit long with the hand on her cheek, resting his forehead to hers after he pulled away, "Mine," he breathed, "Just…mine."

Angel smiled and kissed him again, the two of them getting lost in the moment, so much so they actually forgot all about their plans to sleep for the next few hours.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to add a bit of fluff to end there...especially since we've got a nightmare coming }:) But awww, love the family moments and the fluff :)


	45. Dreams Remembered

"Doctor!" Angel shouted as she shoved him, the man lying on the floor of the console room.

She had stepped into the console room after a short dizzy spell to find him, and Amy and Rory seemingly passed out on the floor. She'd been terrified! Luckly though she'd managed to find the problem with a quick scan of the TARDIS monitors and got rid of it, psychic pollen was quite nasty when it got heated up. But she'd removed it and had been trying to wake him for _hours_ now, him and Amy and Rory, but none of them had woken up…until now.

"Angel?" Rory called, groaning as he rolled onto his back on the console room floor, waking slowly.

"Rory!" Angel gasped, "Oh thank God," she rushed over to his side, helping him sit up.

"Is Amy alright?" he winced, rubbing his head.

Angle looked around, trying to find the girl, "She's fine," she smiled, spotting her a few feet away, "Come on," she helped him up before moving to Amy, "Amy…" she gently shook her, hoping that she might wake up soon if Rory was.

"Ooh…" Amy winced, rubbing her head, "What happened?"

Angel let out a breath of relief to see them both awake, "Psychic pollen," she told them, "It got into the rotor and heated up, made you all fall asleep, but I got rid of it," she glanced back but the Doctor was still on the ground, still out cold. She sighed, "I don't understand…why are you waking up but the Doctor isn't? He should've woken up first," she moved back over to him as Amy and Rory joined her, Rory checking on him as well.

"Doctor?" Rory called, gently shaking the man, "Doctor can you hear me?" he leaned over, lifting the man's eye lid to see he appeared to still be asleep, not even close to waking.

"How about we try this instead?" Amy remarked…before she slapped him, hard, across the face, "Doctor wake up!" she shouted…but the Doctor still remained unmoving, "Ok, plan B then."

Rory rolled his eyes at that, "Right, because it's not like I have a medical background or anything, Amy slapping people doesn't work when they're this deeply asleep," he gestured to the Doctor's eyelid again.

"Neither does throwing your shoe," Angel added quietly.

"What?" they both looked at her though Amy had been the one to speak.

"Nothing," she shook her head, not really sure why she'd said that to Amy though she DID get the feeling, for some reason, that Amy would one day throw a shoe at Rory, for whatever reason, "The main question is…why isn't the Doctor waking up?"

Rory sighed, "I don't know," he looked at Angel, "Is there a medbay or something that we can take him to?"

She nodded, "Yeah, can you carry him?" she nodded at the Doctor.

He stood, heaving the Doctor's one arm over his shoulder, Amy rushing to do the same on his other side, the Doctor between them as they half carried, half dragged him through the halls as Angel lead the way out of the console room. It was only a hall or two away, though they were sure it was the TARDIS moving them around, before they reached the medbay.

"Will this work?" Angel looked at Rory as she pushed the door open.

Rory glanced around the stark white room crammed full of various pieces of technology and medical equipment. He didn't recognize half of them, but he did know some, "It's fine," he agreed, helping Amy carry the Doctor into the room, setting him down on an examination bed, "I see a lot of medical equipment that I recognize, that should help. Right," he looked at the Doctor, before turning to the equipment and starting to run some scans…

~8~

Angel sat on a small chair beside the Doctor, staring at the hand closest to her as it rested beside him, her own hands clasped firmly in her lap, though she was fidgeting a bit. If Amy hadn't known any better she would have thought that Angel wanted to hold his hand but was refraining. She didn't know why the girl was doing that, it was fine to hold someone's hand when there was something wrong with them.

"So?" Amy looked at Rory as he read through the results of his scans, "What's up with the Doc?" she laughed, "So close to the perfect sentence," she smiled.

"I don't know what it is," he sighed, "Angel," he looked at her, "Is it possible the psychic pollen might've affected him adversely?"

She frowned, "I…don't know. I don't know a lot of things about psychic pollen, I just recognize what it was and I know what it can do but…I don't think it should've done anything like this. He should've woken up," she looked at him and they could see her getting upset and worried, tears forming in her eyes, "Why isn't he waking up?"

"Hey," Amy said softly, walking over to her, putting an arm around her, "It'll be ok."

"It'll be alright Angel," Rory added, coming over to kneel before her, taking her hand, "I promise, he'll wake up I swear."

Angel glanced at the Doctor before nodding to herself, swallowing hard, "Ok," she breathed, trying to keep it together, "Do you know how long it might be before he wakes up?"

Rory shook his head, "I can't be sure but if we woke up, he should be waking up soon. Probably within the next hour or so I'd guess."

Angel glanced at him, "Ok, then I'll stay with him. You two should go get some rest…"

"No, that's ok," Amy cut in, "You were the one awake the whole time, we got to sleep loads already. We'll stay too."

"Yes," Rory agreed, "We'll stay too," he smiled, not wanting to leave Angel alone when she was clearly upset. He moved over to the small counter space and sat down on the floor, Amy moving to sit on the actual counter before the cupboards, the three of them waiting in relative silence for the Doctor to wake up, the only sound in the room being the beeping of the heart monitor Rory had hooked up.

He…hadn't wanted to say anything when he put the heart monitor on the Doctor, he just…wanted to be sure the man would be ok. He knew how it could go when someone was unconscious and not responding, how damaging it could be, the warning signs that could follow would be monumentally important to figure out what was wrong. The heart monitor was needed no matter how uncomfortable it made the girls feel to see the Doctor of all people hooked up to one. It was also a little weird, his heart gave off a distinct four-beat rhythm.

"Oh my head," the Doctor groaned, only a few minutes later, much to the utter relief of all in the room. He winced, slowly waking, blinking as he looked around the room, more at the ceiling than anything, as though trying to place where he was.

He turned his head to the side almost instinctively, like he knew Angel was right there, "Angel," he smiled at her, a soft look in his eyes as he gazed upon her…a sparkle in his eye that made her stiffen and stare at him with wide eyes, a sparkle that…actually made her go pale to see, "Why am I in the medbay?"

"Um…" she shook her head, no…she…she was just imagining it, "You were kind of hit by the psychic pollen."

He frowned, "When did we get psychic pollen?"

She blinked, confused, "When we took Amy to go to the candle meadows of Karass don Slava," she eyed him a moment, seeing him blink at her, "Don't…don't you remember?"

The Doctor just frowned, "Who's Amy?"

Angel paled, stiffening, oh…this could NOT be good…

"What?" Amy called, hopping off the counter as she stormed over to the Doctor, "Doctor that's not funny."

The Doctor lunched to his feet the moment he saw her, turning to push Angel behind him as he faced Amy, whipping out the sonic and holding it threateningly at her, "Who are you and what are you doing in our TARDIS?"

Angel let out a breath that…our TARDIS…had he just…had he just called it OUR TARDIS?

"Doctor…" she swallowed, shaking her head as he glanced over his shoulder at her, " _That's_ Amy. Don't you remember her?" she frowned at him, "Amelia Pond. She's your companion."

The Doctor shook his head, "No…I don't have a companion."

Angel gave him a look, "Yes…you DO."

"No," he shook his head again, "I'm only traveling with you Angel," he smiled softly at her, turning a bit so he was facing her, almost forgetting he'd been threatening Amy moments ago, "Why would I want a companion when I've got _you_?"

Angel stared at him, her breath catching her throat as her hearts raced, "What did you just say?" she whispered.

The Doctor looked at her, frowning as he saw her…utterly stunned expression, he stepped closer to her when he noticed the tears appearing in her eyes as well, "Angel what's wrong?" he reached out to take her hands…

But she stepped back even further, pulling her hands away, "What did you say?" she demanded, a bit more firmly.

"I said, 'Why would I want another companion when I'm traveling with you,'" he repeated.

"And what do you mean by that? What do you remember?"

He shook his head, completely confused as to what she was talking about, "We just saw Jack," he sounded like he was reminding HER this time, "We just went to Queen Elizabeth the First for Tosh and Owen to get married. Oh," he smiled, "You were lovely in that gown, I love it when you dress up in period outfits, you were just…stunning," he breathed, gazing at her, not seeing Amy an Rory exchange confused looks at how he was acting and talking so…sweetly to Angel "And the wedding, it was just lovely, that speech Jack gave, getting to dance with my magnificent Mate and…"

Angel completely broke down at that word, the word she'd heard him denying for SO long, shaking her head…she just couldn't believe it, this…this was all she'd ever wanted, for him to remember but right now she just…hearing him talking about all that, acting like nothing had happened, like none of the pain had happened…she just…

"I can't do this," she breathed, running out of the room.

The Doctor rushed to go after her, but Rory got in his way, holding his hands up in peace, "Hold on Doctor, I think…"

The Doctor reacted first, grabbing Rory by the edge of his jacket and shoving him against the wall, "Who are you!?"

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, moving to try and stop him, but Rory held up a hand to stop HER.

He could tell something was wrong with the Doctor, he had clearly gotten some sort of amnesia from the psychic pollen, and if he didn't know who they were…he wouldn't hesitate to attack them. Clearly there was something about Angel that was getting to him, making him protective, different, if he thought they were a threat to her, he…genuinely didn't know what the Doctor would do. This needed delicacy and calm, and he couldn't risk Amy getting hurt. Not that he ever thought the Doctor would harm her, but…he wasn't exactly in his right mind was he?

"I'm Rory," he said slowly, looking the man in the eye so he'd know he was telling the truth, "I'm Angel's companion. Rory Williams."

The Doctor shook his head, his grasp on Rory's shirt tightening, "No, the only companion Angel's had is Mickey Smith."

Rory nodded, "Yes, I know, Angel told me," he paused a moment, letting it sink in, before he continued, "Mickey Smith married Martha Jones. You were at the wedding, just before you got trapped on San Helios, right?"

The Doctor stared at him, "How could you know that?"

"Because _Angel_ told me he," he reminded the Doctor, "Angel tells me lots of things about her companions, about your companions…we talk."

The Doctor stared at him…and Rory was sure he'd probably said something wrong, but he wasn't quite sure what. The Doctor's eyes narrowed, not liking that, not liking the idea of Angel talking to this man, this…this _stranger_.

"And what did you do?" he demanded.

Rory frowned, "What do you mean what did I do?"

"What did you do to Angel?!" he shouted, twisting his hands tighter in Rory's shirt.

Rory winced at the volume more than being hurt, "I didn't do anything to Angel."

Amy ran over at that moment, trying to push the Doctor away, but he wouldn't release his grip, "What did you do to Angel?" he repeated, "She's upset, she was crying, she ran away! What did you do? What did you say to her to make her that way?"

" _I_ didn't do anything," Rory finally shoved him away, "We woke up to find that the psychic pollen had affected _all_ of us except Angel. You were on the ground and you weren't waking up and Angel was getting very worried for _you_. If anything, it's something _you_ did."

"I would _never ever_ do anything to hurt my Mate!" the Doctor nearly snarled at the slight against him, at the slight against his relationship with Angel.

Amy looked at him, "Wow you are _really_ protective of your friends…"

The Doctor looked at her, Rory stepping closer to her to be safe, "What do you mean by that?"

Amy frowned, "Your mate, Angel, your friend…"

The Doctor shook his head, "No, you're thinking of the wrong sort of mate. Angel is my Mate," he emphasized, but the two humans just stared at him, "For life. She's…my other half."

Amy stared at him, "But…" she shook her own head this time, "But you told me she was just your friend."

"Why would I _ever_ say that?!" he grimaced at the thought, "That's a terrible lie!"

"Well you did," Amy crossed her arms, "You told me so right in front of Angel, that you were just her friend when you asked me to be your companion," she frowned a moment, thinking on that, "Angel actually looked really upset now that I think of it…"

But the Doctor shook his head fiercely, "I would _never_ say that. Angel is too important to me for me to lie about that or to ever, ever, ever think of her as just a…a…a _friend_. Why are you lying to me?" he glared at Amy, "I don't like when people _lie_ to me."

"Doctor I'm not lying to you," Amy insisted, "You met me when I was just a kid, don't you remember?" she frowned, searching his eyes, but she saw nothing…no trace of familiarity, no semblance of recognition, "Just after you regenerated."

The Doctor blinked and stiffened at that, "I regenerated?" he breathed, "No…" he shook his head, "No I…I couldn't have…" he looked down to see he was wearing different clothes, not his brown suit and tie but…trousers with braces, a button up shirt, a tweed jacket and… "A bowtie?" he grimaced, "Why am I wearing a bowtie?"

Amy and Rory glanced at each other, "Um…bowties are cool?" Rory shrugged.

"What? No they're not! Who told you that?!" the Doctor shook his head, "I swore to Angel I wouldn't wear a bowtie, I promised her, I crossed my hearts I'd only ever wear a real tie to…" he paused, his hand going to his lips, but they were different, his chin, his nose…everything, "Show me!" he ran to a mirror on the side of the room, staring with wide eyes when he saw a different man standing there, with green eyes and a big nose and chin and floppy brown hair…

He didn't recognize this man.

He HAD regenerated and…if he had…had everything that Amy and Rory person said been true? And, if he couldn't remember them…what if…what if he hadn't remembered Angel? That would explain why he'd apparently insisted she was just a friend and…

Oh god.

"Angel!" the Doctor shouted, bolting out of the room before that Rory fellow could stop him. He ran down the halls, as quickly as he had ever run, till he reached his room, throwing the door open…only to see it was empty, to see that every single detail that had belonged to Angel wasn't there.

He felt his hearts drop into his stomach…it was true, wasn't it? He'd forgotten her? Why else would her things not be there anymore? She'd only just run off, she wouldn't have had time to gather all of that. He spun around, hearing a whoosh, to see…HER room behind him. He ran to the door, not even knocking as he burst in, "Angel!" gasped, seeing something that made his hearts freeze and his stomach turn over.

She was frantically trying to pack a bag, rather badly, clothes just shoved in there, the…the small jewelry box he'd given her knocked over on the bed with the contents spilled out. He felt his head get light when he saw a familiar metal bracelet lying there by the overturned box…a Dampening Bracelet.

"Angel stop," he ran to her, trying to pull her to him, trying to stop her, "Please…just…just…just stop…"

"No, let me go!" she cried as he grabbed her wrists, trying to still her as gently as he could, "Please, just let me go…I need to go!"

"I can't do that," he breathed, his hearts breaking, "Angel please, just stop. _Please_ …"

He pulled her to him, locking his arms around her as she weakly beat on his chest with her fists, trying to fight her way out of his hold. Luckily though…while Angel was the strongest women he knew, she wasn't particularly terrifying physically, and he knew she'd never use the Vortex on him, no matter what.

"Shh…" he whispered, swaying side to side, trying to calm her more, "Shh…it's alright, I'm…I'm here," he swallowed hard, "I'm back," he felt tears in his eyes when he heard her start to cry at that, his entire soul aching when he felt her shaking in his arms, no longer hitting him but just…sobbing, the pain in her voice breaking his spirit, "I'm sorry," he murmured, kissing the top of her head, "I'm so sorry…"

She nearly sunk to her knees at those familiar words, taking him with her to the floor as she tried to cover her face with her hands. But he beat her to it, placing his hands on either sides of her cheeks, his thumbs stroking over them, trying to wipe away her many tears, "Angel please…don't go…don't leave me, I'm so sorry," he looked at her, tears in his eyes, "I just…I can't explain it but…I don't know what happened, I…" he shook his head, "I just don't know."

"You forgot me," she told him, her voice trembling, "You said I wasn't your Mate, you…you flirted with River, you kissed Amy…you…" she bowed her head, " _You_ were _gone_ …"

"And now I'm _back_ ," he swore, "I'm back and I won't go anywhere ever again, I swear it," he crossed his hearts, moving to take her hand with one of his own, shuffling closer to her, "I will spend every waking second making it up to you, cherishing you, loving you, like I ought to have."

She looked at him, searching his eyes through her blurred vision, wiping her tears away with her free hand, before looking at him again, heeling…feeling the fractions that her hearts had broken into starting to slowly piece together again, "You swear?" she breathed.

This was…all she wanted, she just wanted him back. She knew it was terrible that he didn't remember Amy and Rory, but…they'd only gone on a few adventures, they could make up for lost time and…she was sure Amy would rather him NOT remember how she'd tried to seduce him going forward. SHE had lost so much more than that. She just…wanted her Mate back, and…now there he was, kneeling before her, her Mate…restored, mostly.

"On every star in the Universe Nella," he nodded, leaning in, just about to kiss her…when he stumbled back with a cry of pain, clutching his hands to his head, "Argh…" he grunted.

"Doctor!" she scrambled to his side, "Doctor what is it?" she tried to tug his hands from his head but he wouldn't budge, "Thet…"

"Ow…" the Doctor muttered, rubbing his head with a hand, his eyes closed, "Oi, what was the number of that bus?" he shook his head, before opening his eyes to look at her, "Angel? What's wrong?"

Angel stared at him, frozen, her hands half raised to him, her eyes wide with tears, her mouth dropping open. She let out a breath, half sagging with it in devastation, "No…" she whispered under her breath as she looked at him, at his green eyes…

There was no sparkle.

Oh please no, she begged the stars. Not again, this couldn't happen again, not…not after he'd just…but he'd remembered! He'd _remembered_ her! He'd said her _name_! He'd remembered they were Mates! He'd promised! He'd _promised_ he wouldn't leave her again! Please she couldn't lose him again, not after having gotten him back.

"What happened?" the Doctor frowned, eyeing her, "Are you ok? Did something happen to Amy or Rory? Was it Rory? What's he gone and done this time?"

Angel just shook her head, sitting back on her legs, he remembered them…and he'd forgotten her.

"I can't do this," she murmured, blinking, tears falling from her eyes though she wasn't crying. She was just…tired, she…gave up.

No more.

"Do what?" he asked her.

"This," she gestured at him, "All of this," she motioned around now, "I…can you take me to Donna?" she asked, she needed her big sister, she needed her terribly right now.

"Yeah, course I can," he grinned, getting up, heading for the door, "Popping in for a quick visit? Lovely…"

"No," she swallowed, "I…I don't want to do this anymore," she got up as he froze, looking over at her as she moved to the bed, shoving what was left of her clothes into the back, gathering her small knickknacks and a small box to place in it as well.

"What?" he frowned at her, "You're…leaving? For…forever?" he frowned, not having the slightest clue why she was so sad. But…he was sure she didn't mean forever, no. Angel would…she'd come back. Right? Of course she would…wouldn't she?

Angel moved over to him, looking at him, her eyes seeming to search his for something before she let out the most hollow small laugh he'd ever heard and his frown deepened, seeing the…the…dead…sort of look in her eyes, like…her hope and her hearts had just been shattered beyond repair.

She shook her head and moved to take her door, starting to close it, forcing him to step into the hallway, "Let me know when we land," she whispered, "And…if you ever miss me…" she murmured, looking up at him, "Go ask River to keep you company," before she shut the door.

~8~

The Doctor slowly blinked away, letting out a breath, feeling himself shaking. That wasn't a terrible nightmare, not compared to the others he'd had, the more…gruesome and horrifying but…it was…heartsbreaking. The Dream Lord, the nightmare that had been, he understood, the Caliburn House with its ghosts and its nightmares and the two worlds that had a 'threat' in each of them…

That was a…cruel nightmare. Cruel to him, to imagine the Dream Lord, his subconscious opening and returning his locked away memories only for it to fade. And so cruel to Angel, to give her the hope of his returned memories…and then to take it away, to have it just be an aftereffect of the psychic pollen…that was…he was thankful it had never happened. He would have LOVED to have remembered her then…but not to forget her so soon after. To have gone after her, and cared for her, comforted her, held her in his arms, nearly kissed her…and then return to THAT man that had hurt her so badly…

He turned on his side, seeing Angel asleep beside him, on her back but with her head turned towards him. He reached out and touched her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb, hating to do this but, "Nella?" he whispered, hoping she might wake up. She usually slept like the dead but…it was near morning, she might be on the cusp of waking, "Nella? Wake up dear…" he watched her face, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw her eyes flutter open.

"Theta?" she whispered, her voice thick with sleep, "What is it?" she frowned, blinking until she saw the tears in his eyes, "A nightmare," she realized, turning fully on her side to face him. She took his hand off her face and held it between them, "Tell me this time. Please."

"I will," he agreed, swallowing hard, "I just…I need you to know something first."

"What?" she tilted her head at him.

"I love you, _so much_ , and I'm _so_ sorry that I forgot you," his voice cracked, starting to blink rapidly in an effort to keep the tears from falling, "I will NEVER forget you again, I swear it Nella. No matter what I will NEVER ever forget you or Ayla, never. I never will. I won't. I promise. I…"

"Theta," she cut in gently, squeezing his hand, seeing him getting a bit frantic, upset, the dream had truly haunted him this time, "I know you won't. And…" she nodded, "I'm stronger now, Ayla…she's made me stronger. If you ever did forget, I would do things differently. You need to understand my love…it _wasn't_ all your fault," she lifted his hand and kissed his scarred knuckles, "I am as much to blame as you for the pain I endured. I could have done things differently, I could have…done SOMETHING, I don't know what, but just… _something_ , anything, different. I _chose_ not to, YOU had NO choice in forgetting me. So please…" she smiled, "Please remember that and…and let this go…because it's killing you Theta. You're barely sleeping anymore."

He swallowed, nodding, "I know, and…I'm sorry, I just…I feel like it was entirely my fault. If I hadn't forg…"

"No," she cut in, "No more bringing it up, not like that," she leaned in and kissed him gently, resting her forehead to his as she pulled away, "It is in the past Theta, leave it there."

"Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."

"I said leave it, not forget it," she reminded him lightly, "It _won't_ happen again Theta, I…I can tell that much," she said, with more confidence than she felt, if only for his benefit.

She couldn't be sure, she honestly couldn't. She couldn't see that far ahead. She truly had no idea if he would ever forget her again in the future but…she didn't like lying to him, she didn't ever really. This…wasn't entirely a lie though, for the moment, for as far as she COULD see…she didn't see it happening. And…if it did…she knew in her hearts, that she would be better able to deal with it. The family knew about his prior amnesia, they would be able to help her, they would help her and she wouldn't have to be the first to tell them about it. They'd help her find some way to do it.

Before, she'd been so focused on trying to do things herself, having regenerated so confidently, she'd wanted to keep it going. She'd still felt the need despite her confidence to prove herself worthy of him, to her it meant figuring what was wrong with him out for herself and fixing it alone. She realized now that…she could be confident, she could be worthy of him, and still need help at times. There was no shame in that, asking for help didn't mean she was lesser than him, it didn't mean that she was unworthy or didn't deserve him or wasn't strong or clever or special or anything.

It just meant…she needed help.

And that was it.

It was surprising how differently she looked at things. Looking back on that period, she saw now the opportunities she'd had to ask for help, to get him to remember sooner, to do something differently. But she hadn't had the confidence or self-assuredness at the time. She'd been distracted by River and her pregnancy and everything else…that she'd missed it. But she could see it now. And she wouldn't ever let it happen again.

"Now…" she looked at him, smiling as she lifted her other hand to his hair, gently running her fingers through it soothingly for him, "Will you tell me about your nightmare?"

He nodded, looking into her eyes as, for the first time, he truly told her what he'd dreamed, Angel nodding along, listening, knowing this, truly and actually _talking_ about it, was a step in the right direction.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short nightmare, I know, but I sort of wanted it to feel like one gleaming window of opportunity...that shut FAR too soon :'( Poor Doctor, to dream of remembering her and then to have even the dream him forget her again as well :(
> 
> Next chapter will actually be a combination of two mini-sodes :) And all I can say is...Clara will meet someone...unforgettable }:)


	46. Of Rain Gods and TARDISes

"But Doctor I don't understand!" Clara shouted as she rushed after the Doctor, the man stalking across the landscape of a rocky sort of planet, really more like pulling Angel along, Ayla in his arms, "Why are we just leaving her!? She's about to be sacrificed to the Rain Gods!"

They'd been going on a small trip, an actual quiet one, on Earth, modern Earth, had set down the TARDIS, nearly stepped out…only for the Doctor to run in, screaming that they had to leave and setting the controls for anywhere that would just get them out, a mystery tour Ayla had described it as once. But just before they had a woman had entered the TARDIS. The Doctor had been furious, truly she had never thought she'd see him so angry, and the moment the TARDIS set down again, had shoved the woman out the doors, not even letting her get a word in beyond greeting them.

Unfortunately, the box's appearance had been in the middle of a gathering of some sort of tribe. The Doctor had been pulled out with her. Angel had rushed after him, everything being too sudden for her to get a proper vision, and shouted at them to stay in the TARDIS. Which hadn't worked out so well as neither she nor Ayla were very keen to do that and leave the Time Lords to their fate. But Ayla had gotten the monitor working and they'd watched as the three adults (or two adults and the Doctor) had been captured and led away, waiting until the rest of the tribe had followed before sneaking out. And really, when even the TARDIS herself LET them out it had to mean that the old box wanted them to help her Pilots too.

They'd snuck around, seen massive pyres being erected and had bolted, trying to find the Doctor and Angel and that woman, finding them tied to some posts by rather advanced looking manacles. She was sure the Doctor could have escaped, she'd seen him with the sonic behind his back, but…the tribe was watching them, so she and Ayla had devised a small distraction, well, more like a small fire. She'd lit one of the pyres as it was still being built, the rest of the tribe rushing to try and put it out before it could catch as clearly the sacrifices weren't on them. It had been enough for the Doctor to flash himself free, sonicing Angel free as well…but then, instead of saving the woman like she thought he would, he just took Angel's hand and ran into the woods. She'd been stunned, had followed him out with Ayla but the man hadn't even stopped in scooping Ayla into his arms and continuing to run.

"Because she deserves it!" the Doctor snapped, not breaking his stride.

Clara paused a moment at that, at the…venom in his voice when he said 'she' and she could tell…whoever that woman was, she must be not a good person, "Is she an enemy or something?"

"Yes."

"No," Angel cut in, "No, she's not."

The Doctor scoffed at that.

"Confused," Clara shook her head, "Care to explain how she is and isn't an enemy at the same time? I mean…if she's not you're about to let them burn…"

"She killed Angel," the Doctor said, so quietly that Clara almost missed it.

Clara stopped dead at that this time, "What?"

The Doctor looked back and saw she'd stopped, stopping himself as he sighed, looking at Angel softly, "She…first, she poisoned her, killed her for an instant but…Angel revived that time," his expression turned sad, "Then she shot her. Shot out both her hearts, killed her dead."

"But…but you're still alive…" Clara shook her head.

"That's 'cos mummy regenerated," Ayla told her.

"We have a process," Angel added, seeing Clara getting more confused, "Time Lords, to…sort of cheat death. We heal ourselves, but the process changes every cell in our body, makes us into new people. New faces, new personalities, new quirks, but same memories."

"And that happened…to you?" Clara looked at her, a bit startled to think that the woman before her wasn't always this woman.

"And me," Ayla nodded.

"Me as well oh…about a dozen times or so," the Doctor agreed.

"Well…then we should run shouldn't we?" Clara nodded, thinking that that woman must have been a very deadly enemy for her to have literally killed Angel twice, realizing…that woman had to be the one that they'd spoken of before, when they'd told her of the one who disrespected Angel and tried to kill her. She started to walk again, faster than before, "I mean…how did she even find you?"

"How she found us, is the exact reason we CAN'T run, why we have to save her," Angel said softly, looking at the Doctor, "She's a Pond."

~oOo~

_"Are we really going to do this?" Clara asked, beaming with excitement as she followed the Doctor around the console as he set the controls, "I mean…really? I'm actually gonna get to meet them all?"_

_"Yes," Angel smiled, "And they'll love you Clara."_

_"Especially Aunt Donna and Uncle Jack," Ayla piped up from where she was sitting on the side-chair, kicking her legs._

_Clara nodded, "Right," and let out a breath…_

_But she was dead nervous. The Doctor and Angel had been talking when she'd stepped into the TARDIS, about where to go next, and the thought had dropped into their minds, probably because they'd been talking about past companions just an adventure or two ago, about a Rose Tyler, that they should take her to meet 'the family' as Angel called it. And she was SO scared! What if they didn't like her? What if they thought she wasn't good enough to travel with the Time Family? What if they...what if they just…well, really it was more what if they didn't like her?_

_She knew how important family had to be to the Time Family, especially after that war they told her about. She knew that the family's opinion of her would matter SO much and…she was scared. She was just little old Clara, there was nothing remarkable about her. She hadn't really…done anything remarkable either. I mean look at it! Angel and Ayla had told her all about the past companions in preparation for meeting them. Captain Jack Harkness and his brother Gray were immortal defenders of the Earth, Mickey and Martha Smith were freelance alien experts with ties to some UNIT organization and who both saved the world at different times (one even walked the ENTIRE planet for a year!), Donna Noble was the most important woman in all of creation and had a bit of Time Lord in her head, and the Ponds…well, not the REAL Ponds but their descendants but that didn't matter…had remembered the Time Lords into existence, lived for 2000 years, and saved the planet too!_

_What had she done?_

_Got trapped in the Wi-Fi, knew about computers now, helped the Queen of Years, talked to a Martian, and faced down a ghost-that-wasn't-really-a-ghost-at-all…nothing spectacular. Nothing special._

_"It'll be alright Clara," Angel walked over to her, leaving the Doctor to set the last commands, taking her hand to squeeze it, sensing her nerves, "They will just…love you. You're almost a member of the family now too."_

_"Almost?" Clara chuckled weakly, "Is there like…an initiation or something?"_

_Angel laughed, "No, you just have to…be like family to us. And you very nearly are," she winked._

_Clara really already was…if a certain Time Lord would, for once, not be stubborn about it._

_"I can't wait for you to meet JJ!" Ayla grinned widely as she hopped off her chair and ran to Clara._

_Angel looked over, seeing the Doctor wince at the name, closing his eyes. She smiled sadly, she felt like it had to have something to do with a nightmare. She'd…managed to get him to talk about the ones he had when he had them, but…he was still quiet about the ones that had come before. And she knew that he wouldn't be able to really let go and start to heal if he didn't get them ALL out of his system. It was…another reason she had suggested this trip, Jack was the only one who knew and she was hoping he might be able to talk to the Doctor. She knew how…how much it helped her to talk to Rory about what was happening with the Doctor, to talk to someone who wasn't him and if SHE was the central focus of his nightmares, her and Ayla, maybe that was just what he needed. Someone outside the TARDIS to talk to about it._

_"Who?" Clara blinked, not sure she knew that name just yet._

_"My sister!"_

_She looked at Angel, "You've got another daughter?!" when had this happened? Where was she? Why wasn't she travelling with her parents._

_"Sort of, almost," Angel remarked._

_"Entirely," the Doctor corrected, opening his eyes to walk around to her, winding his arm around her waist as he smiled at her, "Jenny is as much your daughter as mine, she just…has only my DNA."_

_"Sorry…lost," Clara shook her head._

_"There was a progenation machine," the Doctor explained, "Like a cloning device, that took the DNA of one person and made a child out of it. Jenny, my daughter, was a product of the machine."_

_"Right," Clara nodded, as though that made perfect sense, "So…one J is for Jenny, what's the other one for?"_

_"Jones," Angel replied, "When we're pretending to be humans, I tend to go by Angela Jones."_

_"And I'm John Smith."_

_"So Jenny decided to take on my 'last name' and Ayla calls her JJ for short."_

_"It's because I'M AJ to her," Ayla said proudly, "JJ calls me AJ, she said she picked mummy's name because she wanted people to know we're sisters!"_

_The Doctor smiled down at Ayla, he was so…touched by that, that Jenny had taken so quickly to Ayla, that she saw the little girl as her full sister and not a half-sister or anything. She saw Angel as her mother, her full and complete mother and not a step mother so that was just…amazing. He loved his girls, all of them, so much._

_"Right," Clara smiled, "Well then, we ought not be rude and keep them waiting eh?" she smiled._

_"Yes!" the Doctor cheered, for once being polite, "Just have to set the date…" he pointed at Angel, "What do you say dear? Which holiday?"_

_Angel smiled, "The family tends to all get together during the holidays," she explained to Clara, "For New Years, Easter, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Boxing Day…"_

_"November the 5th now though!" the Doctor reminded her._

_"Right," Angel nodded, almost forgetting about how Jack had FINALLY gotten to get the day he wanted because they found Clara, but that was only if Clara agreed to host for Boxing Day, and to do that she'd have to meet the family first, get comfortable with them, "How about Christmas?" she smiled, "That way she can meet the Ponds too?"_

_"Brilliant," the Doctor smiled, pulling a lever, "And…there we go!" he cheered as he set the box down. They'd already landed before the Pond house, but he'd wanted to get the date right. After Angel had taught him how to do that at Caliburn House he was fairly confident he'd done it properly this time, "Let's go!" he cheered, running for the doors, the most eager five-year-old in the Universe._

_The girls shook their heads and followed after him, more slowly…which was a good thing, because a moment after he'd run out the doors, he'd run back in with the biggest look of terror and…well, Clara would call it anger…on his face._

_"Run!" he shouted, darting back to the console, "We need to get out of here?"_

_"What? Why?" Clara looked at him, "Did you get the landing wrong?"_

_"No, no," he frantically tried to get the commands in to dematerialize._

_"Then what is it?"_

_Her question was answered a moment before the Doctor pulled the lever as the doors shut. They looked over to see someone smirking, leaning against the doors as the TARDIS disappeared, too late to stop it._

_"Hello Sweetie."_

~oOo~

"Pond like…like Amy and Rory?" Clara blinked at them.

"She's their daughter," Angel nodded.

The Doctor scoffed again, "The day Rory accepts that will be the day I do too," he muttered.

Angel sighed, knowing very well that Rory had died and STILL hadn't accepted River as his true daughter. Biologically, yes, she was genetically his daughter. In every other way that mattered…he refused to believe it, to accept her. He'd gone to the grave never having accepted River as his daughter like Amy had.

"But she's still a Pond," Angel insisted, "And I'm still alive. We have to help her."

"Do we _have_ to?" the Doctor breathed, looking at Angel, as though pleading with her to say no, they didn't.

"Do you want to teach our daughter that it's alright to let someone…burn to death?" Angel asked him quietly, a look in her eyes that made Clara think she was referencing the war and what he'd done.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes and Clara smiled, knowing that Angel had gotten through to him. Seriously, that girl really was a miracle worker. The Doctor had been fuming, so much so she was fully expecting steam to shoot out his ears, and now he was just…resigned and calm.

"No," he muttered, "Fine, fine, fine, alright," he looked at her, "Alright…" he pointed at her, "But I expect a reward for being a good boy and doing this."

Angel laughed and reached out to take Ayla out of his arms, "You'll get quite a big one for being a good MAN," she smiled at him, reaching out to touch his face, "Go on," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him a moment, "Be the hero."

He sighed, resting his forehead to hers, "I do this under duress," he warned her.

"Just go," she laughed, nudging him on.

He turned to go but spun around to kiss her again, rather deeply, and long enough for Ayla to wiggle out of Angel's arms and rush to Clara with a giggle.

"What was that for?" Angel murmured as she pulled away.

"I'm about to go rescue River bloody Song," he remarked, "I need that."

Angel smiled, squeezing the hand he'd taken, "I know, and I'm sorry to ask…"

"No," he cut in, taking a breath, "No, you're right…it's…it's not something I want Ayla to see," he agreed, turning to his daughter, pointing at her and winking, before he looked back at Angel, "I want her to be a better person than I am."

"Not possible," Angel told him lightly, touching his face, "You're perfect."

He smiled, touched she still thought that about him, "Well…geronimo," he muttered grumpily before turning to head off, unable to believe he was really about to rescue River Song of all people.

Wonderful.

"Um…sorry," Clara called, "But um…you're just gonna rush off then?" she shook her head, "Without a plan?"

"Who says I don't have a plan?" the Doctor spun around, Angel shaking her head seeing what he was doing, stalling a bit. She knew he REALLY didn't want to save River.

"So you've got a plan then?"

"Why do I have to have a plan?" he shrugged with a smirk, "You could have a plan. Angel could have a plan. I think my part was done when I got us to the Pond House and…"

"And then accidently took us to the planet of the Rain Gods where that River woman's about to be sacrificed," Clara deadpanned, "And I'm not about to let you walk off without a plan 'cos that's when things go bad. So…plan!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but sighed, that was…he stopped his thoughts. He REALLY had to STOP comparing Clara to her, to someone he…he knew on Gallifrey. Even though she was always doing that too, making sure that he had a plan or at least an escape whenever he went on his dangerous trips. She was always worrying about him even when she tried to play it off like she was annoyed. Somehow…she always knew when he was about to get into trouble or sneak off or do something stupid, she always just popped up or cornered him or locked him in the cupboard till he admitted to it. And then she refused to let him go till he told her his plan or the vague stirrings of a plan. She…she had been the first one to call his little almost-plans a 'thing' actually.

"Ok," he rolled his eyes, "Plan is…I distract them with something before they actually sacrifice her to the Rain Gods. Then, when they're distracted, I use a bit of sonic help," he pulled the sonic out and flipped it over, "Free her, and we run away."

"That's not a plan, that's a thing!" Clara shook her head.

"Hey, it's a start!"

Angel laughed at that, "Can you smell something my love?" she called, a small knowing smile on her face that Ayla spotted and started to giggle at.

The Doctor looked at her before smiling, seeing what she noticed, "Brilliant!" he pointed at her before taking off, seeing the distraction he needed coming.

Clara shook her head, watching him go before she looked at Angel, "Why did they want to sacrifice anyone to the Rain Gods anyway?"

"Apparently it's to 'appease their wrath,'" she shrugged, "Something about the crops, makes them grow I think."

' _There IS actually some scientific evidence…_ ' she heard the Doctor begin in her mind.

' _You realize you're about to admit you agree with being burnt alive, don't you my love?_ ' she countered.

' _I…well…some people,_ ' he muttered.

She shook her head and looked up when there was a sound of thunder, "And there's the distraction…" she blinked…

… _the Doctor jumped up before the tribe, his arms thrown out, grinning as they turned to him_ …

'... _oi! If there are any Rain Gods up there, you're rubbish! Strike me dead if I'm wrong!_...'

… _lightning struck behind him as rain began to pour down, the entire tribe running around to avoid it_ …

Angel shook her head, "Come on," she called to the girls, "We should get to the TARDIS…it's about to start raining," she looked up just as lightning struck, "Come on!" she nudged them on, the three of them reaching the TARDIS and getting inside moments before the rain fell.

They were standing there, laughing at the small run…when they heard two voices just outside the door, getting closer.

"That was your plan?!" a woman was shouting.

"Well it worked didn't it?" the Doctor grumbled.

"Basically you hoped for lightning. That was it?"

"And here we are."

"We should be burning at the stake right now."

"No, YOU should," he shot back.

"I'd be more offended if you weren't implying I was hot sweetie," the woman flirted, "It's lucky for you you're pretty."

"I…that…I wasn't saying that!" he snapped, and they heard a key in the lock.

So Ayla ran over to the doors, throwing them open and leaping at the person outside them with a cry of, "Daddy!"

Clara watched carefully, seeing the Doctor shoot a victorious smirk at the curly haired, damp woman in a dress and black jacket beside him. She didn't miss the glare the woman sent at the little girl as she hugged her father.

"Hello River," Angel offered, coming over to stand beside Clara.

"Angel," River crossed her arms as she stepped into the TARDIS, following the Doctor in. She walked, more like strode Clara would say, right up to them, "Hello," she smiled at her, "I'm Dr. River Song," she held out a hand to Clara.

"Clara Oswald," Clara said cautiously as she shook the woman's hand.

"Pleasure," River smirked, eyeing her, "Latest stray dog?" she called to the Doctor, Clara letting out an offended noise at that.

"Latest companion," Angel corrected.

"Oh, companion and not 'auntie?'" River sounded pleased by that, "So she's not permanent then?"

"Hang on..." Clara began, but Angel put a hand on her arm.

"She's Ayla's auntie yes," Angel nodded.

River rolled her eyes, "Isn't your 'family,'" Clara blinked as the woman actually used quotey fingers at that, "Big enough already?"

Clara frowned at that, the woman was...confusing. First she remarked on how she wasn't an auntie, almost like she was trying to insult either her or Angel, then the woman got all condescending about her BEING an auntie. What was that about? How did that thought process even work?

But Angel just smiled a smile that Clara would almost think was a smirk, almost, "Not MY family."

...which DID confuse Clara quite a bit. Angel was the one that the family seemed centered around. How was she an auntie (which she actually sort of liked, now that she thought about it, meant she wasn't just some babysitter, lord knew she nannied Angie enough) if she wasn't Angel's sister or something?

River, though, her expression soured a moment at that, her lips pursing, before she shoved past them and towards the halls, "Just going to freshen up! Is my bedroom still here?!"

Clara blinked at the woman's tact, shoving? Really? River wasn't exactly making a good impression was she? But...then the woman's words hit her and pointed at her as River disappeared, unable to really believe one thing… "She has a bedroom here?"

The Doctor smirked, "Not anymore."

~8~

"So this is…Amy?" Clara pointed at a photo in a small scrapbook that Angel was holding open before her. They were both sitting on one of the upper levels of the console room, teacups beside them as they talked. Ayla and the Doctor were off somewhere in the TARDIS, she was sure she'd heard the Doctor mutter something about the pool, something about him being already wet. But she and Angel, for the moment at least, wanted to remain dry.

River, unfortunately (according to the Doctor) was still in the TARDIS, in the bathroom (one of them anyway) and seemed intent to use up all the hot water with how long she'd been in there. She was REALLY hoping that it wasn't River 'hoping' for something by staying in there so long, that someone would come looking for her…because no one would. After River had gone off, Angel had suggested the pool, knowing that if she let the Doctor tell her about River it would be a painted image of River with devil horns and a pitched fork, whereas Angel would be more unbiased, if a bit more sympathetic. Angel had told her about River, about how she'd treated her, about how River had flirted with the Doctor. This…seemed to be a younger River, probably in the middle of a mission or having escaped Stormcage for the holidays…Angel had explained how River popped up out of order too.

After that though, they both realized the Doctor would not bring them back to the Ponds for Christmas but the next stop would be Stormcage to drop River back off. So, to make up for not meeting the family, Angel had decided to show her a small scrapbook that she and Ayla had started. They'd realized that Clara didn't actually know what the family looked like really, and she didn't want to embarrass herself by calling the wrong person the wrong name. So Angel was showing her the family.

"Yes, that's Amelia Pond, she…won't be there though," she remarked, flipping to the next page to show an image of elder Amy, her and Rory together on one of their anniversaries that the Pond children had given them copies of, "This is her also."

"Right," Clara nodded, recalling that tale about them as well, before she flipped back to the picture of younger Amy, "And she REALLY travelled with you? With the Doctor?" she let out a small whistle, "Dear god, that woman is made of legs. That's the most legs on any living human!"

Angel laughed, "There have been more companions than just my family though," she flipped to the last few pages, pages dedicated to just the companions that the Doctor had had before she'd travelled with him.

"Wow…" Clara smiled, "Blimey…that's um…that's quite a selection."

"And all of them just…amazing," Angel smiled, looking at Clara, "Like YOU Clara," she told her.

Clara winced a bit, "You caught that then?"

She nodded, knowing Clara was referring to her prior thoughts of herself in comparison to the family, "Amazing what I'm picking up now that Emma pointed out that bit of my abilities," she laughed, "It may not seem so now Clara, not to you, but…" she nodded, "You are an _incredible_ human being and you will go on to do the most brilliant things."

"You…really think so?"

"I know so," she nudged her, "And so does Sissy," she smiled at the rotor as it brightened and hummed, "She really does like you."

"Don't know why though," Clara murmured.

"She knows something," she said quietly, "Something I don't, something she won't tell me, but…it's about YOU. It's…something you'll do that's made her trust you."

"That's nice to think," Clara started to smile, "At first I thought it was just because I'm not…"

"Where is it!?" someone shouted in the halls.

"Speak of the devil," Clara murmured, the two of them watching as...

River stormed into the console room, dressed in a white robe, her hair dripping wet, barefoot, as she glared at the rotor, immediately heading up to it, "Where did you put it?!" she demanded, her eyes narrowing even more when the TARDIS seemed to beep at her, "Oh don't play dumb," she spat.

Angel winced, the TARDIS had been laughing at her, not saying anything.

"I went to the bathroom for a shower…thank you _so much_ for wreaking havoc on the temperature of the water, that was just lovely," she remarked, sarcasm heavy in her words, "I step out and, not only are my clothes missing, not something I terribly minded, but my bedroom was gone as well!" she huffed and crossed her arms, "You tell me where you put it."

The TARDIS beeped again.

"Like I'm supposed to understand that?" River rolled her eyes.

"Then why did you ask her to answer?" Clara called, "If she can only beep…she can't exactly TELL you."

Angel smiled apologetically at River, "She says she can't say, because she doesn't know where it is."

"What, it lost my bedroom?" River scoffed.

The TARDIS hummed, almost annoyed, which made Clara frown as she looked at River…she and Angel were calling the box a 'she' but River seemed insistent to call the old girl an 'it,' well…that alone wouldn't get her any points with the box.

"The Doctor deleted it," Angel interpreted, being a bit more…careful about the words the box had used, "She says she's sorry she didn't archive it."

The box gave a bit more of an angry hum at that, which made Clara laugh, it sounded like a scoff, like that was NOT what she said at all.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" River asked.

"Sissy," Angel looked at the rotor, "Please give River back her clothes at least…" but the TARDIS was silent, "For me," she added, and there was a long, drawn out grinding noise, "Thank you," Angel smiled, "She's put your clothes back in the bathroom."

River rolled her eyes at that, "Oh has it?" she turned back to the rotor, "And let me guess? It's going change the halls so I can't find the bathroom then?" she huffed and moved to go, "Well do your worst!" she challenged the box, "I'll find that bathroom no matter what!"

"Um…River?" Angel called.

"What?!" River snapped.

But it was Clara who pointed behind the woman.

River turned, frowning when she saw herself standing there, in the same robe, but her hair dry and horrendously frizzy, "Who the hell are you?"

"You," the second River muttered, "From tomorrow night," she pushed past herself and into the console room, up to the rotor, "Where have you put it? Where's the bathroom? Where're my clothes!?"

"This isn't funny!" a third River appeared on the upper level across from the girls, "Do you see me laughing? Where is it?!"

"You think you've got problems?" a fourth River appeared beside the third one.

"She won't show us where the wardrobe is either!" a fifth River shouted, walking into the room from the under levels.

"We…should probably go…" Angel murmured to Clara, getting up with the book and the teacup as they saw the room flooding with Rivers.

"And warn the Doctor," Clara agreed, "He'd probably have a breakdown if he walked in on this."

And had to nod, he'd nearly had a breakdown when only 3 Rivers had appeared on the way to Calderon Beta...she didn't even want to think what his reaction to THIS would be.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of blended 2 mini-sodes here so I hope it sort of flowed ok :) And now Clara has met the infamous River Song }:) As far as first impressions go...didn't really give Clara the best one did she? :) I can say we'll see more of her thoughts on River by the NOTD :)
> 
> I have to say...I am VERY excited for the last few episodes of Series 7, they were my favorites to write ;)


	47. Journey to the Center of the TARDIS: Wreckage

A large ship was drifting through space, through the stars, looking much more like a salvage ship than a ship meant to be travelling through space for pleasure. The words 'Van Baalen Brothers' was inscribed on the side of it, which was fitting as, within the ship, were three men with uniforms hanging in lockers that read 'Van Baalen Brothers.'

One of the three men was sleeping on a bunk, his legs dangling off the side as he was rather tall, while another slept on a bunk nearby as well, a bit of a beard to him. There was a torn photo of the two men, two brothers, and their father stuck onto the wall between them. A third man, the youngest of the three, sat at a table, staring at a computer screen as the ship scanned the space around them, searching for anything valuable or anything they could salvage as it WAS a salvage ship. He was absently polishing some equipment in his hand, a barcode etched onto his throat, his eyes able to zoom in on the equipment like a computer or a camera, robotic eyes.

He frowned when the computer started to beep, "Incoming salvage," it called, "Please validate. Incoming salvage, please validate. Incoming salvage, please validate. Incoming salvage, please validate…"

The taller man woke up, hearing the message, and walked over to the screen, eyeing it. He scoffed, seeing the value attached to the bits of space junk drifting by, 'zero salvage value,' and shook his head, "Rusty garbage. It's not worth lacing up my boots."

"Wasting our time," the boy remarked, "There's no salvage this far out."

"You're a lucky boy, Tricky," the tall man patted the shoulder of the youngest, the one with the robotic eyes, "You're an android, you don't get bored."

Tricky looked over his shoulder at the other man, STILL sleeping in the bunk, "He won't turn back. Not with half a cargo."

"He's not captain," the man frowned, "We're equal partners."

"Yeah, right," Tricky scoffed, before turning to take a sip of water.

Odd that was, since when did robots get thirsty and need water?

~8~

Inside the TARDIS, drifting in space, Clara was walking around the console as Angel worked underneath it, recrossing wires the Doctor had uncrossed or crossed in the wrong spot or broken entirely, while Ayla sat on the side-chair, watching her father follow Clara around. It was highly amusing, even if it DID make her a bit dizzy to see. But she liked to watch her father and Clara interact, it was always amusing. They bickered a lot, but in a fun way, like her Aunt Donna and Uncle Jack bickered, playful but always so quick. She hadn't ever met anyone who could talk as fast as her father before. Clara was interesting like that.

She actually hoped, one day in the future, she might be as fast a talker as her father. Jenny was close, Jenny could talk a bit like him, which made sense as she was only his DNA...even though she was just as kind and sweet as their mother...especially with Cline, her husband. She was very sure that her mother had to have given Jenny lessons on how to be a good Mate (even if Jenny and Cline were only married and not Mated) because they were so happy! Whenever she saw Jenny the woman was smiling and laughing and she was happy and smiling for her big sister. She liked seeing her happy like that.

"You said..." the Doctor began, unable to believe what his daughter had told him only moments ago when he'd remarked that Clara had cheated in a game of checkers they'd been playing and had called her a little Dalek for it. Ayla had remarked that name-calling was rude, and he should apologize to Clara like Clara had apologized to the TARDIS for calling her a grumpy, old cow. He'd sort of stared at her for a moment before sputtering about it.

"I know what I said," Clara sighed, "I was the one who said it."

"Why would you say that though? The TARDIS _loves_ you!"

"I was tired. Overwrought. I didn't mean it. And I DID apologize," she turned, walking backwards as she went, pointing at him, "I apologized as soon as we left Caliburn House. Which, by the way, is a bit bonkers, talking to your ship even if she CAN understand us…"

"It's ok," the Doctor stroked the edge of the console as he went, "It's ok."

Clara laughed and shook her head at him, "You're like one of those guys who can't go out with a girl unless his mother approves."

"It's important to me you two keep getting along," the Doctor frowned, not even caring that she'd remarked on him going out with a girl, in his mind, he already was, he had a Mate, that the TARDIS just adored so he had all the approval he needed and that was really as far as his mind went with that comment. And he knew that Clara didn't mean it in a flirty way or anything like that, she was just generalizing, teasing him, "I know! Girl Bonding, could do with a bit more of that, right? That's a thing yes? Girl Bonding? I could take Angel and Ayla on a picnic, leave you alone together for a girl's night…"

"Now you're creeping me out," Clara remarked, "Doctor, we're _fine_."

She knew what this was though, they'd run into River Song a short while ago and the TARDIS had been…a bit evil to the woman, which was understandable given what the woman did to her 'sister' so she understood. She herself wasn't quite fond of the woman who had called her a 'stray dog' upon being introduced. Angel had later explained that the TARDIS herself had once called the companions that, but the way River had said it...it made it sound like an insult. And the way the woman sauntered about like she had a claim to the TARDIS (and don't think she didn't know exactly why River 'didn't mind' the TARDIS hiding her clothes from her, she could guess who River was hoping she'd run into because of that) and how she just...didn't seem to respect anyone but the Doctor...and even THEN she clearly didn't respect the fact that he had no interest in her...it rubbed her the wrong way. To her, men who were married to/Mated to/had children with a woman were off limits. In a way, she was relieved the Doctor was with Angel and that Ayla was there, made it FAR less awkward for her. Her mind hadn't even ever once so much as drifted to the thought that SHE and the Doctor could ever be something because he belonged with Angel, his Mate, and that was all anyone need to know. It made it easier for her to agree to spend a few nights in the TARDIS knowing it was the Time Family there and not just her and the Doctor.

She could admit he was a handsome bloke, in a funny sort of way (that chin!) but knowing he was with Angel made her see him as more adorable than handsome in a boyfriend way. Which was probably better for everyone because they could just be mates/friends and just enjoy each others' company without the tension or worries of romance or attraction or anything like that. She actually found herself grimacing at the thought of being attracted to him. It was just...so wrong.

The Doctor, though, seemed a bit more put off by River's appearance than the rest of them were. He'd been tense and a bit…odd the last few trips, he'd actually PLANNED for calm and peace and quiet, picnics and play parks and other calm atmospheres and the like. And he'd been a bit more…pushy with her and the TARDIS especially.

It was like he was afraid the TARDIS would suddenly dislike her as much as the box disliked River. He seemed…really worried about it, like…REALLY worried and…she was actually a little touched. Because he seemed to want the TARDIS to like her because he enjoyed having her around, and that meant a lot to her. There was something…different about the Doctor, in how he treated her. She never felt like a guest in the TARDIS or even like a friend just tagging along but more…a part of that family Angel was always talking about (which she REALLY needed to meet). She liked the thought of the Doctor liking her company and worrying about whether the TARDIS would keep being nice to her. She didn't worry about it though, she was sure the box would never dislike anyone as much as she did River.

"How about lessons?" Angel asked as she made her way up from the underside of the console, wiping her hand off on a rag, "I love teaching companions how to help fly Sissy," she smiled at Clara, "I've taught all the past companions, it really is a bonding experience for the Pilot, companion, and the TARDIS too. What do you think my love?"

The Doctor grinned, "Absolutely brilliant," he reached out and took her hand, pulling her closer to kiss her gently, "You are a genius."

"Well thank you," she laughed, kissing him quickly, "Come on," she patted his chest, "Set it down to basic for me?"

"Basic!" Clara scoffed as the Doctor moved to put in some commands, "'Cos I'm a human?"

"Clara that's silly!" Ayla giggled, "Humans are brilliant!"

"It's because it's your first time flying her," Angel explained, "Like…training wheels on a two-wheel bike."

"Oh," Clara nodded, that made sense...and was probably much less insulting than what the Doctor was likely to have said.

The Doctor grinned, "Sweetheart?" he looked at Ayla, holding up a key, "Care to do the honors?"

Ayla beamed and bolted over to her father, hugging him tightly before he lifted her up, handing her the key, she loved being able to do anything that involved the TARDIS, even if it was setting the box to basic with a simple turn of a key.

~8~

Inside the salvage ship, the computer began to beep, as the TARDIS appeared on its screen. The man who had been sleeping was now awake and grinned when he spotted it, "Everyone suit up," he ordered, "It's good salvage. I can smell it."

"It's just trash," the tall man shook his head as he ate.

"No, look," Tricky pointed, "There's something tasty in the magno-field."

The two men joined him before a screen, looking at the blue box floating there as they zoomed in. The first man grinned and grabbed a remote.

"Magno-grab ready," the computer stated, "Engaging."

They looked over, through a window, as large doors opened in the side of the ship, energy gathering as the magno-grab prepared to grab the salvage.

"Move yourself," the taller man sighed, and they all headed to their lockers, grabbing their heavy-duty boots and uniforms, suiting up.

The first man turned, pressing a device from a shelf in his locker and watching as a beam of the energy shot out from the ship to the blue box…

~8~

"You're doing brilliantly Clara," Angel smiled as she stood beside Clara, the Doctor on the other side with Ayla, the girl in his arms.

Clara smiled, "Really?"

"Cross my…hearts…" Angel began, before looking over, blinking…

... _the lights of the TARDIS went out before flashing red_...

"Just flip that switch with the red end," the Doctor picked up, though his gaze was on Angel, knowing she was having a vision…

Clara pulled the switch and the lights went out, "What have I done?" she gasped, immediately thinking it was HER doing when they started flashing red.

'... _brace yourselves!_...'

"Er...ok…" the Doctor quickly made his way over to their side as Angel stumbled away, reaching out and bracing a hand on the side controls as the vision played out.

Clara frowned when she saw the screen starting to crack, "Doctor?"

'... _magnetic hobble-field. Something's fired at us!_...'

The Doctor set Ayla down and began flicking numerous switches while Clara took Ayla's hand, "All the electrical impulses are jammed. I can't get the shields back up," he grunted, trying to push a lever, before he looked over at Angel, hoping that the vision would end soon, "She's completely vulnerable."

"I swear I just touched it," Clara told them, before looking at Angel as well, "Angel…what's happening…" she had just reached out for Angel when the Doctor moved the lever and sparks flew.

... _there was another explosion as the room filled with white light and the world went dark_...

Angel gasped, "Brace yourselves!" she shouted, rushing for them as the TARDIS lurched dangerously, sending them flying around the room, Clara and Ayla in one direction, Angel in another, the Doctor against the console, "Magnetic hobble-field," she gasped, "Something's fired at us!"

"And we're flying right into it," the Doctor agreed, "Ayla!" he grabbed his daughter's hand, "Stay by me sweetheart," he looked across the console as Angel made her way to it.

"Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this," Clara called over the noise as she too clung to one of the side controls on the Doctor's side.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor nodded, wincing as a spark few, "Big friendly button."

"You're lying!" Clara shouted.

"Yep."

"To stop me freaking out?"

"Is it working?"

"Not so much."

"Calm down Sissy, please!" Angel stroked the rotor, but she winced, the TARDIS was…very, VERY angry right now.

"Aunt Idris is _cussing_ daddy!" Ayla whispered to him, "That's _bad_ …"

The Doctor swallowed, when the TARDIS started using foul language around Ayla it was…VERY bad indeed.

Clara looked down when she heard a clatter to see something like a grenade shaped ball roll on the floor. She leaned over to pick it up, but dropped it when it burned her…

Suddenly there was another explosion as the room filled with white light and the world went dark…

~8~

The three men stood, watching as a large claw-like device brought in a blue police telephone box, dropping it on a pile of rubbish, the box toppling to its side.

"What is it, some kind of escape pod?" Tricky frowned, it was rather…small.

"Come on," the first man nodded and they left the room, heading into the holding bay as the doors closed, making it safe for them to enter, "Bram, you know what to do," he gestured the taller man forward.

Bram moved over to the doors, readying himself with a rather large sledgehammer, waiting for the order.

"Crack it open," the first man commanded.

He stomped down on the doors with his foot, but they stayed closed. He frowned and brought the sledgehammer down on it instead…but it still didn't work, "Saw!" the first man handed him what looked like a circular object that he held above the door, a laser shooting out of it as he dragged it along the line of the doors, trying to cut through the lock…but even THAT was useless, "It's doing nothing."

"Use the thermo-charge and blast it," the first man tossed him a small device.

"No!" Tricky ran over as Bram began to set it on the doors, "No! No! Wait..." he reached out and put a hand on the TARDIS, "It's like she's alive. She's...she's suffering. I can feel it. I can _feel_ it."

"That's just robot-rant."

"No, Gregor," Bram shook his head, "He's right. Looks like there's a broken fuel line…" he squinted at the doors.

"Alright," the first man, Gregor, rolled his eyes, "Alright, put it back. No salvage today, boys. Open the bay doors."

They scrambled back, onto the floor, ready to send the ship back out into space…when Tricky spotted something, "Wait!" he knelt down by another pile of wires and stopped dead. He waved them over and pointed at a pair of legs in trousers and boots, "Somebody's under that thing. The crew were still onboard when we dragged her in!"

Gregor grabbed the men and pulled them back, "We did _nothing_ ," he hissed at them in warning, "If anyone asks, that ship was already busted. You got that?" he pointed at Tricky, "And you, make sure you keep your oily-mouth shut."

"It's very rude to whisper," a small voice said.

The three men looked down to see a little girl standing there, in a green tunic and black leggings, looking up at them.

"Who are you?" Gregor demanded.

"Ayla!" a man shouted as the Doctor, the pair of legs Tricky had seen, scrambled down from the pile of rubbish, nearly falling flat on his face as he tripped at the bottom but recovered, "Ayla…oh thank God," he picked her up and held her close, hugging her tightly as he breathed out, burying his nose in her shoulder as he held his daughter to him. He cracked an eye open a moment later to see the three men staring at him, "Hi. I'm the Doctor," he reached out a hand to shake Bram's, "And you are..." he spotted the patches on their arms, 'Van Baalen,' "Van Baalen and..." and then shook Gregor's hand, "Van Baalen. Van Baalen and Van Baalen. That's going to get confusing later."

"It's confusing now," Ayla told him.

"We found you drifting," Gregor said quickly.

"Your ship was junked-up pretty bad," Bram agreed.

The Doctor gave them a small smile, "What broke our ship was a magno-grab," he whispered, before holding up a device, the same one that Bram was about to stick to the doors of the TARDIS, a grenade-shaped ball, "Found this remote in your pocket. Eh? What are the chances? Outlawed in most galaxies. This little beastie can disable whole vessels unless you have shield oscillators…" he winced, slapping his forehead, "Which we turned off so that Clara could fly..." his eyes widened, "Damn it!" and winced again, "Sorry sweetheart," he kissed her forehead for cursing, "Clara!" he spun around, "Where is she? Girl," he held his hand up to the side to face them, "About so high. Feisty…"

"Pretty and very nice too," Ayla added.

"I'm here!" a voice shouted behind them.

They looked over to see Clara's head peek up over the pile of rubbish as the girl tried to climb over it, "I'm here," she panted, half sliding down the piles of wires, wincing as her hand came in contact with some rubbish, glancing at it to see it red and burned from when she'd grabbed that thing before.

"Clara!" the Doctor let out a breath, "There you are…good, now…" he looked around, realizing that, while he hadn't felt any sort of bad feeling from her...he wasn't feeling ANYTHING from her, "Where's Angel?" he turned to Clara as she rushed over, "Was she with you?"

Clara shook her head, "I…I didn't see anyone."

The Doctor turned, rushing past the men, trying to see if Angel was behind them. He stopped short, turning to stare at the TARDIS in horror. No…no it couldn't be. It couldn't! But he could feel it, he knew…Angel was still inside. He felt his insides freeze, his hearts race, as his mind frantically worked through the most likely state of the TARDIS interior. A crash like that would severely damage practically everything…and the TARDIS would start leaking gasses and other chemicals that sustained her. He closed his eyes, his hearts stopping this time…Angel had told him once, about how she'd regenerated before the War…one time…had been repairing a TARDIS that was slowly leaking poisoned gasses…

He swallowed hard, "She's still onboard!" he realized, before placing Ayla down and running for the TARDIS.

But Tricky grabbed him and held him back, "No, wait, your pod is leaking fuel. If she's still in there, she's dead."

The Doctor stiffened at that, closing his eyes, that was the WORST thing the man could say. His mind went RIGHT to her regeneration. She was trapped, in a TARDIS, leaking poison…again…no. NO! This was NOT going to happen, not again! He was determined he would never EVER let Angel regenerate again (as best he could) and this was NOT one of those times. She was _not_ going to die from a poisoning again, she wasn't going to die slowly like she had so many other times again.

He spun around, his mind racing, feeling the Mating instinct rising in him, "Ah!" he pointed, "Respirators!" he ran for the lockers, spotting them and grabbed as many as he could find.

"We can open the doors for a split second, reach in, and grab her," Gregor nodded.

Ayla tugged on the man's sleeve, trying not to sniffle, trying not to cry, to see her father getting so worked up, so upset and so scared for her mother…she knew it HAD to be bad. She knew enough of the TARDIS to know that a fuel leak was…deadly…and her mother was trapped inside there, "You're underestimating Aunt Idris, like people underestimate mummy."

The Doctor shoved a respirator into the man's chest, "Trust me, we can't," before he handed the respirators to the other men, "Now, please, help me get her out!" he ran to Ayla, "Come on sweetheart…" he knelt down and put the respirator over her face.

"Are we going to rescue mummy?" Ayla asked.

He had to smile at that, remembering when he'd worn a gasmask and asked something about mothers before, "Oh yes," he nodded, kissing her forehead, "Clara, put this on," he handed her the second to last respirator as well, the girl immediately putting it on her face.

"I'm telling you, she fried..." Tricky began.

But the Doctor rounded on him and grabbed him by the front of his uniform, shoving him to the side onto a crate, knocking the items off of it, "Don't you EVER say that to me again," he glared at the man, his voice low and dangerous, "Do you understand me?!"

"Doctor!" Clara jumped forward to pull him back.

"We'll help…" Gregor agreed, "For a fee."

The Doctor took a breath, running a hand through his hair, trying to calm down, trying to control himself, but to see the TARDIS there, to see Angel so close and…be so distant, to know he needed _human_ help to get to her…it was getting to him, "If you help me get her out, you get the machine, all the scrap," he offered without hesitation, knowing the TARDIS herself would agree to those terms if it meant Angel would be safe.

"It's not worth the risk," Bram shook his head, "Four feet of metal? Nah."

"What if I can guarantee you the best haul you've ever had?" the Doctor began, desperate.

"Bram, open the bay doors," Gregor ordered as Bram moved to do so, Gregor walking away.

"Please," Ayla called, pulling her respirator up, "Please stop," she begged, and the men paused, hearing tears in her voice, Gregor glancing back to see tears in her eyes as well, "Mummy's trapped…please help her. She'd help you if you were trapped. She'd be the first in line."

"Right behind those doors," the Doctor added, knowing it would take more than Ayla's heartfelt pleas, than Clara kneeling down to hug the clearly upset girl, to get the men to agree, "Is the salvage of a lifetime.

~8~

Angel winced as she slowly came to, nodding, "I'm fine Sissy," she called, hearing the desperate and frantic hums of the TARDIS around her. The old girl HAD to be concerned for her to really hear her in the halls, for that was where she was, she could tell without even needing to open her eyes.

She took a breath and did so anyway, seeing she was lying on the floor with a bit of flat metal on her. She pushed the debris off of her, looking around at the state of the halls around her, "Oh dear," she whispered, "You're in quite the state Sissy," she called, sitting up, "But don't worry though, I'll get you fixed up. You know me, I've fixed worse than this in the past. Your sisters, some of them were brought in in worse condition than this."

As much as it pained her to say that, it was true. Sometimes TARDISes were brought in that seemed beyond repair, that seemed completely destroyed from the inside out. Her father had always wanted to junk them and would order her to salvage them for usable parts, for anythings that wasn't broken and just go from there...but she could never bring herself to do that to the TARDISes. She just...she never felt like there was ever one that was just so utterly destroyed that it couldn't be saved. So she always worked tirelessly, around the clock, devoting as many hours as she could...after getting her own chores and duties completed...to try and fix them. Because she couldn't bear to junk them. She would always try playing it off like she was currently salvaging them to appease her father, when really she was working on them, and then she'd reveal it to her father afterwards, that the old boxes were completely repaired. He would stare at her as though he couldn't believe she had done it, half the time it was in a slightly angry way, more so that she had disobeyed his orders and wasted time, but when she'd explain that it was the same amount of time that she would have spent salvaging the useful parts and sifting through the broken ones that he'd finally realize that the TARDIS had been fixed and could be returned to its Pilot, that it didn't have to be killed.

She moved to get up, using the wall for support, wincing a bit and rubbing her shoulder which she knew was bruised. She laughed a bit, "I'm fine Sissy, I promise," she crossed her hearts, when the humming grew louder, "I know, I know, the crash broke the hall controls, you can't bring the console to me..." she paused, hearing more frantic humming, "Oh...that's not very good is it?" she murmured, listening to the warnings that there were leaks throughout the TARDIS, knowing what else would be released and leaking as well, "It's fine," she smiled, patting the wall, "You'll take care of me, I know you will…till I can get to the Doctor eh?"

She nodded, that had been the first thing that the TARDIS had told her upon waking, that the Doctor, Ayla, and Clara were safe and fine, outside the TARDIS and coming for her. So she had to do what the Doctor had instructed Amy to do on Apalapuchia, go somewhere safe and wait. And from the console room she'd be able to monitor the ship, see what was wrong, and see if she could try and start to repair the damage.

She headed down the hall, wincing when she heard the cloister bell ringing. She sighed, glancing over at a door with a red light flashing before it and eyed it…

… _a blast of fire shot at her through the halls of the open door_ …

"Right," she murmured, "Not opening that then…"

She continued on, her shoulder starting to feel better, when she turned the corner and stopped dead, seeing a sort of claw mark on the wall, long, like something was scratched across it. She walked over to it and briefly touched it, before shivering, unable to help but think of that killer sun, how she'd seen it attacking Abi and Erina and the crew of McDonnel's ship…the charred burn marks on the walls. It was…like that, she could feel ash in it but…they were scratches.

She turned her hand, measuring her hand to it and let out a startled breath when she saw it matched her hand. She looked down the hall, her hearts breaking when she saw a smaller set lower to the floor.

She swallowed hard, shaking her head, "It WON'T happen," she swore to herself before she continued on.

~8~

Clara knelt before Ayla, trying to adjust the girl's respirator, not wanting anything to go wrong, while Bram and Gregor stood, putting on their gear, the Doctor and Tricky off to the side by the lockers.

"Are you ok Clara?" Ayla asked, seeing Clara wince.

"Yeah, I'm fine cutie pie," she smiled, "Just…burned my hand on something," she held up her hand for the girl to see it was a bit red.

Ayla took her hand carefully and looked at it, "Mummy could heal it," she told Clara, "When we find her, mummy can fix your hand right up."

"I'll be sure to ask her then," Clara winked.

"Hey," they glanced over to see Bram walk over to Gregor, trying to speak quietly, though they seemed to have not noticed the two girls there, "Are we really going to risk it? That thing is spewing poison. We should blow it back into space."

"Get your gear," was all Gregor said.

"Hey!" Bram grabbed his arm as his brother moved to turn away, "I don't take orders from my kid brother."

"Don't try and form sentences, alright? Stick to what you do best," he tapped Bram on the cheek before heading off, to his own locker as Bram walked to his as well.

The Doctor glanced at Clara and Ayla, seeing they'd noticed the exchange as well, before he turned to eye Tricky, noticing him putting on equally as heavy and protective gear and needing something…anything…to distract him for the moment from how LONG it was taking the humans to get ready. Look at Clara! Perfectly human and not worrying at all about what they'd face or how it would affect her, trusting him when he'd told the men they only needed the respirators but they wouldn't listen.

"Tell me," the Doctor began, "Since when does an android need a blast suit and a respirator?"

"Flesh coating, same as us," Bram answered quickly, making the Doctor frown, "He'd burn up."

"No fear, no hate, no pain," Tricky recited, pulling the respirator over his nose and mouth before following Bram over to the doors of the TARDIS. The Doctor slipped his own respirator on and moved ahead of them, climbing up the rubbish pile as Clara and Ayla joined him at the bottom. He reached out, Clara lifting Ayla up and handing her over to him to sit her on the edge of the box, not about to risk letting her climb up the rubbish.

"'Salvage of a lifetime?'" Gregor scoffed as the Doctor put the key into the lock of the door.

"I feel pretty confident I can deliver on that," the Doctor muttered, staring at the door, not even really paying attention to what the human was saying, just thinking that his Mate was on the other side of that door…the doors were all that was separating her from him, "There we go."

And with that, he kicked the doors open, him and Ayla leaning back as smoke billowed out. He hopped in, reaching up to carry Ayla in, holding up a hand to help Clara down as well. The men jumped up, hopping in with their torches on as the Doctor ran for the console, the entire room right side up despite the box being on its side.

"I don't get it," Gregor called, his voice muffled by his respirator, "I thought she was lying on her side."

"Gravity diverts to the floor," Ayla recited.

"The TARDIS is special," the Doctor waved the man off, "She has her own gravity. I'd explain if I had some charts and a board pen."

"It's... it's bigger..." Tricky began, staring around in awe.

"On the inside?" Clara laughed, patting his shoulder, "No, actually it's smaller on the outside."

The Doctor paused, hearing that, glancing at Clara, remembering Clara the Governess, before he shook his head, more important matters to see to.

"Whoa!" Bram laughed, "Awesome!"

"I like those better!" Ayla cheered.

"Gotcha!" the Doctor shouted as he flicked a witch and the smoke was pulled right out of the room by the extractor fans, up through the vents in the ceiling, "Safe to breathe," he told them, moving to gently take Ayla's respirator off as did the others, "Ok," he stood, whipping his own off too, "Now. The last thing I remember, you were right here," he moved Clara to one place, "And I was here…" and him in another, "With you sweetheart," he took Ayla's hand, before pulling out the sonic, scanning for Angel, "Come on Angel, talk to me…"

"Can't you just try and hear her in your head?" Clara asked him quietly as she walked over to him.

"No," he sighed, opening his mouth to answer when Ayla beat him to it.

"When a TARDIS is under attack it puts up psychic shielding," Ayla told her, "It can block telepathic communication for a time."

"And for some reason," the Doctor murmured, "I can't feel her either."

And that…was truly worrying. He knew she wasn't dead, he'd have dropped dead if she was. But…the fact that he couldn't see her or hear her or feel her…it was jarring. He didn't like it. He wanted it to stop. It reminded him FAR too much of his amnesia, how his own mind had blocked as much of the Mating bonds as possible, how he hadn't heard her or felt her for so long…how he'd survived without feeling her warmth and her love he truly didn't know.

"How big is this baby?" Bram wondered, pulling his thoughts back to the present.

"Picture the biggest ship you've ever seen. Are you picturing it?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now forget it. This ship is infinite," he moved back to the controls, trying to get them to work, wishing Angel as there even more, she was…brilliant with TARDISes.

"Aunt Idris is the coolest ship ever!" Ayla told them.

"It could take you hours to find the girl," Gregor remarked to the Doctor.

"Days!" he corrected, "Plus the whole place is toxic. She…" he swallowed, "She could be dead by the time I reach her."

"Hey," Clara walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Don't think like that Doctor. You'll find her, and you'll save her. You always do."

He smiled at her sadly for her encouragement, he hoped he would, he just…he couldn't fail to protect her again. He swallowed and took a breath, clapping his hands, "So. Here's the mission. We're going to find her in one hour."

"We?" Gregor seemed nearly ready to laugh at that.

"You're my guys for this."

"Team TARDIS!" Ayla shouted.

But Gregor shook his head, "That wasn't the deal."

"'Tis now," the Doctor said simply, Clara watching his face closely, seeing it starting to harden, seeing a sort of…cold look coming to his eyes, a dangerous look as the men refused to help him get his Mate back safe.

"What makes you think we'll help?"

The Doctor smirked darkly at that and turned, flipping two levers on the console, a countdown screen appearing, "I just activated the TARDIS self-destruct system. One hour until this ship blows," he rolled his eyes and hit another switch, shutting and locking the TARDIS doors as Bram made a run for it, "Don't try to leave. The TARDIS is in lockdown. I'll open those doors when Angel's back by my side and my daughter gets to hug her mother again."

"You crazy lunatic!" Bram cried, pounding on the doors.

"My ship, my rules!" the Doctor barked at them, glaring, making the men freeze at the…coldness in it, the tone actually making Clara take a step back but made Ayla stand beside her father, crossing her arms and trying to glare at the men…trying being the operative word.

"You…you'll kill us all," Gregor tried to say though he was actually finding it difficult to speak at the intensity of the Doctor's glare, at the…danger and darkness they could feel rolling off him, "And the girl."

"If my Mate dies before we find her," he began, his voice dropping to a threatening level, "Then you die as well. Because I will die too, and if I'm dead, those doors won't open," it was a lie, they'd open for Ayla, but the men didn't need to know that, "Don't get into a spaceship with a madman," he rolled his eyes, seeing all three of them trying to get the doors opened, "Didn't anyone ever teach you that?"

"I don't think they're listening daddy," Ayla frowned.

"Ok then," he nodded, "A little gentle persuasion. Say 30 minutes?" he turned and hit another button, the countdown flickering to 30 minutes instead of the hour it was.

"She'll die even quicker now!" Bram pointed out.

"We all perform better under pressure, I know I do," he smirked at them, "You wouldn't believe the things I've accomplished when my Mate is in jeopardy," he told them, rubbing his hands together, "Anybody want to go for 15 minutes?" he moved to hit another button.

"Whoa!" the men called out, holding their hands up in surrender.

"I think they get it Doctor," Clara murmured, a bit…startled he was acting like this so…uncontrolled.

"No, I don't think they do," the Doctor remarked, turning a hard look at them, "There's only one thing they need to understand. Salvage of a lifetime," he nearly spat at the men, "You meant the ship. I meant Angel."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh...Mating Instinct Oncoming Storm Doctor on the loose...I love it! ^-^ Lol, that's all I have to say about this episode ;)


	48. Journey to the Center of the TARDIS: Salvage

Angel walked through the corridors, smiling lightly as she heard the TARDIS humming around her, more like frantically fretting over her. She knew why though, the old girl was actually…scared. The crash had actually damaged her so badly that there wasn't much she could actually do to protect her Pilots until they were physically in the console room where she could direct most of her energy and focus. Right now…everything the TARDIS could have possibly done to help her, moving the halls around or keep the leaks at bay with closed doors, she couldn't do. And she knew the TARDIS absolutely HATED that fact, the fact that she, the most magic and wonderful box in all of creation, had to do as the Doctor hated doing…

Let time pass slowly and in the right order while she waited for her Pilots to find each other again.

"It'll be ok Sissy," she promised, patting the hall as she walked down it, "I've spent my entire life taking care of you, I…" she was cut off as the TARDIS hummed sadly, "I know, you want to make it up to me and protect me too, take care of me like I did you and your true sisters, but YOU need your rest as well. So you do that, you rest, you gather your strength, and you let me worry about this mess ok?" she laughed, hearing a bit of a sulk in the next hum, "Oh hush, you know as well as I do that I can handle anything a TARDIS can throw at me," she nodded, imagining the TARDIS was sighing now, it sounded like it as she quieted, "Thank you. You just…take care of yourself until I can take care of you."

She laughed when the hum came back stronger, "No, you really don't owe me anything Sissy, you don't need to take care of me to make up for how I tended to you and your sisters on Gallifrey," she rolled her eyes, smiling at a sort of scoffy hum, "Because you already have," she told the box as it fell silent, "You've already more than made up for it."

Her smile turned distant as she got lost in thought, wandering aimlessly but allowing her feelings and sensations to guide her, "You gave me the Doctor," she said simply, "I know you took him to all those places to 'make him worthy of me,' rubbish I think," she joked, "He's perfect the way he is," she shook her head, hearing the TARDIS cackling madly at that, pleased she'd been able to cheer the old box up, "But you gave me something I never ever thought I'd have. You gave me a wonderful mate, a beautiful daughter, a…home," she nodded, pausing at a corner to stroke the wall, "You gave me everything I never knew I wanted or needed, and _I_ will never be able to make it up to YOU for that."

The TARDIS was quiet a moment before a soft hum sounded.

"I like that," she agreed, "We're even," she nodded before her eyes widened a bit, tears filling them, touched by what she heard the TARDIS say, "And that is most definitely true," she kissed her fingers and pressed them to the wall, "Even being even, sisters will always look out for each other."

She knew that better than anyone. Her own sister…she'd tried SO hard to protect her during the War, to keep her safe, to look out for her. Her sister was…far more adept then her at staying alive and NOT getting hit by Dalek fire. She'd regenerated once, her sister, during the War, meanwhile SHE had regenerated oh…five times? All because of the Daleks. She really had been a rubbish soldier, truly the worst ever. She had honestly been surprised the High Council hadn't ordered her withdrawn from the battlefields and forced her to repair the War-TARDISes, but either way she knew it wouldn't work, she'd refused to leave her sister. And because of that, she always thought, because she was so terrible at war and her sister so protective…her sister had died. She'd been fired at, had managed to avoid the blast but fallen and bruised her knee. She'd struggled to get up only to see a Dalek heading for her, had tried to grab her fallen gun but it was too far away…and so her sister had stepped up. She'd turned her back on the Dalek she'd been about to hit to fire at the one approaching HER. And because she'd been distracted, because she'd been helping HER…her sister had died.

Her last memory was of her sister lowering her gun, smiling down at her, happy she'd stopped the Dalek from hurting her yet again…before her skeleton flashed as a Dalek laser struck her dead in the back…killing her stone dead before regeneration could set in.

She closed her eyes a moment, leaning against the wall, just…trying to shake the memory from her, she didn't like that, remembering that moment, her sister's last, she'd rather remember her happy and laughing and with her son than anything.

Luckily…for her thoughts at least…but unluckily for HER in general, she heard a growling noise sound from down the hall and looked down it…

… _a burned figure, like a charred humanoid shape with glowing red eyes struggled down the hall_ …

She winced, rubbing her head as she saw that. Her visions were…sporadic at the moment, happening more frequently than she could ever remember, and…unfortunately, getting closer to the present. She knew what it was, the leaking of the TARDIS, the compromised integrity of the ship itself, time was leaking all over, merging the past and future to the present and with it, with the subtle shifts, her visions were hitting her much more.

She looked to the side, spotting the door to the storage room, and rushed for it, dashing into it and shutting the door, knowing that the figure had just stepped around the corner to the hall only moments after the door shut. She turned, looking at the items surrounding her, reaching out to touch them as she walked among them. She…liked coming here, it was like looking at the entire past but in the present. There was Ayla's cot, Amy's model TARDIS, the Doctor's beloved multi-colored umbrella, an ash-like creature with red glowing eyes peering at her through a bookshelf, a small penlight that belonged to Rory, a…

She froze, glancing back at the bookshelf, alright so…being psychic, seeing more…but clearly still NOT everything.

She really had to work on that was all she thought as she rushed for the door, knowing the other creature had passed as she bolted out, making sure to lock the door behind her as she ran down the hall, not wanting to hurt the creature because…she knew what that creature with its hand fused to its forehead was.

WHO it was.

~8~

The Doctor led the way through the corridors of the TARDIS, the sonic held out before him, unable to get a clear sense of where Angel was with all the psychic distortions, which only made him walk faster, a man on a mission. And indeed he was, his Mate was somewhere in the TARDIS, he didn't know where, it could be anywhere and it could be leaking any sort of gas or with any sort of danger just waiting to happen. He knew that Angel was in her element when in a TARDIS, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried for her, that he wanted her to be there alone, without him.

He didn't like that, at all, he didn't like it when Angel was more than a foot away from him and even THAT was pushing it. He just…he loved having her near, because he could see her smile and hear her laugh and just…touch her whenever he wanted, hold her hand or tickle her or kiss her. He didn't feel right whenever Angel wasn't with him, he never felt…whole. It had been a wonder he'd managed to make it so long with his amnesia. Even now, he could still remember that time in his life, that constant…tug in his hearts, that hole in them, that he hadn't understood back then. It was…empty and hollow and cold and he felt himself shudder just to think that he'd lived and endured that for so long when all he needed…was just Angel. She was his warmth and his, well, everything.

She was everything to him, and not having her there with him was like trying to focus on a job with half a brain or working on something with only one arm or living with only one heart (one heart was rubbish!). He just…never felt like himself when she wasn't there.

What was the Lonely God without his Angel?

Worse yet, what would a little girl be without her mother?

This wasn't just about him any longer, he had a daughter to think about, a daughter whose mother had given up everything including her own life to see them safe. He would NOT fail her again, he had already failed her too many times in the past.

Clara glanced from the Doctor, whom she had been watching in concern ever since he'd grabbed Tricky and all but threatened the poor boy, to Gregor as she and Ayla followed the Doctor, her holding the girl's hand for comfort, trying to be strong for her. She could only imagine what the girl was thinking and feeling with her mother in such obvious danger. She knew the Doctor wouldn't be reacting like that at all if he knew, without a doubt, that Angel was safe and sound. For him to be so clearly distressed, so much so that he couldn't even hide it for Ayla's sake, it had to be bad.

"Report," she heard Gregor speak to a small handheld scanner in his hand, "What's onboard this thing?"

"Dynomorphic generators, conceptual geometer, beam synthesiser, orthogonal engine filters..." the computer stated, none of which Clara had any idea of what they could be, that sounded like something the Doctor would say before Angel simplified it.

"Guys," Gregor called, rushing to catch up to them, not having noticed Clara's gaze, "Guys, look. I think we should split up. It's our best chance of finding the girl. You know it is."

Clara frowned, unable to help but be suspicious of that. That was something she'd learned from Angel, just…trust herself more. She wasn't psychic, not at all, not by any stretch of the imagination, but…she liked to think she was a good judge of character, why else would she run off with a funny man in a bowtie and a magic box if she didn't really trust him like he asked her to so many times.

The Doctor himself seemed about to argue with the man, clearly not trusting the ones who had caused this mess in the first place, but Ayla tugged on his sleeve, "We don't have time daddy."

He glanced at his watch, noting that the 'half hour' was ticking away and pointed at Gregor warningly, "Don't touch a thing," his eyes narrowed, "The TARDIS will get huffy if you mess. And she'll let my girl know it," he nodded at Ayla, "Which means I'LL know it. Which means my Mate will as well and if you upset my Mate…"

Gregor held up his hands, seeing the man starting to get a bit…snarly the more he thought of upsetting things, "No touch, got it," he nodded, before pointing at Tricky, "Keep in radio contact, alright?" clearly out of the three of them, Tricky was the one that the small trio seemed to dislike least. It probably had something to do with the man and the girl hearing him trying to stop them from junking the box and keep them from exploding the doors.

He waited till Tricky turned to go, following the Doctor as Clara and Ayla waited till he passed to continue.

"DON'T touch anything," Ayla pointed at them, pausing at the corner of the hall that her father had disappeared around, "No one ever listens to daddy but Aunt Idris is very particular, she'll fight back if you try and hurt her again. Especially now that we're inside again."

"Listen to the Doctor," Clara offered, "Trust me, do as he says and we'll all get out of this alive."

Gregor offered her a small nod, before rolling his eyes the moment she had disappeared with Ayla out of sight. He turned to Bram, smirking, "Get back to the console. Strip it apart. Alright?"

Bram gave him a nod and turned to go, the two brothers splitting up on their quest for the ultimate salvage.

~8~

Angel glanced over her shoulder as she walked faster through the corridors, a different creature was after her now, a small one, not quite as small as the one that had left the child-sized claw marks on the wall near the first set she'd found but…petite, Clara's size she'd have said. She was managing to keep ahead of it though, keep it trailing behind her for the time being. But she really did have to get to the console room, the TARDIS was starting to get frantic. She glanced over as she passed various doors and rooms, trying to see if they would be a good place to hide in. The observatory wouldn't help, it was just a giant telescope, nor would the pool mostly because she didn't want to risk the creature falling in an accidently drowning, that would NOT be good.

She grinned when she saw another room, the library, and ran for it. She ducked inside, breathing a sigh of relief as she leaned back against the door she'd shut behind her. As the Doctor had once said, books! Best weapons in the world, or something of the sort. She'd never been able to really get into books…unless it was a manual for the TARDIS…which she could no longer read as the Doctor had thrown it into a supernova. Secretly though she was writing her own, trying to make it simple, make it less complicated, trying to at least. It was her hope that, maybe, one day, she'd write one that was so easy to read that, if the TARDIS was ever trapped somewhere without them, like in 1969, that, should a human walk in and spot it, they'd be able to know what to do or how to work it.

It was probably a long shot, but it was a project of sorts. It was her own little project for her to work on when she had some time to spare. And she liked it, she liked doing something on her own here and there. According to the Doctor, no one knew TARDISes as well as she did, no one knew more about them, so it would be interesting to see if she could write a book about the TARDISes that was easy to read and follow. Maybe, if she succeeded, the Doctor might give it a glimpse and learn a thing or two so he wouldn't break her sister so often.

She looked up at the various levels of the library shelves and smiled, this would be a good place to hide, all the levels, all the shelves to duck behind. She should be safe there till the creature passed.

She hoped.

~8~

Bram grinned as he stepped into the console room once more, rubbing his hands together at the sight of all the scrap he could get his hands on before him. He walked up to the console, a small skip in his step as he imagined they might be able to retire after this score. There was, from what he'd seen of the halls, quite a few rooms to spare, and if any of them held a console room or anything even remotely impressive, there would be scrap to last a life time. And he would thoroughly enjoy stripping the ship down piece by piece to collect his fee. And the best part…the Doctor wouldn't be able to stop him as it was the DOCTOR who had offered them the ship in exchange for their help.

Oh it was Christmas!

Or…it would have been if the panel he was currently trying to remove would have come loose easier than it was. He grunted, finally managing to pry it off the console and set it on the floor. He paused though, stiffening when he heard someone whispering, a few someones really.

"I made up the name TARDIS from the initials," a young woman stated as he walked around the console, trying to spot them, "Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"The TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental…" another man, an older man spoke.

"What does that mean?" a different woman asked.

"You sexy thing!" a man who sounded remarkably like the Doctor cheered.

"See, you do call me that!" a different woman laughed, "Is it my name?"

"You bet it's your name!"

"That's trans-dimensional engineering," another man added, "A key Time Lord discovery."

"The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door," yet another man laughed, "Believe me, they've tried."

Bram ducked his head down, peeking beneath the console before slowly making his way down it, "It's just a box with that room crammed in!" a young woman laughed.

"We are in space!" a different woman gasped.

"It can move anywhere in time and space?" an older man inquired.

"You've changed the desktop theme, haven't you?" one last man spoke, sounding a bit offended actually.

Bram frowned, spinning in a circle, there was no one there!

~8~

Gregor walked through the halls, barely paying attention to where he was going as he stared at the scanner in his hands, "Everything," it stated.

"What?" he scoffed, stopping, "Report."

"Everything. Behind that door."

Gregor looked to the side, seeing a sliding door before him and started to grin, "Everything?"

"Sensor detects everything you could possibly want."

"Well then," Gregor started towards the door, pushing a button on the side so that they'd slide open. He took only a few steps into the room before he had to stop at the sight before him. There was a large tree-like structure made of metal set up in the middle of the room, but what really got him wasn't that, because he'd seen more than his faire share of metal structures and creations growing up in the salvage industry, it was the glowing crystal egg-shaped objects that were dangling from tendrils that appeared to be growing off the branches of the tree, "Whoa…" his eyes widened.

"Everything," the computer stated again, pulling his attention back down.

"I don't understand. Give me a price tag."

"Incalculable."

"What?" he breathed, scarcely daring to hope that it might just be THAT valuable.

"More valuable than the total sum of any currency. Living metal. Bespoke engineering. Whatever machine you require, this system will build it."

He put the small scanner away, back in his pocket, before he made his way to the tree, carefully, edging around it though he kept his gaze locked on it. He moved over to one of the egg-things and touched it…only for it to go dark a spilt second. He grinned, pulling his hand away as the egg lit up once more, before he pulled out the laser saw he'd handed Bram to try and get into the TARDIS earlier. He lifted it up, preparing to cut the tendril connecting the egg to the tree…when the doors flew open.

"Stop it!" Ayla shouted, pointing at him as she pulled her father in, she'd had a rather terrible feeling as they'd been walking in the hall, had gotten very scared and upset before she'd grabbed his hand and pulled him off, and it seemed she had been right to do so, "Daddy stop him!"

"No!" the Doctor agreed as they ran over, Gregor slowly lowering the laser cutter, "No, no. Stop! Please! Don't! Don't touch it. Please."

"Aunt Idris won't let you touch them," Ayla told the man.

The Doctor nodded, "Don't need to be Angel to know a TARDIS tantrum is coming on," he muttered, looking down at Ayla as she lightly stroked one of the lower hanging eggs, the glow of it brightening considerably at her ministrations.

"Doctor…" Clara panted, having fallen a bit behind with Tricky at the mad run the Doctor and Ayla had broken into, "What's going on? What is this place?"

"Architectural Reconfiguration System."

Clara blinked, "What is this place?" she repeated, but to Ayla this time.

"It's the room that makes what you need," Ayla told her.

"A machine that makes machines?" Gregor started to smile.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "Basically."

"What are you doing?!" Tricky shouted when he saw Gregor lifting the laser once more.

"Stop it!" Ayla shouted, stomping her little foot, "You mustn't! Aunt Idris will be very cross if you do that!"

"If you walk out of here with that circuit, the TARDIS will try to stop you," the Doctor agreed, not even wanting to _think_ about how Angel would react to the man just sauntering off with a piece of the TARDIS.

The old girl was Angel's…last connection to her life on Gallifrey, to her family history, a history and a heritage she was trying to instill on Ayla. She was very protective of the old box, probably even more than HE was, and that was saying something given he'd been with the box for centuries more than Angel had. But that was just as well, he loved how passionate Angel got about the box, how protective she was. People often thought HE was a scary person to face, but he was quite sure that he dreaded to think what Angel's reaction would be to Gregor's actions. He doubted she'd get violet, but…Angel had a way of making you feel truly bad, like…the worst sort of person when she was disappointed in you. For as amazing as she often made everyone feel, she could have an equally powerful affect on people when they did something wrong.

He remembered a moment in 1913, how, even as a human, she had managed to make two young boys feel remarkably guilty for being a bit prejudiced and cruel to Martha. She'd actually made a lasting impression on them, made them better young men, and all because she let them know she was disappointed in them. She never raised her voice, she never shouted or threatened or harmed but…she just…got through to people in the most subtle ways. There was another contrast between them that fit so beautifully, obvious and subtle, loud and quiet, he really did love how well they balanced each other…

"Now listen to me," he continued, shaking himself from his thoughts, "Look, the clock is ticking."

"We need to find mummy!" Ayla nodded.

The Doctor held out a hand, reaching for the laser as Gregor slowly lowered it.

"No don't!" Clara shouted when the man yanked the egg free instead. The entire room went dark as the rest flickered for a moment before coming back on just as a high-pitched noise sounded, making them all cover their ears, though Gregor merely winced and put the egg in a pack on his back, heading for the doors…only to stop at the wall when he realized that the doors…were gone.

"What the..." Tricky made his way over, frowning at the expanse, "Where's the door gone?"

"Ever see a spaceship get ugly?" the Doctor crossed his arms, glaring at the men, at Gregor…if he had just trapped them from finding Angel…

"This isn't happening," Tricky started to press his hands along the wall, as though he might find a breach in it or some sort of secret mark, some sort of illusion that was just hiding the door, but it appeared completely solid.

"Aunt Idris won't let you take that," Ayla told them, "It's like her baby!"

"Her basic genetic material," the Doctor added quietly to Clara, "Like…an unfertilized egg."

"Torch it," Gregor tossed a small device to Tricky, who caught it but hesitated.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Clara strode forward, grabbing the device off Tricky even though the man made no attempt to use it. She winced as she took it with her burned hand, moving it to her other as the Doctor frowned and walked over, taking her injured hand to look at, seeing what looked like vague letters appearing on her skin, too puffy to make out at the moment though.

"I said torch it, didn't I?" Gregor glared at her, holding out a hand for the device.

But Clara just stepped back, "You're completely mad if you think I'm gonna let you torch the TARDIS!"

"Can't you feel it, Gregor?" Tricky added quietly, "The ship's in torment, like it's a living thing. You can't hurt it…"

"Either you torch it," Gregor began, before pulling out a second device, "Or I do?" he looked at the wall, "What's it gonna be TARDIS?" he mocked…smirking when the door appeared as though melting out of the wall, sliding open, "What's the matter, TARDIS? Scared to fight me?"

Clara shook her head as the man strode out, Tricky rushing after him, "This…isn't going to end well, is it?" Clara glanced at the Doctor to see a hard, cold look on his face as he let go of her hand.

"Not at all," he muttered, just knowing that the TARDIS wouldn't have let Gregor go that easily if she didn't have some other way to keep him contained. And in keeping the man contained…she'd be keeping them from Angel as well, "Come on," he stalked off.

Clara sighed, watching him go, "Is he…alright?" she had to ask Ayla as the two walked after him, her tossing the small…whatever it was she'd grabbed…to the side, unactivated, as they went, "I've never seen your dad so…serious."

Ayla nodded, "Daddy's worried about mummy, she's his Mate, he can't help it," she shrugged, "Mummy always said that boys are silly, but they get VERY silly when the people they love are in danger. And daddy's a Time Lord, mummy's not just someone he loves, she's his Mate, makes it 11 times worse."

"Oh," Clara nodded, "Only 11?"

"Maybe 12," Ayla amended.

"Wonderful," she swallowed, only able to imagine what would come of the Doctor in such a state. Already she'd seen him starting to lose his cool, starting to lose patience with the men, if this kept up…she didn't want to think of how much longer it would be before he snapped completely.

Because she could tell it wouldn't be that long at all.

~8~

Angel carefully made her way through the shelves of books, pausing when she heard the door open, peeking around to see a third figure, unlike the ones from before, a…a small one, and her hearts broke. She could feel tears gathering in her eyes as she watched it carefully stumble around the room. She backed away as it drew nearer to her aisle, heading to the end, and pressing herself against the end of it, waiting till she heard the small footsteps staring down the aisle before she turned and stepped into the aisle beside it, rushing off towards the doors and out into the hall.

She shut the door quickly behind her, resting against it, shaking her head at the one she'd seen within as the TARDIS hummed gently around her, "I know Sissy," she murmured, seeing a vague image of a star burning bright above a catwalk, "We have to stop it."

She pushed off the door, she needed to get to the console room, now.

She was NOT going to let that future happen.

~8~

The Doctor stalked through the halls in a foul mood as Gregor and Tricky followed behind him, Clara and Ayla behind the two men, both watching the Doctor cautiously as he grew more and more tense the longer they walked the hall…the same hall…for what had to be the tenth time so far.

"It's the same," Tricky remarked, "It's just the same."

"Aunt Idris is clever," Ayla told them, "I warned you."

"She's diverting us," the Doctor agreed, even a tense quality to his voice, "Spinning a maze around us. We will never reach Angel in time…"

"Oi!" Clara rand after Gregor as he turned to head down a right corridor, "Get back here!"

The Doctor held up a hand to stop Tricky and Ayla…as Clara and Gregor walked right back in from the left hall.

"Oh that's weird," Clara muttered.

"It's just the same, again!" Tricky pointed at Gregor.

"Well there's no point in building walls," the Doctor glared at Gregor, "You'll just know how to smash them down! So she's found other ways of controlling you. Smart bunch, Time Lords. No dress sense, dreadful hats, but _smart_. And my Mate, her family were the most clever of the bunch, responsible for caring for the TARDISes, everything this ship is…is because of Angel and her family, she wants her found as much as I do and she can't let us find her if you don't let that circuit go!" he snapped.

"She's created a labyrinth, hasn't she?" Clara remarked.

"Bram?" Tricky called into the comm., "Bram? Can you hear me?"

~8~

In the console room, Bram opened a section of panels under the console, grinning when he saw a ladder running down it. He clapped his hands, eager to see what treasures might be down there as well. He quickly made his way down, running past a line of glowing wires.

"Bram, the ship is alive," Tricky called on the comm. as Bram rolled his eyes, "Get out of there. Bram, don't touch anything."

"You're just the sweetest thing ever," he remarked to the TARDIS as he continued down, ignoring Tricky's calls.

~8~

Angel paused, stopped really, when she entered the console room, frowning, "Now that's not right…" she murmured, making her way up to the console itself. She placed her hands on the console and looked to the side, as though expecting to see a portion of it on the ground.

She pulled her hands away, a pit forming in her stomach, before she glanced at the main doors, shaking her head, already knowing they'd be gone…because this wasn't the primary console room, it was an echo. She knew it…she could sense that much. She looked over sharply...

... _a tall black man hopped off a ladder and turned, only to be attacked by a charred creature_...

She let out a breath and quickly made her way down to the underside, heading for the panels. She opened one that had a ladder in it.

"Oh no…" she bit her lip frowning, trapped in an echo room…there was nothing she could do…unless…

Her eyes widened and she ran up to the console, she had to be quick…

~8~

"Bram?" Tricky continued, "You've got to get out of there fast…"

Bram rolled his eyes and turned the volume lower, wincing when the move made his back hit the wires behind him, zinging him in pain. He fell off the ladder luckily close enough to the floor to land safely. He pushed himself up and looked around…only to jump back when a small, petite creature that looked like a charred, ashy monster ran at him with a growl. He fell back, knocked to the floor as he was tackled, screaming as the monster attacked him…

~8~

Tricky frowned as he waited for a reply from Bram, but nothing came, just static, "Channel's dead. We've got to help him. Gregor, do something," he turned to grab Gregor's arm as the man focused on watching the Doctor sonicing ahead of them, "Do something!"

"It's too late," Gregor pulled his arm away, "He's gone! Let's just worry about the salvage!"

"The salvage?!" Clara shook her head at him, disgusted, "Your brother might be in danger or hurt and you're talking about a salvage?" Ayla frowned at the man, agreeing completely with Clara.

"You care more about the circuit than you do about him!" Tricky shoved him.

"Oi!" Ayla called, "No fighting!"

The Doctor turned at that, rushing over and shoving the men apart, "Enough!" he snapped at them, glaring at them both before he looked at Gregor, "Your concern for your brother is really touching. The android is more cut up about it than you. Now will you two _stop_ bickering," he spat at the both of them, "And listen! There is something else down there," he stepped away, "Clara," he glanced at her as the woman nodded and pulled Ayla close, protecting her as he scanned again.

"We've got to get out of here!" Tricky turned to Gregor, "Gregor, give it back. Give it back to her…" he reached for the pack but Gregor shoved him back.

"What are you doing?" Gregor glared, "You're always on the side of the machines!"

"Because machines are cool!" Ayla defended, she liked Tricky, the man respected the TARDIS very much.

"Hey!" the Doctor cut in, half a snarl to his voice, "Multiple life forms onboard the TARDIS with us," he warned, reaching back a hand to take Ayla's as he backed them up, the sonic before him, "I am getting a massive signal."

"And…where are they?" Clara tensed, a bit worried.

"About two steps away," he muttered, not even joking any longer, "One step…"

"Daddy?" Ayla called.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"I think they're _behind_ us."

The small group turned and screamed, seeing a creature that seemed to be two charred humanoids fused at the side behind them, swinging and snarling at them.

"Gregor, look out!" Clara pulled the man back as the creature nearly got it, "Careful!"

"Go!" the Doctor urged, pushing them all towards a hall, knowing the TARDIS would let them through with a threat to her 'niece' present, "Go! Go! Go!" the small group ran off as he glanced back at the creature, shaking his head sadly before he ran on, he didn't even have time to utter an apology.

Because if the creatures had found them…they might have found Angel as well.

~8~

Angel closed her eyes, rubbing her head, as she shivered, knowing what that meant. Someone had just been attacked, likely died, and…it was her fault. She hadn't been quick enough to sync the rooms. She looked at the door to the halls, and back to the console, before getting to work, she might not have been in time to save someone but she could try to save the others…

~8~

"Found it!" Ayla cheered as she led the group, though without Gregor who had run off in a different direction, at a run, into the TARDIS console room, a portion of the console on the floor where Bram had torn it apart.

"What happened?" Clara gaped at it, knowing they had NOT left the console room like that before.

"Back where we started," Tricky muttered.

"No," Ayla shook her head, "It's an echo room."

The Doctor ran to the console, checking as he nodded, "The console room is the safest place on the ship," he rushed around it, trying to see if he could find Angel, if she was in an echo room too, "It can replicate itself any number of times. It's trying to protect us."

"Because I tried to give back the circuit?" Tricky frowned.

The Doctor just nodded, getting to work, smiling when a blip appeared on the monitor, "Ha ha!" he beamed, seeing that Angel was reading in the room, across the console from him, but not quite there, "There's more than one echo room…"

"Mummy!" Ayla cheered, knowing her mother had to be IN one for it to register.

"Yes," the Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, "The TARDIS has got her all safe. Oh you beauty!" he kissed his fingers and then the rotor, while Ayla just kissed one of the levers, even Clara patted a knob or two, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Why can't we see her though?" Clara asked.

"It's like a light switch. Two positions. Flickering at super-infinite speeds. We're only together for a brief second…"

"I…I think I can hear her…" Clara muttered and they fell silent, listening, able to hear a faint sound…someone singing 'You Are My Sunshine.'

"Mummy!" Ayla gasped.

But it was more than that…it wasn't just the singing…they could SEE her too…vaguely fading into existence across the console.

~8~

Angel glanced at the doors as she frantically worked, murmuring a small song under her breath incase the Doctor was listening, she'd gotten a blip that four people were in the console room, another console room that she couldn't see.

She looked over once more, and froze a moment, seeing one of the creatures there…but this one was HER height, "Not good," she muttered, holding out a hand to create a golden wall, keeping the creature out as it banged against it, her rushing around the console, needing to get back…

"Need to just…isolate the main room," she murmured, "And nudge the alternation…" she pulled a lever and…

Appeared in the console room, smiling when she saw the wide-eyed looks of Clara, Ayla, the Doctor, and some other man, "Hello my love...miss me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, I figure with how much Angel knows the TARDIS, she'd be able to work out how to get back to the Doctor easy ;) I'm very excited for his reaction to her appearance and to show how much he 'missed' her ;)


	49. Journey to the Center of the TARDIS: Repairs

The Doctor didn't say a word as he made his way quickly around the console and to Angel's side, taking her face in both his hands and kissing her deeply, his arms winding around her as he held her, Clara smiling as she watched them before blinking and covering Ayla's eyes playfully as the girl giggled and pulled the hand away. Her parents were often so silly around each other, but she knew they loved each other very, VERY much.

"I'm fine dear," Angel murmured as she pulled away, but the Doctor kissed her again.

"I know," he pecked her lips, "I just…" and her cheek, "Missed you…" and her nose, "So much…" and her other cheek, before just peppering her face with them, kissing her between each word, "Don't. Ever. Do. That. To. Me. Again."

She laughed, having to put her hand over his lips to keep him from continuing his lip-assault, "I promise," she crossed her hearts, "Never leaving your side again."

"Good," he whispered against her hand, kissing her palm as he gently pulled her hand away, moving to rest his hand on her cheek, stroking it, "If anything had happened to you…" he shook his head.

She titled her head, seeing where his mind had gone. All he'd been able to think of as he'd rushed through the TARDIS was 'not again,' over and over. He knew how she'd died once, in a broken TARDIS that was leaking far less than this one was. But that was what he forgot, that TARDIS wasn't her sister. She might not have been able to do much to keep the bad things, those creatures, at bay, but she could help direct her around the worse damage.

"Nothing ever will," she told him quietly, "'Cos, you see, I have this rather remarkable Doctor who takes the best care of me."

He smiled at that and looked at her, just…needing more reassurance as he leaned in and kissed her once more, just…SO relieved she was alright. He pulled her closer, turning his head so he could hug her, burying his nose into her neck as he inhaled her scent, feeling his hearts calm, feeling his mind clear…and then he realized Gregor was still wandering the TARDIS and, not that he was concerned as the TARDIS would hardly let the man escape, but…knowing he could do as much damage to the ship as his brother had clearly done in the console room…and knowing the creatures were out there as well.

"I'm sorry I frightened you," Angel whispered in his ear as she pulled away, "Forgive me?"

He paused to think on it, "Maybe when this is over," he winked, letting her know he was joking but that there really would be something coming when they finished there.

"Mummy!" Ayla cheered, seeing her parents' moment was over as she ran to her mother and hugged her, Angel crouching down to pick her up just as she jumped, "You're alright!"

"Course I am," she smiled, tapping Ayla's nose, "Your Aunt Idris wouldn't let anything happen to me," she winked at the Doctor, reminding him that, while she'd been separated from him, she hadn't been alone.

"I'm glad you're ok," Clara called, stepping over to give the woman a small hug as well.

"Oh, hello!" Angel smiled at Tricky, walking over with Ayla in her one arm, "I'm Angel…"

"My Mate!" the Doctor added with a blinding smile as he walked over, putting an arm around her waist.

"Nice to meet you," she shook the boy's hand.

"…Tricky…" he said slowly, eyeing the Doctor warily. The man had just done a complete 180 in the span of mere seconds! The man had been snappy and bitey and cross and threateny the entire time since he'd realized the woman before him was in the TARDIS and, he didn't know why, but he expected it to have carried over some, to not have just disappeared like it had. But there the Doctor was, smiling and laughing and kissing the woman and…it was like he was a different person.

"Right," Clara called, "So…now that we're all settled again," she began, crossing her arms, "Care to tell us what that creature was Doctor?" she crossed her arms.

"You encountered one as well?" Angel looked at them.

The Doctor stiffened, "What do you mean, as well?"

Angel rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek, "I'm FINE, my love," she reminded him, "I ran into a few of them…more like saw most of them coming and avoided them really."

"Oh," he nodded, feeling better about that at least, but before he could continue and answer Clara's question, there was a beep behind them. They turned to see Gregor walk into the room, his eyes on the canner till he looked up and noticed them there.

"There you are!" he shouted, striding up to the console, glancing at Angel, "She's that Angel girl then?" he guessed, before shaking his head, "Doesn't matter, deals done now," he turned to the Doctor, "You got the girl back. Now cancel the self-destruct."

"What self-destruct?" Angel blinked.

"The…the um…you know the…self destruct," the Doctor stumbled on his words.

"The TARDIS doesn't have one anymore, remember?" Angel shook her head, "I disabled it ages ago and removed it."

"Wait…you mean there's no self-destruct?" Gregor glared at the Doctor.

"Well…you know how it goes," the Doctor tried to play it off, "Things tend to slip one's mind when you're my age…"

"Daddy lied," Ayla put it simply.

"Oh alright," he sighed, "There was no self-destruct," he pointed at the men, "Had you going, though, boys, didn't I?" he grinned, laughing, reaching out to playfully noogie Gregor's head, shocking the man with his levity as much as he had Tricky moments ago, "I just wiggled a few buttons. The old wiggly-button trick," he gestured at the console, moving to lean on it, "And the face. You've got to do the face," his face grew impossibly serious impossibly quickly, "'Save her or we all die,'" he nearly growled out, not exactly having to pretend that one, that was often how he felt when Angel was in danger, but then he smiled, remembering she was there, she was back and she was close enough to touch so he reached out and took her hand, "I thought I rushed it a bit, but..."

"So you're telling us we're safe?" Tricky frowned.

"We're far from safe," Clara argued, "Those creatures are still out there and the TARDIS is broken."

"It'll be alright Clara, Angel reassured her, setting Ayla down, "I've fixed worse than this before."

"Seriously?" Clara stared at her, hardly able to believe that the TARDIS could be fixed, it was…wrecked.

"Don't worry," the Doctor agreed, "The countdown's a fake and…" but none of the men seemed reassured as they glared at him, looking at it apprehensively. He rolled his eyes, "Look, just give me just a second. I'll turn it off," he flicked a switch and the count down did go off, "I only made it look as though the engine was actually exploding."

"I would not have said that my love," Angel sighed.

"What, why?" he looked at her…a moment before an alarm sounded and the screen began to read 'Engine Overload,' "Right…" he winced.

"That doesn't sound good, does it?" Clara frowned, both at the lights and the warning flashing.

"The engine was damaged in the crash," Angel spoke before the Doctor could head to the console to check, "Sissy gave me a…rather long list of things," she admitted, "We need to fix it, and fast. Come on," she led them down to the lower level.

"Wish we had that big friendly button right now," Clara muttered, absently rubbing her burned hand, completely forgetting that she should ask Angel to heal it. It didn't hurt anymore, but was just a bit…tender.

"I'll be sure to make one after this is over," Angel laughed.

"Can I help mummy!?" Ayla asked, excited.

"Of course sweetheart," she smiled at her.

"Can _I_ help mummy?" the Doctor questioned as well, sounding to the three humans JUST as eager to take part in the project as his daughter was.

"Of course not my love," Angel patted him on the shoulder as he pouted, "The last time you tried to make a button for the TARDIS you ended up breaking the heating."

He had to nod to that, the button was meant to set the heating from a distance, make the TARDIS all nice and toasty for trips to snow-covered planets or nice and cool for deserts. He'd ended up setting it where the temperature kept changing so much it actually rained in the middle of the console room, "But it did have some rather lovely and very…pleasant results," he leaned in and kissed her cheek as she knelt down to look at a panel in the wall, body heat was quite the surefire way to keep warm.

"Touché," Angel laughed, pulling the panel off.

"Where are we going?" Tricky frowned, seeing a sort of ventilation shaft behind it.

Angel sighed, "The center of the TARDIS."

~8~

The Doctor led the way down a corridor with Angel beside him, both of them using their own skills to get them to the engine room safely, Angel with her sensations, though she had to admit they were a bit muddled given all the leaks, and the Doctor with the sonic. Angel knew the path better than anyone, it was like…every time the TARDIS would change a hall, she'd just know. She'd never gotten lost in a TARDIS before so she knew the quickest route to the center of it. The Doctor was helping her with the sonic, scanning for traces of the creatures so they might avoid them.

Clara and Ayla were right behind them, Gregor and Tricky behind her…when Angel stopped and held out a hand. They paused, waiting, only to see a shadowy figure pass the corridor before them.

"Something's in here…" Clara breathed.

"Those...things," Tricky frowned, stiffening, "They've followed us."

"Daddy?" Ayla looked up at her father, seeing him frowning at the one that had passed the end of the hall, glancing at her mother as she nodded sadly, "What are they? I know you know," she pointed at him, not that he would lie to her, he didn't ever lie to her or her mother.

"What aren't you telling us?" Clara crossed her arms, seeing that as well.

The Doctor sighed, rubbing his forehead, "Trust me. Some things you don't want to know."

"Behind!" Angel pointed behind them a moment before a different creature, the one with its hand fused to its forehead, passed behind them.

"They're on the move again!" Gregor cried.

"Run!" the Doctor shouted as they rushed off, him and Angel leading the way, "Move, move!"

~8~

Clara stopped running with a gasp, pulling Ayla closer to her when she realized, in the mad dash, they'd gotten distanced and separated from the others, "Doctor?" she looked around, "Angel?"

"Mum?" Ayla tried as they backed up, "Daddy?"

"Come on," Clara whispered, squeezing the girl's hand. She knew that Ayla was more at home in the TARDIS than anywhere else, and that the girl felt safe even with a bit of the lights being off but knowing those creatures were out there was putting them both ill at ease. She tugged Ayla back, leading her the way they'd come, till they reached an intersection, "What do you think cutie pie?" she asked Ayla, knowing the girl had a knack for guessing things just like Angel did.

"Um…" Ayla turned in a circle, only to pause in one direction.

"That way?" she asked.

"No…"

A moment later Clara's eyes widened, seeing herself walk past, "I know what I said. I was the one who said it."

Followed by the Doctor, "You said it was looking at you funny."

She turned around and there was another her, "Now you're creeping me out."

And then a third down another hall, "Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this?!"

She pulled Ayla, closer, turning to the last hall…only to see Angel there, standing by the wall, putting her hand up as though to trace something along it, "Oh, thank God," Clara breathed, "Angel what's…"

"That's not mummy," Ayla told her, "It's the past bleeding through."

"She's right," a voice said behind them and they spun around to see the Doctor and Angel behind them, the real them this time, "The crash caused a rupture," Angel told them, "There's a tear in the fabric of the continuum somewhere around here."

The Doctor swallowed hard and took Angel's hand, "The TARDIS is leaking."

"Still, worse things it could be leaking."

"Sorry, what's it leaking?" Clara shook her head.

"The past."

"All of us," the Doctor nodded, "Everything we've done, everything we've said. Recent history. It's not real, it's a memory."

"I told you," Ayla squeezed Clara's hand, it's the past."

Clara nodded as though she understood that, before frowning when she spotted something down a hall beside her…one of the creatures, but…a small one, a short one, "What about this?" she whispered, only to glance at them when they didn't say anything, to see the Doctor eyeing the small person with tears in his eyes, "What…what's wrong?"

"That one's real," the Doctor said, reaching out to grab Ayla's hand, pulling her (and Clara along with her) off, Angel moving to lead them through the halls, the small creature chasing them, a bit of a gimp in its step, until she yanked them to the side, into a small niche. They pressed themselves as close as they could, Ayla a bit wedged between their legs…all holding their breath, watching the creature come to a stop only a few feet ahead of them, looking around for them.

Just as it started to turn in their direction, a past Doctor and Clara walked down the opposite hall, "You're like one of those guys who can't go out with a girl unless his mother approves," that Clara remarked.

"It's important to me you get along..." the other Doctor shrugged, following her.

The creature seemed to have the same idea as it took off after them as well, allowing the Time Family and Clara to step out. They paused though when they heard a groaning noise in the ceiling and looked up, "What's that noise?" Clara asked, "Do I want to know."

"It's um…" Angle hesitated, trying to think of a way to phrase it without freaking any of them out, "The primary fuel cells, they're above us."

"So?" Clara looked at them, "So? So what?"

"So..." the Doctor sighed, "So the fuel has spilled out. So the rods will be exposed. Means they'll cool..."

"And they'll get all bendy!" Ayla gasped.

"And get all bendy," the Doctor agreed, "Maybe even..."

"No!" Clara cut in with a hiss, "You don't say it. Don't you dare say it."

But the Doctor already had, "Maybe even break apart."

"Actually…" Angel stiffened, "They already have. Get back!" she pulled them back as a large rod shot out before them at an odd angle.

"Run?" Clara guessed.

The Doctor nodded, "I'm liking how you're thinking."

"Love the running," Ayla managed to offer with a smile, before they all took off down the hall, ducking and dodging as Angel pulled them back and nudged them forward, avoiding the rods as they continued to shoot through the walls and floors and ceilings.

~8~

Tricky groaned in pain as Gregor tried to pull a rod that had impaled the young man out of his shoulder, "Cut it off!" Tricky shouted, "Just cut my arm off."

"No!" Gregor shook his head, still struggling.

"It's the quickest way to release me. No fear, no hate, no pain. I can get a new one. Disposable parts, just do it. It won't hurt me."

"Tricky, you don't understand."

"I'm an android. Cut me!"

"Oh my god!" Angel gasped as she and the others ran into the hall, stopping dead at the sight before them.

"You made it through," Clara breathed, relieved the men were alive even if they were in a bad spot at the moment. She glanced over at the Doctor to see he'd covered Ayla's eyes so she wouldn't see Tricky's situation, making sure he KEPT them covered instead of letting her see the man with a beam in him.

"What's the matter with you?" Tricky shouted at Gregor as he continued to struggle, Clara moving to help him, "Why won't you cut me?"

"You should tell him the truth," Angel told Gregor, having gotten a brief description of the situation from the Doctor as they'd wandered the halls.

"Tell me what truth?"

"You can't, can you?" the Doctor scoffed at Gregor, the man hesitating to speak, "You're a coward. You won't save him, but you're scared to tell him why."

"What's he going on about?"

"You're not a robot Tricky," Ayla told him, just standing there before her father, having given up on trying to move his hands, "You needed a suit thing and respirators and you were afraid of the creatures…robots don't do that."

"What's she talking about?" Tricky looked at Gregor.

The Doctor tossed Angel the sonic to scan Tricky with, "You just have robotic eyes and a voice box," Angel said gently, "But that's all. Beyond that…you're human."

"It was a joke," Gregor muttered when Tricky looked at him, horrified.

"Wha..." Trick swallowed hard, feeling tears in his robotic eyes.

"It was just a stupid joke. We did it to relieve the boredom."

"That's horrible!" Clara cried, backing away from the man and his attempts to free Tricky.

"I'm so sorry Tricky," Angel reached out to put a hand on his arm, another on the beam that was hurting him.

"They lied to you," the Doctor agreed, "Changed your identity. Just to provide some in-flight entertainment!"

"I'm sorry," Gregor swallowed, "You're human, Tricky."

"Cut the metal," the Doctor pointed to the laser saw that he could see peeking out of Gregor's back, "Cut the metal! Go!"

"No, wait," Angel cut in, "I think I can help," they watched as she turned to the beam, concentrating, a golden glow seeping out of her hands and into the beam…the entire beam sort of drifting away, turning to ash, her other hand on his shoulder glowing as well as they saw the hole in his shoulder start to close up as the beam was pulled out of him.

"What the…" Gregor blinked, staring at her.

"Thanks," Tricky mumbled, far too upset about the lie Gregor had told him than to be vastly impressed with what Angel had done.

~8~

Angel stood on her toes, looking through the window of a small door that she'd led them to, a golden light glowing on the other side.

"Where are we?" Clara asked.

"The batteries!" Ayla cheered.

"TARDIS Power source," the Doctor murmured, "Right, you lot, wait here. I'll check it's safe..."

"I'LL check if it's safe," Angel cut in.

"Angel," he shook his head.

"My love," she put a finger to his lips, "I grew up around TARDISes, this is a walk in the park for me. You're a doctor, I'm a TARDIS farmer, this is…what I do," she gave him a wink, "So let me do it."

"You'll only be able to survive for a minute or two in there," he warned, taking her hands, not liking the thought of her going in there alone.

"YOU might not be able to," she countered lightly, "I've had quite a few centuries over you in building up a resistance to it," she leaned in, kissing his cheek, "I'll be fine Doctor. I've done this loads of times," she gave a small laugh, "Finally, something I'm better at than you."

"You're better at everything," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her again, "You just don't know it yet," and another.

"Can I come with you mummy?" Ayla asked, she'd been fascinated by her mother's tales of Gallifrey, of growing up raising the TARDISes, growing them and harvesting them and repairing them. She would have loved the opportunity to do that and her mother always tried to let her help whenever she fixed something. She wanted to experience the batteries and build up a resistance like her mother had.

"Not this time beautiful," she crouched down to take Ayla's hands, "Maybe when we get the TARDIS all fixed up, but right now…you stay with your daddy and keep an eye on him."

"Oi!" the Doctor laughed, smiling though.

"I'll be right back," Angel promised, slipping past the door and into the room, the Doctor watching as the force of the power source barely shook her or slowed her as she headed across a catwalk to the other door.

"Um..." Clara tapped his shoulder, "What happens if she stays longer? If WE stay longer?"

"Our cells will liquefy and our skin will start to burn," he said quickly, too distracted by what Angel and watching her to really realize what he'd said and who he'd said it in front of.

"I always feel so good after we've spoken," Clara deadpanned, before sighing and turning to lean on the wall as Gregor fiddled with his small scanner. She rolled her eyes, as soon as they said power source she had assumed that Gregor would go for the scanner, given all that had happened she was a bit disgusted that the man was STILL focused on the salvage.

"Lancashire," the computer reported as it was turned on her, "Sass."

"Intelligent sensor," Gregor muttered.

"Ever pointed that thing at yourself, Gregor?" Tricky muttered under his breath, angry, before growing bolder and louder, "What would it see? What sort of person does this to another human? Made them believe they're made of metal!" he reached out and grabbed Gregor's arm, "Who am I?"

"You're his brother silly," Ayla told him, pointing at the patch on Gregor's sleeve, a patch that was missing from Tricky's.

The Doctor glanced back for only a moment, hearing Ayla speaking, before focusing on Angel as she reached the other door, opening it with little effort and looking up at something. He squinted, able to see her smiling before she headed back.

"My mouthy little kid brother," Gregor agreed with Ayla.

"Why..." Tricky swallowed, confused, "Why can't I remember?"

"Salvage accident. There was a big explosion. You lost your sight, voice and your memory."

"And you... you thought of a way you could have some fun with me?" he stormed over to Gregor, "I just wanted a brother beside me."

"You were always the smart one, Tricky. He wanted you to take over. He made you captain."

"He?"

"Dad."

"I don't... remember him," Tricky looked away.

The Doctor winced, hearing that, anything that dealt with amnesia or memory loss, he found, had just served to make him wince or flinch, recalling his own time of it. Worse yet, it was making him remember his dreams, all those dreams where Angel had forgotten him or he'd done something stupid and she'd never met him, or he'd lost her. All of them, dreams of how he'd lost her or could have lost her if events had occurred differently. He was inordinately pleased that the dreams were just dreams, but…it didn't stop them feeling real when they happened.

"You did this to me, just to be captain of a heap of junk!" Tricky leapt at Gregor, but a gold wall appeared before the man, keeping them separated as the Doctor opened the door for Angel to push through.

Clara ran forward and pulled Tricky back, "Stop!" she ordered him as he tried to get back at Gregor.

"Tricky, stop please," Angel moved in front of him, resting her hands on his shoulders to stop him, "He, look at me, look at me Tricky," she moved to the side a bit so that he'd be forced to look at her instead, "Tricky, do you want to know why he couldn't hurt you before, why he couldn't cut your arm off? Because you are his brother and he doesn't want to see you hurt. Do you see? You brought out the one tiny spark of goodness in him. YOU brought it out. No matter what you may think, your brother does still care for you."

The Doctor smiled, watching Angel work her latest miracle, he really did love it how she got through to people like that, "And you…" he pointed at Gregor, "Don't ever forget this," and with that he turned and opened the door for the others, Angel leading them through.

"Come on," Angel called, taking Ayla's hand and holding her close as she led them to the other end of the catwalk, or tried to. Ayla was familiar with what to expect in the room, they had shown her the door once before, let her peek into the room beyond, she knew what was in there…but the human stopped and stared at the large star that was burning right above their heads, creating such heat and wind that they stumbled as they tried to move.

"The Eye of Harmony," the Doctor explained quickly, trying to usher the on, "Exploding star in the act of becoming a black hole. Time Lord engineering, you rip the star from its orbit, suspend it in a permanent state of decay."

"Over here!" Angel called, motioning them on, her and Ayla already at the other door. She had wanted to use the Vortex, had tried to on her first trip through, knowing that while it wasn't bad for her it would be jarring for the humans, but it took more concentration to block out all the effects of the star than she could manage for so many people while trying to walk, "Faster please!"

The Doctor reached out and took Clara's hand as the girl stared up at the eye, pulling her on as Tricky and Gregor followed.

"Oh no…" Angel breathed, resting her hand on the door, "Doctor, go back!" she called, pulling Ayla away from the door, "It's on the other side!"

The Doctor stiffened, knowing that she meant one of the creatures was there. Even though there wasn't a window on the door, he trusted her…and he could hear it pounding on the door now.

Gregor and Tricky spun around, racing to the other door, trying to get out but the petite creature appeared before it, punching and slamming its hand on the window, "There's no way out," Gregor cried, "We're trapped."

The Doctor and Angel looked around, Angel afraid, she couldn't teleport inside the TARDIS, she'd discovered, that was one place she couldn't teleport, probably because of the Vortex powering the ship, she didn't know but…there was nothing she could do besides use her powers on the creatures and…she couldn't bring herself to do that. Not when she knew who they were, not when she knew that they had to get out of there SOON.

"What are those things?" Clara shouted above the roar of the Eye, "If we're going to die in here, tell me what they are."

"We're not going to die Clara," Ayla told her, sounding so sure that Clara almost believed her, but she knew it was the girl's faith in her parents. She trusted them too…but right now it was hard to see a way out.

"We can't tell you," the Doctor muttered.

"Why not?" Clara shook her head.

"Because we don't have the time Clara," his words were starting to get a bit shorter with her now, his hearts starting to race as he saw the danger to his Mate and child, not just the Mating instinct coming into play…but the paternal need to protect his daughter.

"What's the use in secrets now?"

"Secrets protect us!" he snapped, making her step back, "Secrets make us safe."

"But we're not safe," she said quietly, a bit shaken from how he'd just…yelled at her.

"Sensor detects animal DNA," they heard Gregor's scanner go off as it flashed the petite creature, "Human core element. Calculating data. Calculating data…"

"No, no," the Doctor grabbed it, "Turn it off!"

"Lancashire. Sass. Identifiable substance. Clara."

Clara blinked and stared at the creature, the creature that was the same height and build as her, but…charred, ashy, pained…she swallowed hard, "That's me…"

"I'm so sorry Clara," Angel reached out to take a hand, "It's why I couldn't use my powers to stop them. It's not just you…it's…it's ALL of us," she reached out and ran a hand down Ayla's hair, even her. It was even her daughter.

"We burn in here…"

"It isn't just the past leaking out through the time rift," the Doctor sighed, "It's the future. Listen," he moved over to her, moving in front of her to block the sight of the creature, putting his hands on her shoulders so she'd look at him. He couldn't help but shake his head at her, "We brought you here to keep you safe," he admitted softly, "But it happened again. You died again."

And it hurt worse because…Angel was right, he knew exactly who Clara was to him, who she'd grown to become in his mind and hearts…and to lose that sort of person again, especially after the War…he couldn't bear it.

Clara stiffened, "What do you mean, again?"

The Doctor shook his head and stepped away from her, running a hand down his face as he made his way to Angel, reaching out a hand to her as she took it, the woman holding it tightly, before she kissed his scarred knuckles, "It'll be alright my love," she whispered to him as he leaned in and rested his head to her.

Clara had no idea how he managed to do that, take a moment, when there we monsters that were apparently the future thems burned to death after them.

Angel frowned, reaching up to touch his forehead, before she looked at him, "Don't touch that," she told him, thinking of the creature she'd seen, its hand fused to its forehead.

He frowned a moment, before he caught onto that as well, "Did mummy just give you an idea daddy?" Ayla asked him.

"Oh yes she did!" he cheered, scooping Ayla up and kissing her cheek, "The most brilliant one!" he added, turning to the others, spotting Tricky and Gregor at the back door, their sides together, trying to hold it shut as the creature had started to break through it, "As long as we interrupt the timeline, this can't happen!"

"Fantastic!" Angel cheered, kissing his cheek before she ran to the boys, pulling them apart, "Don't touch! Don't let your sides touch. Do that and you'll turn into them!" she warned, pulling them away from the door just as the creature pushed through, the one with its hand fused to its head. Gregor tried to run but the creature grabbed his pack.

"Gregor!" the Doctor shouted, "Gregor, let go of the circuit."

"Just let it go!" Tricky agreed.

"Gregor!" Clara added.

"Gregor!"

Gregor slipped out of the pack and backed up, Tricky stepping past him with a crowbar and slamming it into the creature's head, sending it falling over the railing, before trying to head to the doors, trying to get through when the fused creature appeared, rushing at them.

The Doctor, however, was looking down over the railing as he watched the one he knew was himself falling, "Well that's one way to go…" he muttered.

"Not today though," Angel took his hand, reminding him he was still there.

"Tricky watch out!" Ayla called, as the man swung at the fused creature, sending it falling down before he kicked it over the side as well…but it grabbed his leg in the process, nearly taking him down with it had Gregor not rushed forward to help.

"Don't touch him," the Doctor warned, "Or time will reassert itself."

But it was far too late, Gregor helped Tricky back up, the two of them, right before their eyes, transforming into the fused creature, starting to snarl and swing at them as the Clara-creature's fist broke through the window of the door.

"This way!" Angel shouted, pulling them back and leading them out the door the creatures had come through, knowing her and Ayla, with the Doctor's creature there, their own would be very close…if hers was even still alive any longer.

The moment they were in the hall, the doctor soniced the door locked behind them, panting, "The engine room. The heart of the TARDIS…" he took Angel's hand as they ran off.

~8~

Clara gasped as they stepped through a door, nearly running over the edge of a cliff, it was a tall cliff, a door behind them, what looked like waterfalls beside them, but only a small space for them to stand on…the entire thing thoroughly trapping them.

"We're outside…" Clara breathed.

"No, we're still in the TARDIS," the Doctor shook his head, locking the door behind them.

"The TARDIS can create rooms like this," Angel explained, "We've a lovely garden…"

"Not really the time dear," the Doctor remarked, for once being the one to get HER back on track.

"There's no way across," Clara crept to the edge of the cliff and looked around.

"No," the Doctor agreed, turning to see the same, "Ok, you're right."

"So what do we do? Time for a plan. Do you have a plan?"

"Well, no. No plan, sorry."

"If you don't have a plan, we're dead!"

"Daddy has a thing though," Ayla pointed out, he always had a thing.

"Well then," the Doctor turned to her, "If we're dead…you should just tell us."

"My love…" Angel began, shaking her head.

She had told the Doctor repeatedly that she didn't get any sort of odd sensations off of Clara, this Clara at least. There had, admittedly, been something odd about the other Claras, but it was more like a small niggling in her head, like the faintest brush of a feather before it faded away, she'd never gotten that sense off this Clara. And she knew whoever and whatever she was, this was the Clara before all the other hers appeared. She had told him that Clara wouldn't have a clue what he was talking about if he brought it up…but he'd been hesitant to agree not to, he was FAR too concerned about the safety of his family to risk that.

And he needed to know if she was trustworthy…because he wanted to trust her he just…had to be sure of it. Because she reminded him so much of someone he cared very much for. And to think of Clara...betraying them in someway, it was almost like SHE was betraying him as well and that would just...break his hearts.

"Tell you what?" Clara shook her head.

"Well, there's no point now, we're about to die, so just tell us who you are," the Doctor demanded.

Clara gave him a cautious look, not sure if this was still the him that had snapped at her in the power room or something else, "You know who I am," she looked at Angle and Ayla, "All of you do."

"No, we don't!" the Doctor's eyes narrowed as he stepped towards her, "I don't," he emphasized, "And I will NOT let anyone harm my family, not now, not after everything we have been through. And I swear to you, Clara Oswin Oswald…"

"Who…"

"If you harm my family there is nowhere in this Universe you will be able to hide from me, I don't care if there's an army of you, I will find each and every one and…"

"Doctor," Angel cut in, stepping up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, seeing Clara back up in fear.

She knew that this wasn't like the Doctor, quite a lot of his actions and reactions this past trip hadn't been quiet like him. It was the lack of sleep, the nightmares plaguing him, the fear of losing her and Ayla, and the guilt of what had happened eating away at him. He was…getting so near his end in terms of being able to keep it all up, to keep pretending like he was alright when he was breaking inside. She'd only barely gotten to get him to tell her about the nightmares when they happened. She was trying her best, but the Doctor could be quite stubborn when he wanted to be, and she could see it now, he wasn't seeing Clara, the girl who had helped them and whose other hers had saved their lives…but a possible threat to his family.

"I look at you every single day, and I don't understand a thing about you," the Doctor spoke, more quietly this time but still just as serious, "Why do we keep running into you?"

"You invited me," Clara murmured, "You said..."

"Before that," he snapped, wincing when he saw her flinch, "We met you in the Dalek Asylum. There was a girl in a shipwreck, and she died saving our lives, saving Ayla and our companions, and she was you."

"She really wasn't," Clara shook her head.

"Victorian London," he continued, "There was a governess who was a barmaid, and we fought the Great Intelligence together, she died trying to help us, and it was my fault, and she was _you_."

"You're scaring me," Clara started to step back.

"Doctor…" Angel began.

But the Doctor stalked towards Clara, "What are you, eh? Are you a trick, a trap? Something else that's trying to tear my family apart? Well I won't let you!"

"I don't know what you're talking abo…" Clara began, when Angel reached over and grabbed her arm, pulling her back away from the ledge she'd almost fallen off of, one more step and she would have fallen.

"It's alright Clara," Angel whispered, touching the girl's cheek, "Ayla," she called, "Will you watch Clara for me?"

Ayla nodded and moved over to Clara, tugging her down to hug her, knowing that her daddy could be very protective of her and her mother and that he had to have frightened Clara very much.

Angel turned to the Doctor, taking his hand with one of her own, reaching up to touch his face with the other when she saw him breathing heavily and looking at Clara with narrowed eyes, "It's alright my love," she murmured, her thumb stroking his cheek, making him look at her, "Did you h ear what you said?" she asked him, tilting her head, "Both Claras…they were helping us, they were protecting us…whatever Clara might be, or might become, she's on OUR side," she reminded him, "She's helping us," she smiled, seeing him starting to calm down, seeing him realizing the truth in her words, "Just like our own little angel eh?"

He let out a small laugh at that, "That's YOU dear," he murmured, reaching out to tug her closer, her smiling as she draped her arms around his neck, "You're the only angel I need in my life."

"Doesn't mean I have to be the only one in it," she remarked wisely.

He nodded, glancing at Clara to see her watching him warily, he looked back at Angel, "She really doesn't know, does she?"

"She's just Clara," Angel nodded.

He smiled and nodded, relieved about that, before he turned his gaze on her again, "Sorry…" he murmured quickly.

"I don't understand what that was all about," Clara frowned at them.

"And we don't have time to explain," the Doctor waved her off, though Angle knew he was lying, they could have time, a small bit of it, but…he didn't want to say, he didn't want to admit that he had gotten carried away, that he had been wrong and that he felt bad for what he'd said and how he'd scared her, "Because this…is a snarl."

"A what?" Clara blinked.

"What does a wounded animal do? It tries to scare everyone away. We're close to the engine. The TARDIS is snarling at us, trying to frighten us off."

"We have to jump," Angel realized, looking at the ledge.

"You're insane," Clara shook her head.

"We'll cross a portal to the engine," the Doctor nodded, taking Angel's hand as he stepped back, ushering the two others back as well, taking Ayla's hand too as Ayla held Clara's, the four of them resting back against the door they'd come through.

"How can you be so sure?" Clara asked, going with it for the moment, not about to forget what he'd just done to her but putting it off for the moment.

"Well, I can't."

"But I can," Angel remarked, "This is a TARDIS's natural reaction Clara, it's different for all of them, but…" she nodded, "We'll be fine, we need to do this to get to the engine room."

"Just…trust us this one time, please," he glanced at Clara as a small smile came onto her face, "Ok, ok, as well as all the other times. Ready?" he looked down at Ayla.

"Geronimo!" she cheered, squeezing his hand.

He grinned and winked at her before he looked at Angel, quickly kissing the back of her hand before they all ran for the ledge, Clara semi-dragged along, and jumped…

Landing in the middle of a completely white room, bits of machinery seemingly in the process of exploding frozen in midair.

"Oh no…" Angel breathed as they looked around, "Oh, Sissy…I'm so sorry…"

"Where are we?" Clara eyed the machinery, about to reach out and touch it before deciding against it.

"The heart of the TARDIS," Ayla told her.

"The engine," Angel murmured.

"It's already exploded," the Doctor sighed, rubbing his head, "It must have been the collision with the salvage ship."

"Well…at least we're not dead," Clara tried to cheer them.

"She wrapped her hands around the force. Froze it."

"So... so it's safe?"

"It's only a temporary fix," Angel murmured, feeling her hearts break to see the TARDIS like this.

"Eventually, this whole place will erupt," the Doctor swallowed hard, pulling Angel and Ayla closer to him, "There's no way we can save her now."

"I…might have been able to," Angel remarked, "But…all the tools are in the console room, there's no time…" she let out a breath, "There's no time…"

"She's just always been there for me, for us," the Doctor looked at Angel, "Taken care of us. And now it's my turn and I don't know what to do. It...it just..."

Ayla frowned, looking up at her parents, seeing them so upset that they couldn't help the TARDIS…and then a thought struck her, they could still help someone else, "Mummy…you need to heal Clara's hand," she reached out and took Clara's hand, tugging her over to her parents to show them the girl's hand.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he grabbed Clara's hand, "Sorry," he mumbled, seeing her wince just a bit as it was still tender, looking at the writing that was clearly burned on her hand, "Oh, Clara," he grinned, "You are beautiful! Look at that!" he showed Angel Clara's hand, the burns writing 'Big Friendly Button' as he held it up to them, "Beautiful fragile human skin!" he laughed, "Like parchment."

"Clara you are magnificent," Angel smiled at her, taking her hand from the Doctor with more care than he had, Clara watching as a golden glow surrounded her hand and the writing started to fade, healing.

"Whoa…" she breathed, blinking, that was…quite the trick.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic, flashing around, "The rift in time. All the memories leaking out. We need to find the moment we crashed. I need to find...the music!" he grinned, hearing a slight bit of music playing before he led them off.

~8~

They ran into the console room, the sonic beeping faster as they ran to the underside of the console, seeing a vertical crack in the wall. Angel stopped dead, frowning at it, the crack reminding her FAR too much of the cracks in time that had plagued Amy. Her mind drifted to all that had happened because of them, Rory being erased, them being erased, the Dalek shooting her, the Pandorica, the TARDIS exploding…

She looked down when she felt someone take her hand and smiled as the Doctor squeezed it, "The time rift," he murmured, not taking his eyes off it but just instinctively knowing his Mate needed comfort, "Recent past. Possible future."

"What are you going to do?" Clara frowned as the Doctor headed for it.

The Doctor pulled the control he'd nicked off of the boys in the salvage ship out of his pocket and grabbed the sonic, flicking it on and using it to write a message into the metal of the grenade-shaped ball, "Rewrite today, I hope. I've thrown this through the rift before. I need to make sure this time. Going to take it in there myself. There might be a certain amount of yelling."

"More like screaming," Angel whispered.

The Doctor looked at her, leaning in to kiss her forehead, "It'll be for the best in the end," he murmured to her.

"It's going to hurt?" Clara frowned.

"Things that end your life often do that," he sighed, heading to the rift.

"Be careful daddy," Ayla called, knowing that the rift wouldn't really end his life, but that it would hurt quite a bit.

"Wait…" Clara stepped after them, "All those things you said. How we've met before. How I died..."

"Clara," Angel reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, "It'll be ok," she glanced at the Doctor, "If this works you should forget that. Time heals all wounds you know."

"But…I don't want to forget. Not all of it," she really didn't want to forget that the Doctor had said that, it…made sense why they kept taking her along, all the little things they worried about about her when she didn't' know why. She just…wanted answers, why they thought that she was two other people, why the Doctor (for a brief moment) hadn't trusted her.

"If I rewrite today, you won't remember," the Doctor remarked.

"You'll still have secrets."

"Everyone has secrets," Angel winked at her, before looking at the Doctor, "Be quick," she asked him quietly.

He nodded, kissing her quickly…three times…before he rushed to the rift, bracing himself before he pushed himself through, wanting to take care of this as fast as he could. He winced and groaned, refraining from screaming for the sake of Angel and Ayla, as he pushed himself through the other side, seeing himself and the girls at the console just after they'd been grabbed by the magno-grab.

"Magnetic hobble-field. We're flying right into it. Clara, stay by me!"

"Doctor!" he shouted up at his past self as the man stumbled against the railing, "Doctor. I'm from your future. We haven't got long. It's a reset dial," he tossed the device to him only moments before he disappeared before his past self's eyes.

The Doctor watched as the device rolled to the ground, over to Clara as she picked it up, wincing and dropping it as it burned her hand, "No!" he reached for it, "No!"

He let out a breath as he managed to catch it, diving for it. He grinned when he saw the message written on it, "Big friendly button!" he cheered, pressing it as the world went white…

~8~

"I don't get it," Tricky frowned as he stood with his brothers in their salvage ship, staring at the monitor as the blue box they'd been trying to grab just…disappeared, "It was on screen, then it was gone."

"Hey, robot, go get me some food," Bram called, nudging Tricky, "I'm starving."

"Oi, leave him alone," Gregor shot him a look.

"What's the matter with you?" Bram scoffed.

He shrugged, "Maybe I've just got a little tiny spark of goodness."

Bram rolled his eyes and stalked off as Gregor clapped Tricky on the shoulder, heading off after him. Tricky smiled and glanced over at a photo of the three of them, all standing there with an older man.

~8~

The Doctor stood in the console room, polishing the rotor, when Clara stepped in, her hair damp, in a new set of clothes, "I feel exhausted. I feel..."

"We've had two days crammed into the space of one?" he guessed.

"Why would you say that?" Clara frowned at him, "Are you psychic too?"

He laughed, "No, no… I just…say stuff. Ignore me," he nodded, before he glanced at her, "Do you feel safe?"

"Of course," she nodded.

"Give me a number out of ten," he spun to face her, "Ten being whoo-hoo, one being aarrrggh!"

"11," Angel called as she stepped into the room with Ayla, sending him a wink.

"You're being weird," was all the answer Clara gave.

"I need to know if you feel safe," the Doctor sighed, he…finally accepted it, he got it, he understood now who Clara was. And it wasn't…JUST Clara, no, not just Clara, she was something more than just that, than just a companion, and…he needed to know she felt safe. Because he'd lost someone like her before, he'd failed to keep her safe, and now this…this was his second chance, "I need to know... you're not afraid."

"Of?" Clara shook her head.

"Anything," Ayla called, moving to sit on the side-chair.

The Doctor nodded and pointed at her, "Running away with a spaceman in a box. Anything could happen to you."

Clara smiled, "That's what I'm counting on," she told him, before nodding at the console, "Push the button."

The Doctor smiled in return as he watched her leave, Angel moving over to the console to send them into the Vortex, "And the verdict is?" he asked her.

"Sissy's just fine," she nodded, having taken Ayla to check on the engine room the moment that things had calmed down.

Being Time Lords they could retain what had happened, what had happened to them and the TARDIS, but Clara didn't. And that was just as well, too many things had been revealed to her in that last trip, Angel could only imagine how much that would affect the course of the future if Clara had found that book in the library about the Time War. She knew that Clara knew about it, but…to read about it and all that happened…she'd ask too many questions about a topic they never wanted to think on. She had been rather…smart to refuse to let the Doctor add their true names to the book when he'd decided to write it. Even though it had been written in Gallifreyan, Ayla would still be able to read it and no one but your Mate was meant to know your name, not even your child. The only one who knew your name were your parents, because they gave it to you.

"Like it never happened," she added.

He let out a breath of relief at that.

"Though, there IS still one thing that did happen," Angel continued, "Or needs to still happen."

"What?" he turned to her.

She smiled, moving up to him, "I think there's a small matter of forgiveness for a fright?"

"Ah," he nodded, "Yes, well…there is only one thing that shall earn that forgiveness from me."

"And what's that my love?" she gave a light laugh.

He pulled her closer, winding his arms around her waist as she rested her hands on his shoulders, "I think…one kiss for each minute that my hearts stopped ought to do it."

"Oh do you?" she grinned, "Well then, I'd best get started."

"Yes," he nodded, smiling eagerly for it, it had to have been at least a half hour which was…quite a few kisses for him.

Angel's smile turned mischievous as she leaned in and quickly peppered his face with kisses, making him laugh, making Ayla giggle from behind her hands as she watched her parents being silly again. Angel made sure that each kiss didn't touch his lips till the very last one…which the Doctor seemed to be expect for, right as she did kiss him on his lips, he reached out a hand to touch her cheek, gently holding her there as he deepened the kiss.

Ayla rolled her eyes at her parents before she hopped off the side-chair and went to find the library, she knew when her father was frightened and then relieved…well, it took him a while of showing her mother just how happy he was that everything was ok and she wanted to see how many books she could get through before her parents finished.

At a guess…quite a few.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww :) Love the fluff...but next chapter, nightmare city lol }:)


	50. The Poison of the Judas Tree

The Doctor made his way around the console, glaring across it at Mels as she stood by a small railing, a gun in her hand, waving it around as Amy and Rory looked on. Angel was on the other side of the console, he'd stationed her just at one point with her back to Mels so that she wouldn't be able to see some of the looks that the woman was shooting her. He didn't understand why Mels didn't seem to like Angel, he would have thought that, given who Amy and Rory were to her, her best friends, she would like Angel as much as they did. But it seemed it was quite the opposite.

If he didn't know any better, he would have said that Mels liked her almost as much as River Song…but he doubted anyone could dislike Angel as much as River…which reminded him, he really _did_ need to look into that. He needed to find out exactly why she hated Angel so much, it just…it didn't sit right in his mind that anyone could hate her as much as River did. His Mate was amazing, Angel was the kindest, purest, most compassionate woman he had ever met. She made him into a better man and he didn't understand why anyone would want to take her away from him like the Silence had. He had been so thankful, as terrible as it was to say, that the Silence had not taken Angel but had taken Amy instead.

He had seen their plans when they had gone to Demons Run to try and save the ginger girl. It hadn't taken all that long given that Angel was with them, she had gotten senses and feelings and had been able to fly the TARDIS right to the army base. It seemed that the Silence were trying to make themselves a Time Lord. They assumed that, given Amy's personality and the fact that it had been her wedding night when she and Rory had first been in the TARDIS, that a child would be conceived in flight, in the Vortex, thus creating a part human, part time lord hybrid in River Song. They had kidnapped Amy so early in her supposed pregnancy that they didn't even realize she had _not_ been pregnant until it was too late. But that was all the better because, once they had gotten there, they had found that the Silence had taken Amy's Rory's DNA and put it together to make River Song, to make a baby even though Amy had not carried it to term…and the baby, they'd found, was actually River.

It hadn't taken them long at all to find the army base, to rescue Amy, really it was so quick and so easy he had almost thought that it was a trap…but it had been safe enough except…they had taken River off the base before the TARDIS had even set down. According to Amy and Rory well, once they had realized it was River Song, they didn't quite seem as eager to get the baby back. He understood why, Amy had had _no_ contact with the baby _at all_ , all she knew was that her DNA had been taken and that something had been made from it. Rory himself seemed to flat out refuse to want to find River too. It was almost like, knowing that the baby grew up to be River, that the baby would be ok no matter what. He'd been all too willing to run away in that case, had taken them on an adventure or two…until they had been called back to Earth. something about a crop circle that spelled 'Doctor.'

They had arrived to find a red car waiting for them in the fields, with Mels standing in front of it, as though she'd been expecting them. He hadn't understood who she was until Amy and Rory had mentioned it was their best friend apparently. When Mels had pulled a gun on Angel he'd nearly lost it. Angel had calmed him down, even with a gun to her head and Mels' grip so tight it scratched her arm, and they had gotten Mels to release her…but only after she'd gotten into the TARDIS and demanded an adventure of her own. He hadn't liked that at all, he just…didn't like _her_ and even Angel seemed to be very, _very_ uncomfortable around her, as though she could sense something about the woman that they didn't.

He made his way around the console, to Angel's side, winding his arm around her waist as he rested his hand on her very, _very_ swollen stomach, their baby was growing within it, just the mere thought making him smile despite the situation. He couldn't believe he had ever forgotten Angel. In a way, he was almost thankful that they had encountered the Silence when they had. All of the effort he had put into the three months he had been held captive by Canton, all the effort he had put into remembering the aliens, into remembering the things that he'd forgotten, it had unlocked the memories in his mind of Angel and had reminded him that she was his Mate. When he finally told her, well…he didn't have to. He just looked over at her, sitting beside him in Area 51 and she'd seen it in his eyes, she had seen a sparkle spring to life…

It had been torture to sit there, a straight jacket on, and be unable to reach out and hold her when she'd cried, seeing it. But the moment the box Canton had been building had closed, he'd kissed her to within an inch of his own sanity…which was quite a distance to go…and gotten to hold her. When she'd calmed, she'd been so thrilled and so ecstatic and so relieved that he remembered her again, especially considering she was pregnant. When she'd told him…well, he very firmly maintained that he did not 'faint' as Rory teased but that he had…momentarily turned the world black for a short while…and woken up on the ground.

He'd been overjoyed though, to find out that he and his Mate we're going to have a child. It had become his entire world, every adventure after that had been geared specifically towards trying to keep Angel safe while also trying to find out why Amy was registering as there but not there, the scan he had run to locate her once flickering. It wasn't until they had spoken to Martha and Mickey, wishing them a happy anniversary, that he would consider, perhaps, it was saying that because the Amy with them was really a clone and not the real Amy. It had led them to the Gangers, to Cleves, to Demons Run, everything had led them to this point. He couldn't wait until his little son or daughter arrived. Rory knew the gender of the baby, he had told him exactly how much of a hand the young man had had in taking care of Angel when he had forgotten her. He was infinitely thankful to Rory for looking after his Mate for him when he couldn't. But they wanted to be surprised, even Angel was trying not to sense the gender of the baby, they just wanted a little healthy baby time lord, that was all they wanted, just a healthy baby. Boy or girl it didn't matter if it was healthy, and it seems like they might actually get it.

He knew Angel was terrified, absolutely scared to death, that they would lose the baby given how difficult pregnancies usually were for her family. She had been unnaturally lucky, she considered, in this pregnancy, especially with everything that had happened to her before she had even realized she was pregnant. He often broke out into a cold sweat when he thought about it as well, when he remembered the 456, falling through that dome in Naismith manor, their enemies firing at them, and especially the Pandora the incident…where she had been shot in the stomach. It made his stomach churn, it gave him nightmares, but every time he woke he looked over and saw Angel beside him, saw the swell of her stomach, that she and the baby were ok, and he knew, so soon, they would finally have their child with them and he couldn't wait.

…which reminded him, there was currently a mad woman holding a gun at them, "Oi!" he shouted at Mels, spinning around to face her, "Put that away!" he gestured at the gun.

"Why?" Mels rolled her eyes, "It's not like it's dangerous. You said guns don't work in this place 'cos we're in a state of temporal grace," and then…to prove her point…she fired the gun, making them flinch.

"Give me that!" the Doctor roared, stalking to her and yanking it out of her hand, if Angle hadn't leaned forward to type a command just then…the bullet hole was right where he head as been. And he wasn't sure if she had done that on purpose or if she had been accidently waving it around.

He panted, glaring at her, before he stormed back to the console, tearing the gun apart as he threw the pieces to the side, making his way to Angel's side, wrapping an arm around her as he saw her staring at the bullet hole, the steam from the rotor flooding out as the lights went red.

Angel shook her head, "Rory, Amy," she called, "We need help…" she nodded at the console and the two humans ran up, trying to help them pilot the box to safety.

~8~

The Doctor was starting to think Angel was rubbing off on him as a pit fell into his stomach and started to grow at an alarming rate. Everything had gone wrong and was getting worse and worse. The TARDIS had crashed into a wall, they'd accidently saved Hitler's life (but that was ok as he didn't die for a few more years), Mels had apparently been River Song all along hiding out via a shimmer or a image morpher or something, and she had been trying to kill Angel in a variety of creative ways for the last few minutes. She had literally pulled a letter opener/knife, two guns, and a banana at her, all in some insane attempt to get her out of the way. And then…she'd just turned around and walked away, back towards the window. And he knew…the worst was yet to come, because no one that dead set on killing a Time Lord just walked away, they never gave in that easily. Ever.

"I wasn't lying when I said I'd marry you one day Doctor," River smirked as she leaned out the broken window the TARDIS had crashed through, smiling out at Berlin below, "Oh! Look at that! Berlin on the eve of war. A whole world about to tear itself apart," she glanced at them, "Now that's _my_ kind of town."

"You can't kill Angel," Amy stepped up, completely disturbed to hear the woman who claimed to be their daughter saying such things, "We won't let you."

Rory took her hand, moving beside her as well, getting the distinct feeling that River really had no idea what was going on at all, that if she killed Angel then the Doctor would die too.

"Oh mummy," River laughed, tsking her, "Do you _really_ think you could stop me?"

"No," the Doctor stood straighter, the pit growing more and more, it was setting him on edge, "But _I_ can and I will if you so much as come near Angel again. Sorry," he added that last word for the Ponds.

River grinned, "No need for threats, my love, the deed is already done. And so is she...right...about..." she shook her head at her watch, "Now."

The Doctor frowned, not sure what she meant…when he heard Angel gasp behind him. He spun around, seeing her falling to the ground, Rory leaping forward to catch her before she could hit it, "Angel!" he ran to her side, looking at her in horror as she grabbed at her chest, seeming to be struggling to breathe.

"What happened?" Rory frantically checked her for some sort of wound that could have done this.

"What's wrong?" Amy looked at the men, terrified when she saw tears in Angel's eyes, pain reflected in them.

"What have you _done_?!" the Doctor spat at River, turning to glare at her.

But River just smiled, all too pleased with herself as she watched Angel struggle on the ground.

"Doctor…" Angel gasped, blindly reaching out to take his hand.

"I'm here," he turned to her, taking her hand, squeezing it before he kissed it quickly, looking over his shoulder to shout, " _What have you done_!?" he demanded, Angel's hold tightening on his hand keeping him from going after River.

"It was never going to be a _gun_ for _her_ , Doctor," River rolled her eyes, revealing how little she truly cared for the state Angel was in, how the girl was paling unnaturally fast, how she was gasping, how her hands were clenching into fists from the torment of it all, "The woman of peace," she sneered, "To think, you, who understands _every_ kind of warfare, didn't even see this coming, not even your psychic could," she turned her hand around, wiggling her fingers at him, her bright red nails.

His eyes widened as he turned back to Angel, lifting the hand that was still holding his to see a black sort of shin forming around the scratch on her arm where Mels had grabbed her. He held the sonic to it, scared when he saw black veins extending from the scratch, up her arm, moving FAR too fast for his liking.

"Doctor!" Angel groaned, suddenly, curling up in pain as it shot through her, "Something's wrong…something's _wrong_!"

He pulled out the sonic, starting to flash her trying to work out what it was…

But River beat him to it, "It's lucky for me she's pregnant…" River smirked, "Her body's working twice as hard to sustain her and the baby…makes the poison spread all the faster, work twice as well. Pity though that I can't stay and watch," she laughed, seeing the Doctor stiffen, knowing that he'd gotten the same readings on his sonic as what she was telling him, "Oh well, ta ta," and with that she turned and jumped out of the window, heading down the side of the building to the road.

"What's wrong with her?" Rory looked at the Doctor, frantic, "What has she done to Angel?"

"Is the baby alright?" Amy asked, clutching at Angel's other hand.

"Poisoned her," the Doctor swallowed, "Her and…"

"No," Angel shook her head, panting, her breath coming in short gasps now, "Don't…don't say it."

He touched her face, "Angel…" he shook his head, tears in his eyes, "I'm…I'm so sorry. The baby…"

"Don't!" she snapped, wincing, curling up more, "Please, please don't…"

"I'm sorry, he swallowed, "I'm so sorry…"

She closed her eyes and let out a sob, knowing what he meant. The baby…the poison was potent, it could take up to an hour to kill a fully grown Time Lord…but a human? A Time Baby? It would be almost instant. She felt her hearts clench painfully as she realized…her baby was dead. Just like with the Daleks and the Pandorica, but there was no magic box to restore it to health and life this time. Not even the TARDIS could do that, could counteract this particular poison.

The Doctor squeezed her hand, his hearts breaking at her heart wrenching cries. He could feel the Mating instinct rising in him but also a…fierce paternal determination. He could feel it, the darkness, the anger, the… _hatred_ …rising in him, wanting revenge on River. His child had died, his Mate was dying, the sonic had told him enough, Angel wouldn't survive this. There could be no regeneration after this, the poison was that damaging. He was about to lose the two most important people in his life…and the TARDIS too, because of River Bloody Song.

"RIVER!" he let out an inhuman growling shout before he pushed himself to his feet and ran for the window, clearly on a mission to find her and…well…given the expression on his face…he wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

"No!" Angel gasped, grabbing Amy's hand as she tried to follow, knowing that Rory wouldn't ever leave her side for something like this, "Don't…"

She could feel it, the darkness in the Doctor, he was on a rampage right now, he was a hunter and River was the prey, and if Amy or Rory got in the way…she didn't want to know what might happen to her.

"What do we do?" Rory asked her, having no idea what there as he could do, Angel had been poisoned, and, not knowing what it was or how it worked, he wouldn't' be able to make an antidote, "Angel, tell us, what do we do?"

"How do we stop this? River, the Doctor, you?" Amy added.

Angel pointed t the TARDIS, "We need to get to the Doctor," she ground out.

Rory and Amy looked at each other and nodded, moving closer to help haul her to her feet and lead her to the TARDIS.

~8~

Rory honestly had no idea how they'd managed to do it, how he and Amy had managed to actually pilot the TARDIS through space (and maybe a bit of time) to a restaurant in Berlin…where River and the Doctor were. Angel had been placed on the floor, neither of them willing to let her on the jump seat where she might have fallen off in her spasming, and she'd called out instructions to them between her screaming. He hadn't thought it possible to fly a TARDIS while crying, but he and Amy had proven that wrong, managing to land the TARDIS, the two of them heaving Angel up and taking her out, knowing she needed the Doctor…

The sight beyond the door was not one they were expecting to see…a robotic form of Amy standing there, firing a red light at River, trapping her, the woman crying out in pain…as the Doctor stood beside it, the sonic out, the tip red as he…appeared to be increasing the level of the beam.

Angel panted, seeing that, NOT wanting that to be her last memory of the Doctor. She could feel it, the poison…it was targeting her now that it had finished the baby. River was right, her body was working twice as hard to keep her and the baby alive, the poison had raced through her twice as fast, and…with her body focusing on sustaining the baby…she was naturally a bit weaker than she should have been. The poison was affecting her more, and quicker than it normally would have. It had cancelled out her regeneration, she knew that without having to ask the Doctor, she'd seen it in his look. She'd tried to bring up the Vortex to burn it off…but it seemed to affect that energy as well. And now…she could feel it, she was just…cold, she was so cold and tired and…all she wanted was the Doctor.

She'd lost everything and all she had left was him.

"Doctor…" she tried to call, but it came out as more of a whisper than anything. It was enough though, because he stopped dawn and spun around, the robot Amy shutting its mouth where the blast was coming from, keeping River trapped in a stasis field but not actively hurting her at the moment.

"Angel," the Doctor immediately made his way to her just as the little strength she had left in her legs gave out and she nearly toppled into him. He caught her between Rory and Amy, sunk down to the floor with her, cradling her in his arms as he looked down at her, "Angel I'm…I'm so sorry."

She tried to breath but struggled to do so, "She's gone," she breathed, tears in her eyes, "It…it was a girl," she struggled, "I could feel it, near the end…I …" she started to cry, "I felt her die…"

He held her closer as she broke down in his arms, "Shh…" he whispered, tears in his own eyes, "It'll be alright Angel," he murmured to her, kissing her hair, feeling his own disturbance of the events popping up, his own fury rising. He squeezed her tighter, feeling her strength fading, knowing it was nearly time…and he'd wasted it, yet again, by focusing on River instead of trying to find a cure. At least…at least this time…he could be there for her when she died, hold her like she'd wanted him to before but he hadn't.

"You just sleep," the Doctor whispered, seeing her eyes fluttering closed, her breathing slow, "Just…rest…" his voice broke when he saw her chest lower and fail to rise.

He felt it then, his own lungs burning, feeling as though he couldn't breathe. He felt his body grow cold at the sensation, knowing it was Angel's death sneaking up on him. He welcomed it, he wanted it. He hadn't just lost his Mate just then, he'd lost his daughter as well. After losing his planet, his home, his friends and family and his own children…who could he go on now? How could he bear to endure after losing them, his…his light in the dark. He didn't want to go back to that person he'd been, all darkness, all serious, all broody. He didn't want that, he didn't want any sort of life, not without Angel.

He looked over at the robot of Amy, standing there, and leaned back with Angel in his arms, not even bothering to fight the death he could feel trying to seize him, but…before he went and joined the only two people in the world who mattered to him, he called out, "Finish her," to the robot, the Teselecta it had told him it was before.

Amy and Rory looked away as River screamed behind them, unable to bring themselves to save her while Angel was lying dead on the floor before them after having been forced to endure her child dying within her. The Doctor, though, kept his eyes on River's agonized face until his world went dark…

~8~

"We both died this time, didn't we?" a voice spoke behind the Doctor just as he closed the door to Ayla's room, peeking in to see that his daughter was still alive, still there, just sleeping, cuddled up with her Aslan.

He sighed, closing his eyes as he rested his head on the door, "How did you know?"

"Besides being psychic?" Angel joked, moving up beside him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder to turn him to face her, her hand trailing down his arm to take his hand, "You woke up and touched me, like you do after you wake up in the ones where I'M gone…and then you got up to check on Ayla, to make sure she was still here. So…the two of us then?"

"The um…three of us," he murmured, "I bought the farm too."

Angel blinked, "We died on a farm? What, did a cow sit on us?"

He let out a small laugh at that, about to correct her when he saw the small smile on her face and realized she'd been intentionally interpreting the phrase wrong, harkening back to her first incarnation to travel with him, always getting sayings wrong, but this time to cheer him up.

"So…how did it happen this time?" she wondered, "Poison?"

He blinked, "How did you…"

"The TARDIS," she remarked, "We haven't been in any real danger since the brothers broke her. You were terrified that the TARDIS was leaking a poison, that it would kill me like it did on Gallifrey. Your dreams do seem to involve our more dangerous adventures," he nodded, they did seem to be triggered by them, "And…I…caught a glimpse, just glimpse," she added quickly, "I saw Berlin and…I was in pain…"

He rubbed his face, "River she…she poisoned you…"

"But it was worse than the first time she did that."

"Yeah…" he winced, closing his eyes, "You…you were still pregnant, so near the end and the poison just…"

He couldn't bring himself to say it, he knew Angel would understand what he meant.

"Everything's fine now my love," she tugged him closer, "The TARDIS is fine, Ayla and I are still here, no poisonous gasses anywhere, and Clara's none the wiser about what happened in the TARDIS. A rather tiring but eventful few days.

He nodded, slowly feeling…just a bit better that Angel had been there, to remind him that she and Ayla were alright. It was one thing to pick in and see it, it was another for him to physically be told by that person how they felt. And…it HAD to be a dream, there were too many things that didn't add up, the humans piloting the TARDIS, Angel being pregnant, River not offering the cure he knew she had…too many things didn't fit.

"Now," Angel tugged him back, "Back to bed with you," she turned to lead him on, "I do believe I didn't quite finish 'earning your forgiveness' before."

He laughed at that, letting her pull him on, starting to smile at that. Ayla had interrupted them in the middle of Angel 'apologizing' saying that she'd made it through 15 books so far (having picked up reading much like a Time Lord, in skimming through but just a bit slower) and that she was bored. He was just...so thankful that he had Angel there with him for this, because she always made sure to remind him that everything was fine for them right now, that…no matter what the Universe put in front of them, they could handle it, together.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit on the short side, but I wanted this chapter to reflect how the poison was working quicker because Angel was pregnant and to show that the Doctor's Oncoming Storm moment took away the little time he had with her :( Poor her :( Poor Time Family :'( I can say that the next two nightmare chapters will be...quite a bit longer }:)


	51. The Crimson Horror: Sweetville

A young man and woman stood in a factory late one night, in the halls, near a window, glancing out at the cobbled streets below before facing each other again, "If I have not returned in an hour," the young man spoke, more seriously than the young woman had ever heard him speak, "You must fetch the police."

"Edmund!" the woman shook her head, frantic as she kissed him, so concerned for his safety.

He was always doing that, getting into trouble, investigating things. She loved it about him, how curious he was, how he always wanted to know the truth, but…she did worry that it would one day get him into quite a good deal of trouble. As they said, curiosity killed the cat…and now she feared it might kill him as well. This experience, this place, was far more dangerous than it first appeared.

"Don't fret, Effie, my dear," Edmund tried to reassure her, kissing her hand, "All will be well. But we must get to the bottom of this dark and queer business, no matter what the cost," he squeezed her hand once more, before walking off down the hall to a door at the end where she could see a round window in it, a red glow behind it.

He glanced back at her, giving her a reassuring smile and a nod before he stepped in. Effie kept her eye on the door even as it closed, only spinning to the side when she heard the lift ding and the doors open, a number of rather demure women stepping out, dressed in black gowns with black bonnets…

She gasped at the old woman in front of them, "Mrs. Gillyflower!"

The old woman stepped forward, her voice severe, "We have come about your husband, my dear. A tragedy."

"My husband?" Effie stiffened, unable to help but glance down the hall where Edmund had disappeared.

"Your... _late_ husband."

Effie looked back at her, frowning, praying the woman's words weren't a threat, "There must be some mistake. My husband is quite well. He..."

Before she could even finish there was an agonized scream from behind the door Edmund had disappeared past. She looked at it, startled, and back at Gillyflower, tears in her eyes as the woman just offered her a rather mocking concerned look, "We are so _very_ sorry for your loss."

Effie tried to run for the door but was held back by the women who grabbed her, her screams for help drowned in the sounds of the factory around her…

~8~

A young man who bore a striking resemblance to Edmund, stood in the local morgue, looking down at the body of Edmund himself lying there on a slab. The coroner had been 'kind' enough to give him access to the man, the body now bright red in skin tone, the face frozen in terror with its eyes wide open, making the light color of them stand out even more against the harsh red background.

"Hell fire!" the coroner murmured, "That's put me right off me mash. Another one!"

"Another?" the man looked at him, a handkerchief covering his nose and mouth should whatever happened to the red-skinned man be contagious.

"He's not the first I've had in 'ere looking like that. The Crimson Horror! That's what they're calling it!"

"I have no interest in the deplorable excesses of the penny-dreadfuls," the man scoffed, turning to leave.

But the coroner snapped his fingers, "Hey, hey. Payment in advance, flower!"

The man rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket, pulling out some coins and reaching across the body to pay for the service…when the coroner grabbed his hand, "Taking a big risk, you see, I am. They'd have my vitals for fiddle-strings if they knew I'd let you come to have a look at one of their precious stiffs."

"This 'stiff,'" the man pulled his hand away with a glare, "Is my brother. I've come up from London to bring him home."

"Oh, aye?" the coroner smirked as the man turned and strode out, he wasn't the first person to say that, and he wouldn't be the last to fail either.

~8~

A horse-drawn cab stood outside a large white house in the middle of a row of rather lovely similar houses, while Edmund's brother sat within, across from Madame Vastra as she sat in a chair in her conservatory, her black veil over her face as Jenny stood beside her.

"Thank you for agreeing to this meeting," he began, "I'm told you are the investigator to see if there are strange goings-on."

"I read of your brother's death," Vastra remarked, "Another victim of the Crimson Horror, I believe?"

"So it is claimed," the man muttered, "He was a newspaper man. He and a young woman were working undercover…"

"To investigate Sweetville," Vastra nodded.

The man stared at her, "Yes…but…how…" he hadn't mentioned anything about that place, nor had any of the papers said anything about it.

"That's where mummy and daddy are," another voice said.

He looked over to see a small girl entire the room, with strawberry-blonde hair and bright green eyes, holding the hand of a young woman with brown hair. The young woman was dressed in a corseted, high-collared, black dress with red accents, while the little girl was favoring a more short-sleeved, pale pink dress with a white sort of frock/apron over it. She had white leggings and black boots, her hair back in a French braid.

"I'm sorry?" he looked at the little girl.

Ayla blinked, "Mummy and daddy are in Sweetville right now," she told him, "They were helping Mr. Edmund," she informed him, before she blinked again, tears in her eyes, "Mummy sent Clara and I away," she squeezed Clara's hand as the woman crouched beside her, hugging her, "Because she said something bad was going to happen."

Vastra looked at the young girl sadly, the poor dear. It had startled her when she'd heard a fierce banging on her door, heard someone shouting 'Open this door! Hey! Hello! Whoever's home open up!' and pulled it open to see none other than Clara Oswin Oswald standing there, back from the dead, with Ayla sobbing in her arms.

Though, being in her line of work, and given that Clara's first words had been, 'Are you Vastra?' she had assumed, and rightfully so, that this was not, in fact the Clara Oswin Oswald that they had met in Victorian London…and given Ayla was there, she could only assume that the Doctor had a hand in it. She'd ushered them into the house, Jenny immediately getting to work on trying to calm Ayla down with Clara's help so the girl could explain as Clara wasn't quite sure what was going on. As the two women worked on Ayla…she had taken care of Strax herself, knocking the potato dwarf out with a shovel as he'd been about to attack Clara as a shape-shifter around his little general…she really had no idea why he called Ayla that. But it had all been explained, between Clara and Ayla, what happened to the Doctor and Angel for they would NEVER send their daughter away without them if it wasn't dire.

They had all agreed to hold off on asking about Clara until they saw the Doctor and Angel safe once more.

Apparently, Angel and the Doctor had been investigating mysterious deaths that Edmund had believed were connected to Sweetville. Clara and Ayla had been with them but Angel had gotten a terrible feeling and they'd been attacked. Angel had managed to teleport Clara and Ayla outside the walls of the factory town and they'd run. Clara had the psychic paper, something Angel had insisted she hold onto for some reason, and she'd been able to use it to make their way through the city. Ayla had led them right there, to the house that she remembered visiting last time she'd been in the Victorian era. And there they were. They'd been in the process of trying to come up with a plan to get them, when the man, a Mr. Thursday, had come to them as well.

"Tell me, Madame," Thursday continued, "Do you know what an optogram is?"

"It is a silly superstition, sir," Vastra laughed, "The belief that the eye can retain an image of the last thing it sees."

The man nodded, recalling how he'd done just that, taken a photo of his brother's wide open eyes. He stood, pulling the photo he'd taken out of his pocket and handing it to Jenny who stared at it alarmed, before handing it to Vastra, "This may be something you and the girl need to see," he remarked.

Vastra's eyes widened as she pushed the veil away from her reptilian face, "Good grief!"

"Oh, God!" Thursday stared at her, before his eyes rolled into his head and he fainted at the sight of the lizard woman.

Ayla blinked, "He's weird."

Clara had to laugh at that, "The Doctor's your dad, and you think HE'S weird?"

~8~

Jenny stood in the darkroom of the house, making enlargements Mr. Thursday's photo. She'd just clipped one to a line to dry…when she gasped, looking closer, "Well, I'll be blowed! I think, Madame, that we'd better make plans to head North!"

Vastra made her way over, placing a hand on Jenny's shoulder as she stared in horror at the image…the DOCTOR…reflected in the dead man's eye.

"Oh my Lord…" Vastra breathed.

"Do we show this to Ayla?" Jenny asked, glancing at Vastra in concern.

"No, no my dear," she shook her head, "Best spare her that."

The Doctor, they could see in the photo, was red-skinned, his eye wide and in pain…and Angel was nowhere to be seen.

~8~

The small group of four sat in a carriage the next morning, Ayla and Clara on one side, Vastra and Jenny on the other while Strax drove them on, "According to my research," Vastra began, "Sweetville's proprietor holds recruitment drives for her little community, isn't that right Clara?"

Clara nodded, "That's how we got in, found out about one of the recruitment seminars and went to attend."

"I didn't like Mrs. Gillyflower," Ayla scrunched her nose, "She smelled funny."

Clara laughed at that, "What, like an old person?"

"No…she smelled like burning sweets," Ayla frowned, "Blah," before she stuck out her tongue.

Clara could only shrug, she hadn't smelled anything off but she assumed that Time Lords likely had better sense of smell than a human would. She trusted Ayla, the girl had only been wrong once since they'd left Sweetville and it had been a matter of going left or right down two very similar looking streets.

"The old bat only wanted the people that fit her ideals," Clara added, making Ayla giggle and smile at her calling Gillyflower an old bat, "She wants beauty and attractive features."

"Which is why they took mummy and daddy," Ayla nodded.

"Well, your mum at least," Clara joked.

"Clara that's mean!" Ayla pointed at her.

"I'm just saying, your dad's big old chin nearly got him excluded," she tickled Ayla's stomach in return.

"In that case," Strax called from the front, "You may rely on me, ma'ams."

All four women looked at him a moment, "You're funny Mr. Strax," Ayla told him.

Vastra smiled at that, "I was, in fact, thinking of Jenny."

"Jenny?" Strax scoffed, "If this weak and fleshy boy is to represent us, I strongly recommend the issuing of scissor grenades, limbo vapor, and triple-blast brain splitters."

"Um…why?" Clara shook her head, she knew why Vastra was refusing to let her and Ayla go in…well, go in as in a visible way. Gillyflower had met them all after they'd signed up interviewed them personally to get a sense of them. She'd recognize her and Ayla in an instant. So Jenny was the only one who could actually go and sneak around in sight.

She knew Ayla was rather unhappy about that, that she'd have to wait and not be able to go in and help her parents, but she HAD helped them in getting to Vastra and explaining the situation, making it so Jenny would be more prepared.

"Just generally," Strax remarked, "Remember, we are going to the _North_."

"And what's wrong with the North?" Clara crossed her arms.

"Lots of planets have a North," Ayla added, giggling a bit as she recalled her father's one accent that her mother had told her about.

~8~

Jenny sat in the audience of an old building in town, Mrs. Gillyflower at the podium on top of the stage, giving a speech that reminded her more of a sermon than anything, about the 'Present Moral Decay and the Coming Apocalypse!' She probably would have gasped at the title if she, Vastra, and Strax didn't thwart the 'coming apocalypse' every other week.

"Bradford, that Babylon for the Moderns, with its crystal light and its glitter," the woman was preaching, "All aswarm with the wretched ruins of humanity. Men and women crushed by the devil's juggernaut! And moral turpitude can destroy the most delicate of lives. Believe me, I know. I know…"

Jenny rolled her eyes at the speech, looking at the two young men and women, dressed in black that stood on either side of her. There was a small object on an easel that had a cloth over it to the side and another area with a cloth hanging around it like a screen. One of the women went over to the second screen and pulled a cord, dropping it to reveal a young woman sitting there, in a grey dress, with brown hair.

"My own daughter. Blinded in a drunken rage by my late husband!" Mrs. Gillyflower lamented as the woman turned her head, the hall gasping though Jenny frowned to see the girl's eyes were a hazy blue, and there were terrible scars around her eyes, "Her once-beautiful eyes, pale and white as mistletoe berries," the girl stood and made her way across the stage with her cane to guide the way, "And what, my friends, is your story? Will you be found wanting when the End of Days is come, when judgment rains down upon us all? Or will you be preserved against the coming apocalypse? Do not despair! I offer a way out! There is a different path! Sweetville!" the daughter pulled the cloth off the first object on the easel to reveal a painting of a rather lovely, quaint village, "Join us! Join us in this shining city on the hill!" Jenny grimaced as the woman began to sing, "Bring me my bow of burning gold. Bring me my arrows of desire..."

~8~

Jenny smiled up at Gillyflower as she made her way up to the line of people signing up, ready to put her name down in the book, "You wish to join us, my dear?" the woman asked, smiling as she stepped before her and some other women.

"If it's all the same with you, ma'am," she answered politely.

"Oh, yes, dear," Gillyflower eyed her, handing her a pen to sign the ledger, "You'll do very nicely."

Jenny gave her a polite smile and signed her name…

~8~

"Are you SURE Aunt Jenny will be ok?" Ayla asked as she stood outside with Clara and Vastra, Strax keeping a lookout.

"She has quite the experience dealing with the strange dear," Vastra reassured her, "She shall be fine."

"And you're sure she'll find the Doctor and Angel?" Clara wondered, shifting.

"If our strategy is to succeed, Jenny will infiltrate deep into the black heart of this place."

"But how will she locate the Time Lords?" Strax remarked.

"To find him, she needs only to ignore all keep out signs, go through every locked door, and run towards any form of danger that presents itself."

"Well then," Clara nodded, knowing that, to find the Doctor, Angel wouldn't be far away, "She'll find him in no time, right cutie?" she smiled at Ayla.

"Daddy sees keep out signs as suggestions," Ayla nodded.

~8~

The young woman, Mrs. Gillyflower's daughter, Ada, climbed a spiral staircase, her cane tucked under her arm, not needing it for this particular climb as she was quite familiar with the factory by now. She held a plate of food in her hand and smiled when she reached the top. She moved her cane to her hand, walking down a hall, pausing when she turned a corner, able to hear something that sounded like thumping and strangled, angry screams. She sighed, it seemed her monster was awake now.

She made her way down the hall, the screams and thumps getting louder the nearer she got to a particular door. She placed her cane against the wall and reached out, fumbling for the handle, using it as leverage to kneel on the floor. She slid a panel up on the bottom of the door and pushed the plate in, quickly closing it.

She smiled when the thumping stopped, "Did you think I'd forgotten you, dear monster? Hmm?"

She jumped back with a gasp as a thump sounded again, right by her ear, a strangled scream muffled by the door. She swallowed hard and grabbed her cane, using it to stand as she headed off.

~8~

Thursday walked up to a door to a house that he'd been given the address of just a block away from the Sweetville factory, pushing his way past sheets that were hanging out on a line to dry. He paused at the door, straightening his clothes, before he used the knocker.

The door opened and he bowed his head in greeting, "I have travelled from London expressly to see Madame Vastra," he began, handing over his calling card, "If you'd be so kind as to announce me, my good man."

Strax rolled his eyes and took the card, "Whom should I say is calling?"

Thursday looked up at him, seeing the potato dwarf standing before him…and promptly fainted.

"I told you," a voice whispered behind Strax as he turned to see Ayla and Clara there, the girl speaking to her the woman, "YOU should have answered the door Clara. Mr. Thursday would have stuttered, 'cos you're pretty, but he'd still be awake."

Clara laughed and shook her head, "Always funny when men faint though eh?"

"Daddy prefers to call it turning off the world for a moment," Ayla recited.

"Yeah, your dad would," Clara remarked, watching as Strax walked over to Thursday and merely grabbed the man's one leg, dragging him into the house, heading for the parlor where they'd been speaking to Vastra only moments ago when the door was knocked upon.

"Need any help?" Clara called, wincing as Thursday's head thumped a bit on the corner as Strax continued to drag the man along.

"I am more than capable of moving a sack of human scum," Strax called back as Clara blinked at that.

But she shrugged and led Ayla back into the parlor to see that Strax had managed to get Thursday onto a sofa, the man on his back, still pale, still unconscious. Ayla dashed over and pulled out a fan from her apron pocket, a pocket that was bigger on the inside, to wave at Thursday, trying to help.

"It asked for permission to enter and then it fell over," Strax turned to Vastra as she held out a photo to Clara to examine, looking at one herself, "What are we to make of it?"

"He wants to know how we're doing," Ayla told them.

"Yes, I'd imagine so," Vastra sighed and stood, "The question is, how did the Doctor's image come to be preserved on a dead man's eye? It is a scientific impossibility. And where's Angel?"

"Close," Clara said, "She'd have to be close, no way the Doctor, no matter what's happened to him, would let anything happen to her."

Ayla looked down at Mr. Thursday, fanning him faster, not really wanting to listen to them talk about her parents like that. She'd seen it, managed to sneak a peek at the photos. She'd seen her father, red and scared, but…she'd seen something else, in his eyes…his wide open eyes…she'd seen what the others had missed, because they didn't know what to look for. She'd seen the…anger. She'd seen the darkness that her daddy tried to hide from her but never quite managed nor did she want him to, because he was her dad and she'd love him no matter what, the darkness was as much a part of him as her mummy's light was her. She knew exactly what that combination was though…it was the Mating instinct her mother told her of once, it was the drive for a Mate to protect the other…it was usually stronger in males, made them react defensively against others. And THAT was what she'd seen…whatever it was…her mother was in danger and her father was terribly, terribly concerned and reacting to it.

She hoped that Jenny found them quickly, because the longer her father fretted, the stronger the instinct would become. She…really had no idea what he'd be like when he was found, to know that her mother was in danger and he was somewhere he couldn't help. She knew that he'd been very angry and cross about Demons Run, her Uncle Rory had told her about it, a story about how much her father loved them and would protect them. But he'd had the TARDIS, he'd been free, he'd been doing things and distracting himself. She…got the feeling this time he was chained up, he was restrained somehow and that was SO much worse.

"I hope Jenny's getting on ok," Clara murmured.

"If she hasn't made contact by nightfall, I suggest a massive frontal assault on the factory, Madames," Strax suggested, "Casualties can be kept to perhaps as little as 80 percent."

"Daddy and mummy would want that to be 0 percent, and so do I," Ayla told him.

"I think there may be subtler ways of proceeding, Strax," Vastra agreed.

"Suit yourself," Strax muttered, turning o head out of the room to prepare lunch and tea.

"Clara…" Ayla called as the woman handed the photos back to Vastra and made her way over, kneeling beside her, "Mummy and daddy _will_ be ok…won't they?"

She had ample faith in her parents to keep others safe, to keep her safe but…she also knew they did better when they were together, that they protected each other. With them separated, as they clearly were since her mother wasn't in any of the pictures, she always worried about them then.

"Course they will be," Clara nodded, poking her in the stomach, "Your Aunt Jenny's on her way to help them too, they'll be just fine," she held out a pinky, promising her that…

…and praying that she hadn't just made a promise she couldn't keep.

~8~

Jenny had never been more thankful to stand in a line in her life than she had been in the waiting hall for Sweetville. Anything to escape Mrs. Gillyflower and her horrendously boring sermon was a win in her book. She glanced around her at all the people trying to get in, trying to see if she could spot anything worth investigating on the way.

"I'm dead nervous, aren't you?" a young ginger woman spoke behind her, "They have to be sure, you see. Only the best for Sweetville! I hope me teeth don't let me down," Jenny glanced over as the woman flashed her teeth in a grimace…rather…truly terribly bad teeth to be honest, "I'm Abigail."

"Pleased to meet you," Jenny murmured, starting to look around again.

"You're not local, are you?"

"Nah. Up from London."

"Different here, I bet."

"Oh, yeah!" Jenny nodded, "Like a bleedin' horse-market," she glanced at Abigail, hearing the local accent in her tone, maybe she'd know more about Sweetville than the others, "Do you know anyone who's come to live here? In Sweetville, I mean."

"I...I had a pal who come here three month back," Abigail admitted, "She wrote to tell me how perfect it all were. Funny, though. I've not heard a peep from her since."

Jenny nodded, that was just as she feared, the people who entered Sweetville never came out again.

"Next, please!" the man at the head of the line called as the people stepped up.

"Hang on," Abigail smiled, "We're moving."

Abigail moved to step forward just as Jenny slipped to the side, towards a door she spotted that read 'No Entry.' She had to smile at that, she did love 'keep out' signs, they were so much fun to ignore. She glanced around and quickly unrolled a lock pick set.

"What you doin'?" Abigail frowned, spotting it.

"Do us a favor," Jenny whispered as she began to pick the lock, "Cause a distraction."

"What?"

"Swoon. Have a funny turn. Fit of the vapors."

"Are you crackers?"

Jenny smirked, "Go on. There's a guinea in it for you," she held out the coin to Abigail with a wink.

Abigail eyed it for a moment before snatching the coin, "Done," she agreed before starting to take rather deep, wheezing breaths, drawing the attention of everyone around her before she did as Jenny remarked and turned suddenly, swooning as men leapt forward to catch her, the people rushing over to help allowing Jenny to slip through the door without being seen.

Jenny turned around to see that she was in a rather large room…empty. And empty large room that was apparently making factory noises, the sounds of machines going. She walked forward, stepping further into it, wincing as she put her hands to her ears, spotting what looked like bell-shaped speakers blasting out the sounds. She rushed past them, trying to get behind them, and let out a breath when the noise got lower. She let her ears go and looked around, frowning at how there was absolutely nothing there. She glanced at the speakers, wondering why they were needed. Clearly she knew it was to make it seem like that was where the factory was…but if there was no factory…why wasn't there? Why make it sound like it was?

She looked over when she heard a door open, before ducking down by the speakers, seeing two men enter, moving across the room with a large glass container that had a deep red liquid in it between them. She squinted, leaning over as she watched them enter the lift, before dashing over to it the moment the doors shut.

~8~

Clara, Ayla, and Vastra stood in the coroner's that day, the man pushing aside a curtain blocking his shelves to reveal a number of glass jars on them.

"Them new manufacturers can do 'orrible things to a person," the man spoke, "'Orrible. I've pickled things in here that'd fair turn your hair snowy as top of Buckden Pike," he licked his lips, thinking about it.

"You know what we're looking for," Vastra cut in with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, aye. All them bits found in't canal. The Crimson Horror!"

"Yes, we know what it's called," Clara rolled her eyes this time, the man had given her and Ayla the same spiel when they'd been there with the Doctor and Angel, "Get on with it."

She knew it was probably very rude to do that, but…given that the politest girl on the planet hadn't commented on it and told her not to talk like that…she could only assume that Ayla was too worried about her parents to care at the moment. She really felt so terribly for the little girl, to not know if her parents were alright, to operate on blind faith. Sure, the Doctor and Angel had built up enough of it to last a lifetime, had proven their worthiness to be trusted over and over, but…Ayla was just a little girl, a century old girl, but still a child. She didn't want to have to be the one to say she'd been orphaned, she didn't want anything to happen to the Doctor or Angel at all. So she was trying to keep Ayla's mind off of it, playing games with her, reading to her, cooking with her, and other things, just…waiting for word was hard enough without the child worrying about her parents.

The Doctor rand Angel weren't there, therefore…it fell to Ayla's family to see to it that she was taken care of and reassured. She smiled at that thought, Ayla's family, which she now knew…DID include HER. She was now officially Ayla's…

"It hardly seems possible!"

Clara's thoughts were cut off by Vastra's shout. She looked over to see the woman had lifted her black veil to stare at a bottle of red liquid the coroner had given her.

"What is it Aunt Vastra?" Ayla frowned.

"I think... I think I've seen these symptoms before," Vastra breathed.

"Oh, aye?" the coroner blinked.

"A long time ago."

"How long?" Clara eyed her.

Vastra looked at her, concerned, "About 65 million years!"

~8~

Mrs. Gillyflower sat slumped over her soup at lunch, slurping way at it while her daughter sat across from her, perfectly straight, eating her meal as delicately as possible, trying to be the prim and proper young lady that would be befitting Sweetville.

"I trust you had a pleasant day, Mama?" Ada inquired politely.

"Tolerable," was all her mother gave her by way of a curt reply.

Ada nodded and tilted her head in the direction of another plate that had been set, an empty seat for a guest of the highest honor, a guest who…never seemed to make himself known, "Will Mr. Sweet ever join us for dinner, Mama?"

"Mr. Sweet is rather tired tonight, I fear," Mrs. Gillyflower remarked, reaching for the salt…only to knock it over, spilling a bit of it, Dear me. How clumsy I'm getting," she laughed, tossing some of it over her shoulder, "To keep the Devil at bay," she remarked.

Mrs. Gillyflower looked over at the young man who had served them and nodded. The man gave a stiff nod back before he turned and walked away, leaving them to their privacy. She smirked and reached for a bit of sugar that was sitting in a bowl. She pulled her napkin from her neckline and poured a pinch of the sugar down the inside of her dress. She smiled, patting her chest before she continued to eat, Ada none the wiser of what her mother had done.

~8~

Jenny slowly stepped out of the lift, into a hall, looking around as cautiously as she could, making sure it was empty before she made her way out completely. She frowned, seeing a door with a small round window in it, a red glow shining through it. She slowly made her way over to it, peeking through…only to hear a noise behind her, like a creak, and spun around. She let out a breath, seeing nothing but a spiral staircase at the end.

She eyed it a moment before smirking and rushing towards it, climbing quickly up it to another level. She looked around at the even more abandoned and dusty hall she was now in before she jumped. There was a terrible bang at the end of the hall, coming from a room. She frowned at it, listening as the bang joined a thump, sounding like someone was throwing something against the wall or the door.

She cautiously made her way over to it, peering at it. She tried the handle but it was locked and frowned, she didn't want to risk opening it in case the thing inside was dangerous. And then she spotted the panel on the bottom. She grinned and knelt down, lifting it to peer through the bottom…when a bright red hand shot out and grabbed at her neck. She jumped back, out of reach of the hand that slid back into the room, the thuds and the thumps stronger than ever now, a sort of…growling sounding as well.

She panted a moment, more startled than frightened, before she took a breath and stood, heading to the door once more, "Alright, mate," she called through it, "You just stay calm now!" she jumped back a bit when the thud sounded stronger, a muffled sort of strained scream following it, anger clearly evident in the tone of it, "Now you listen here!" she frowned, crossing her arms at the door, "I could open this door. But you and me has got to come to an arrangement, savvy?" she waited, listening as the room fell quiet, "Good, now, you stand well back," she pulled out her lock pick, "Do you hear me? I don't mean no harm to ya'. But you try anything funny and I'll leave you here to rot. Is that understood?" there was silence. She sighed, taking that as a yes, "Right."

She took a breath and began to pick the lock, hesitating when it clicked before she slowly opened the door…her eyes widening in horror at what she saw, taking a single step back in a bit of fear as well.

"Doctor?" she breathed.

And there he was, the man himself, dressed in a white shirt and trousers, his skin raw red, but with darker red markings on his knuckles and palms, the knees of his pants torn. His eyes were wide but…not afraid…no…more angry than anything. His face frozen with his mouth open but Jenny could tell he was in a murderous mood by how his hands were clenching into fists despite how painful it appeared to be.

"What's happened to you?" Jenny whispered, but the Doctor lunged at her with a growl, making her jump back, "Oi! Stop it! I'm 'ere to help ya!" she eyed him a moment, concerned, "Can't you speak?"

"A…ann…" he tried but let out a frustrated groan when he couldn't add more.

"Right," Jenny shook her head, "We're getting out of here," she muttered, reaching out to work on the shackles that bound his wrists, making quick work of them, "There we go!"

The Doctor whipped his hands to the side, pointing at a small bundle of his clothes in the corner, Jenny running to get them, only to turn back and see the Doctor was already halfway out the door, walking shakily, stiffly, in quite a bit of pain but determined.

"Oi!" she ran after him, trying to get to him and help him on wherever he was trying to go, wincing as he nearly toppled down the spiral staircase, "Where are we going?" she asked as they rounded a corner, passing the lift just as it started to head up to them, "Come on!" she tried to pull him along but the Doctor seemed to be struggling, fighting her.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist, physically pulling him off, ignoring his groans of pain, and through the door with the red window just as Ada stepped out of the lift. The young blind woman paused a moment, listening, before she smiled and headed off towards the spiral staircase, a plate of food in her hands.

Jenny watched her go through the small window a moment before turning around to see the Doctor wandering away from her, "Doctor!" she huffed, rushing after him…only to stop short as they passed a large window that showed the inside of the true factory.

She stared in horror at the large vats of bubbling red liquid lined within the large room beyond the window. Men and women, unconscious, hanging from racks by their armpits, were moved through the room in the air, and then…lowered right into the liquid itself.

"Oh, my God," she breathed, "Doctor what…" she rolled her eyes, he was already halfway down the hall.

~8~

Ada smiled as she made her way down the hall from the staircase, reaching out with a hand as she approached the door to the room she kept her monster in, "You're all I have, monster," she remarked, "But all will be well. Imperfect as we are, there be will room for us in the new Jerusalem!" she laughed, placing a hand on the door…only for it to swing open.

She gasped, frantically entering the room, swinging her cane around, looking for her monster, but he wasn't there. She stopped dead when there was a clang as her cane hit something metal, "No…" she breathed, kneeling down and feeling that the metal…were the shackles she'd chained him up in, "NO! Where are you, monster? Where are you?"

She looked around, starting to weep, she was all alone now…

Oh her mama would not be pleased.

~8~

"Doctor where are we going?!" Jenny demanded as she helped…more like followed…the Doctor down a hall towards a set of booths with small circular window in the top, thin metal bars like slates running across it.

The Doctor ignored her, reaching out for the handle to the door, a look of fierce determination on his face as he failed to open it.

"What is it?" Jenny frowned, "You want to go there?"

He merely groaned louder, which she interpreted to mean a yes. She rushed forward and pulled the door open, the Doctor ambling in as quickly as he could, turning around as Jenny handed him his clothes. He winced, clamping his jaw shut, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out the sonic. He flicked it on, Jenny shutting the door and hiding beside the booth when she saw two of the men walking past.

She stepped cautiously away from the booth however when it started to make a rather strange noise, a green light of the sonic replacing the red that had naturally been there. She frowned, squinting at the slates, watching the light…when the door suddenly was thrown open with a crash against the wall and she stumbled back.

The Doctor was standing there, in his typical purple outfit, panting in absolute fury, the anger and rage in his eyes startling Jenny as his jaw tensed, his eyes narrowed as his hands curled into fists. She swallowed hard…she had seen that look before, once before, just before Demons Run.

He looked at her, a hard look in his eye, before demanding, "Where's Angel?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy...where IS Angel? Oncoming Storm here he comes lol }:) I tried to incorporate as much of Angel/the Doctor/Ayla as I could in this chapter before we actually got to them. I thought it would be an interesting twist that Ayla and Clara escaped to sort of help with that. I hope you liked it :)


	52. The Crimson Horror: Reunited

"I…I dunno," Jenny shook her head, not quite sure what she could say to the Doctor's question without him flying off the handle.

She'd…seen how he was when he got like this. She and Vastra had been among the first, besides the Doctor's companions, to be picked up for help in Demons Run. She'd seen him getting progressively worse as time went on, how he'd snap at people, how he'd start muttering threats under his breath, how he got all jumpy and fidgety and hard to focus. She could see it even now, how tense and angry he was. She didn't know how long the man could have been like that, not long if they'd been helping that Edmund bloke, but…she'd also seen a hint of this in him when they'd dealt with the Great Intelligence.

Because this time, his Mate wasn't just his Mate, she was the mother of his child. And this time it wasn't that she was held somewhere away from him, but that HE was being restrained from finding her.

"Did you see her?" he demanded, stalking out of the booth, "Hear whispers about her? Anything!?"

"No, Doctor, I…I just found you," Jenny replied, trying to be calm. Madame Vastra had mentioned to her that, when Time Lords reached this point, the point beyond fury, when a male Time Lord reached this point and level of the Mating instinct, the best option was to be calm, to be as calm as possible.

She swallowed, trying another option to try and calm him, "Ayla and Clara came to us," she added, hoping that the mention of his daughter, the fact that she was safe, would ease his worries if a bit, "And we came as soon as we could. Wherever she is Doctor…she's ok, Ayla thinks she's ok."

She didn't add the 'for now' that the little girl had murmured on the way over.

The Doctor let out breath, shaking his head as he stepped back, he looked around the hall a moment, before holding the sonic up, tracing Angel, not about to leave it to JUST the Mating bonds pulling him off. The sonic's whirr increased and he took off in that direction.

"Doctor!" Jenny shouted, rushing after him.

She knew the Doctor wasn't a violent man but if they came across any of the 'pilgrims' as Mrs. Gillyflower had called them, well…it would be best if SHE was there to deal with them instead. Not only because she was quite certain that the Doctor, in this state of mind, wouldn't care at all if he hurt one of the humans in his quest to get to his Mate, but because she knew he'd regret harming them once the instinct had passed.

"Doctor wait!" she picked up the edge of her dress and ran faster.

"No!" he snapped, not even looking over his shoulder at her, not even slowing in his mad rush down the halls, the sonic out before him, following it to Angel, "I need to find Angel!"

And he did, that was all his mind could focus on now that Jenny had reassured him that Ayla was safe with Clara and Vastra. At the moment, all he could think of was that Angel was out there, somewhere, she was in the factory and she was alone and she needed him and heaven help Gillyflower if Angel was in even a fraction of the pain he had been in. He winced at the thought of that, his mind repeating the same mantra it often had in the past, _'find Angel, help Angel, save his Mate, findAngel, helpAngel, savehisMate, findAngelhelpAngelsavehisMate_!' over and over, faster and faster, getting louder and quicker with each pounding of his heart.

He had to find her!

"What happened to you?" Jenny asked, "How did you even get like that?"

The Doctor's jaw tensed, not speaking, but his mind certainly drifted back to just how that had all happened…

~oOo~

_The TARDIS set down off in the back of a small little alley in a quaint village in the country, the Doctor stepping out with a flourish, spinning Ayla, who was in his arms, in a circle, before he kissed his daughter's cheek and placed her down, taking her hands and swaying, "London 1893!" he cheered, spinning her in a small circle._

_She looked adorable, in her pale pink dress, her white apron frock, white leggings and boots, well, she was always adorable in his eyes, his little girl. She would be though, she was Angel's daughter._

_'Yours as well,' he heard Angel remark in his mind as she stepped out of the TARDIS with Clara, the young human dressed in black with white accents, her brown hair curled with a small black bonnet on. She didn't hold a candle to Angel though._

_The woman was wearing a lovely white dress with thin purple pinstripes down it. It was very fitted at the top, and actually appeared to be more like a rather long jacket. The jacket was long sleeved with dark purple cuffs folded back by her wrists and was buttoned more so at the top, flowing out on the sides, making up most of her skirt. She wasn't wearing a bustle as was customary for the times though. She had a stark white dress without pinstripes on under her jacket, which really was only visible in the skirt portion of her outfit, the white contrasting to the edges of her jacket as it hung open. There were three thick stripes on the bottom of her skirt, that ran around parallel to the ground, around her knee height. She also had something that he was…rather fond of and now was actually regretting keeping the bowtie because of…a tie. A dark purple tie, a true tie, but smaller and more feminine, hanging from around her neck and tucked into the top of her jacket. She had small white gloves on, her hair tucked into a small bun, with a white boater hat on her head, a thick purple ribbon running around it._

_He hadn't stopped grinning since he'd seen her step out in it, it was so…her. Fitted, yet modest, fashionable yet tasteful, and just…lovely on her. And he rather liked the small nod to his last self in the pinstripes and the tie, yet the blending of his currents self in the purple accents._

_'Oh no,' he stood, walking over to her and taking her hands, 'She gets it ALL from you,' he winked, giving her a kiss._

_"Daddy?" Ayla called as she pulled them out of their little moment, "Are we in London?"_

_"Yup!" he grinned, spinning around, "London, England, Earth, the…"_

_"Wrong place," Angel cut in with a small laugh, cutting off the Donna speech she knew as coming, "Yorkshire," she told him._

_"Really?" he looked around, pouting, "Well…close…"_

_"VERY close," Angel laughed, moving over to put her arm around his waist as she kissed his cheek, "Still 1893, very well done my love."_

_Clara shook her head, but she supposed it WAS quite a feat for the Doctor to get even the date right, "You're making a habit of this," she remarked, closing the TARDIS doors behind her, "Getting us lost."_

_"Sorry," the Doctor laughed, moving to take Ayla's hand, linking his arm with Angel instead as they walked, "It's much better than it used to be. I once spent a hell of a long time trying to get a gobby Australian to Heathrow Airport."_

_"What for?"_

_"Search me," he grinned, "Anyway..."_

_He was cut off suddenly when Angel reached out and put a gloved finger on his lips, making him go cross-eyed to look at…when a scream sounded._

_He laughed, pulling her hand off his lips to kiss the tip of her finger, "Brave heart, sweetheart!" he called to Ayla as they took off running towards the scream, Clara shaking her head amused at the family._

_Their first thought was always helping others, wasn't it?_

~oOo~

_The Doctor winced as he leaned over the side of a canal bridge to see a body floating face down in the water, its skin bright, almost candy-like red, wearing white clothes. He grimaced, stepping back and shaking his head at Angel not to let Ayla, who was standing before her, closer. Clara frowned though as she took a peek._

_"It's another one, don't you see?!" a young man, Edmund, was ranting at the top of his lungs as a pair of police tried to hold him back, tried to drag him away from the crowd of people that had gathered to look at the body, "Another victim! Why won't any one of you listen?"_

_"We'd be happy to listen," Angel offered._

_"We can help!" Ayla added, fidgeting in excitement._

_The Doctor beamed as he draped his arm around Angel's shoulders, winking down at Ayla, he loved helping people._

~oOo~

_Edmund walked with the small quartet to the gates of a factory, Sweetville it was called, the five of them looking through the bars of the community and into the courtyard beyond, "Mrs. Winifred Gillyflower," Edmund explained, "An astonishing woman. A prize-winning chemist and mechanical engineer. So why..."_

_"Why has she decided to open up a match factory in her old home town?" the Doctor guessed, smirking at how 'psychic' he sounded, which made Angel playfully nudge him for it._

_Edmund nodded, "And no one who ever goes to live there ever seems to come out."_

_"Are there Oompa Loompa?" Ayla blinked up at him._

_"What?" the man frowned._

_"I…don't think it's that sort of factory," Clara smiled at her, knowing that her mind had gone to Willy Wonka at a name like 'Sweetville' and how the man had remarked about going in and not coming out._

_"Oh," Ayla pouted at that._

_"We'll go visit some when we're done," Angel promised, crossing her hearts._

_Clara blinked, "Hold on…you're not telling me Oompa Loompas are real?"_

_"Course they're real," the Doctor stated, "A name like that, got to be real eh."_

_Angel shook her head, "We accidently kidnapped Roald Dahl once," Angel offered as an explanation._

_Clara blinked, only able to imagine that particular adventure but…now that she thought about it, it DID explain quite a few things that appeared in Dahl's writings…magic flying transport, oompa loompas apparently, maybe even…a little girl wise beyond her years with magic powers…she looked at Ayla and Angel before turning her gaze at the Doctor who winked with a secretive smile._

~8~

_The Doctor, Clara, Edmund, and the coroner stood looking down at a body that had been in the canal. Angel and Ayla were in another room, neither Time Lord willing to let the little girl see the dead body and Angel was…even less a fan of death in this incarnation than she had been. She didn't like death at all, and dead bodies…were just not something she wanted to be around. The Doctor understood completely, not only was it hard for someone as kind as Angel to be around them but…the last body she'd seen during the War had been her sister's and he knew she associated dead bodies with that, he didn't want to put her through that if he could avoid it._

_"Same as the rest," Edmund sighed, "All dead from causes unknown and their flesh...glowing."_

_"Like something manky in a coal cellar," the coroner nodded, "They keep turning up in't canal. The Crimson Horror!"_

_"Ooh," the Doctor pointed at him, "Good name. Hey, that's good, isn't it?" he glanced at Clara, "The Crimson Horror! Eh?"_

_Clara laughed and shook her head, "Focus Doctor. What exactly IS the Crimson Horror."_

_He nodded, "Right, yes," he snapped his finger and pointed at her, before he turned back to the body, pulling out a magnifying glass and examining it, pausing at the wide eyes, "Do you know the old Romany superstition, Clara? That the eye of a dead person retains an image of the last thing it sees?"_

_Clara frowned as he held out the glass, leaning over to see the image of an old, severe looking woman, reflected in the man's eye._

_"It's nonsense, of course," the Doctor continued, "Unless the chemical composition of the body has been massively corrupted," he pulled on a glove and rubbed the skin with it, looking at the red substance between his fingers._

~oOo~

_Ayla was standing at the corner of a table, watching her father analyze the red substance from the body that had been covered up and put back in place, her and her mother rejoining them afterwards. Angel smiled as she watched the Doctor explain his little chemistry set to Ayla as he went about examining the 'red stuff' as he called it. Ayla was watching in rapt attention, absorbing everything her father said about it._

_"Wow," the Doctor muttered, "This is nasty sweetheart."_

_"What is it?" Clara asked as she and Angel walked over._

_"An organic poison. A sort of venom."_

_Angel tilted her head as she eyed it, "It's definitely something to do with Sweetville," she nodded, getting that._

_"Well, then," the Doctor grinned, kissing her cheek, "We need a plan!"_

_"Oh," Ayla pouted._

_The Doctor knelt before her taking her hands, "What's wrong sweetheart?"_

_Ayla just shrugged, "I like your things," she said simply, "It's much more fun when you make it up as you go daddy, and you do it brilliantly!"_

_He grinned widely at that, "Well I can promise I won't make up TOO much of a plan then," he winked at her, "Better?"_

_"Much!" she beamed as Clara laughed, shaking her head, oh Ayla was most certainly the Doctor's daughter._

~oOo~

_The old woman that they'd seen in the man's eye, Mrs. Gillyflower according to Edmund, grinned as they stood before her in her office of the Sweetville factory, "Doctor and Mrs. Smith," she greeted, coming over to shake his and Angel's hand, "And your precious girl," she leaned in to pat Ayla on the head, "And the nanny," she nodded at Clara._

_"Oh, no, no," the Doctor laughed, a North accent to his words, "She's not our nanny."_

_"I'm as good as though," Clara remarked in a North accent too, eyeing the Doctor oddly, not quite sure why he was contradicting that, she COULD be a nanny, she WAS a nanny, if Gillyflower thought she was Ayla's nanny, why argue? Wasn't the point just to get into the factory?_

_The Doctor looked over at Clara softly and let out a gentle breath, before he looked at Angel who nodded encouragingly at him, a soft smile on her face. He nodded, taking Angel's hand, and turned back to Gillyflower, "She's my sister."_

_Clara's eyes widened as she let out a breath at that, blinking rapidly as she felt tears in her eyes, starting to smile when Ayla took her hand, "She's my Aunt Clara," the girl stated proudly with her own North accent._

_Clara looked down at her, laughing a bit before she looked at the Doctor, who sent her a wink, making her absolutely beam at that. She…she really WAS part of the family now wasn't she? Oh that was…that was…incredible! Brilliant! Fantastic! Moto bene!_

_Angel smiled as she watched Clara's reaction, before leaning over to kiss the Doctor's cheek, 'Thank you my love,' she whispered to him, 'For FINALLY accepting that.'_

_'Yes well,' he tried to play it off, 'She's…she was always going to be family, wasn't she?'_

_He had…finally given in. Clara was just…she was family, she really was. He had half expected Angel to claim the girl, like she had most of his past companions, for the family, but…she held off. He had, at first, thought that it was because she didn't rust Clara or who she was, but when Angle had made it abundantly clear that she DID trust Clara, because the other hers had died to save them in the past, he realized…there was another reason for it. The little hints and remarks she dropped had only made him more aware of what that was. Angel had thought that HE should claim Clara for the family this time. No…it wasn't that she thought he should, it was that she saw him already leaning in that direction._

_And he had been, for a long time now, starting to think of Clara as more than just a companion or a friend but…truly as a sister, a little sister. Because…she reminded him so much of HIS sister, from Gallifrey. It was almost eerie how much Clara was like her, how she stood up to him but listened to him when it was important, how she argued with him but understood him, how she always questioned him but believed in him, how she looked out for him even when teasing him. She was JUST like his sister had been, mostly in personality and a few of her expressions that…the more he thought about it, the longer he was around Clara the more he started to see her as…his sister._

_HIS sister._

_Well, that was new._

_He wondered how the other companions would feel when they realized HE had taken a sister into the family instead of Angel. Well, he supposed they'd either be jealous that he hadn't considered them family that much but…they all seemed rather content to be Angel's family, and that was all the better. Angel was right, she had such a large family and even though they were mostly his companions…that was just it, they were his companions, they weren't his siblings like they were her. Now the reverse was true, Clara WAS his sister, he had officially decided that, she'd be his sister. And, really, she did act and look quite a bit like him. She was as excited as him and could talk as fast as him, was brave and clever, and…she looked like him too, with her brown hair and everything, they COULD pass as siblings…much like Angel had with Rose in her first body on their trips, and then with Donna and then Jack and even Rory could have passed as her sibling when she'd regenerated again and had lighter hair like Rory's._

_But now it was HIS turn…his turn to look like the companion, his turn to…to add to the family. And…he hadn't expected to like that idea this much. Yes, Clara was his sister. That was…wonderful, really. He could understand now why Angel did that so much. It really…made him feel warm and…and less lonely. Because Angel had been right, in what she'd told Jack as he'd worried about outliving his family, he would still be there to watch over Steven's children, just like Angel would be there to watch over all her siblings' children. Now…HE could be there to watch over Clara and her family in the future. She really had gotten through to him about that, about how it wasn't a curse to look back at his past companions, because…in doing so…he got to see the lives they lived, the children they had, the families they'd created, and…he could watch out for them too. Be a…guardian angel himself._

_"Ah, yes," Mrs. Gillyflower laughed a bit embarrassedly, "My apologies my dear," she shook Clara's hand, "You look very much alike."_

_The Doctor laughed heartily at that, "Yes we do," he agreed, draping an arm platonically around Clara's shoulders, before adding, "Mother thought very much the same," he winked at Angel, recalling her words to Caecillius when they'd met the man and he'd thought she and Donna were sisters._

_"Oh," Gillyflower smiled at them, "You'll all do very nicely."_

_"Oh, grand. Smashing. Eh," he let go of Clara and took Angel's hand, "The missus and I couldn't be more chuffed, could we, love?" he kissed her hand as he looked at her._

_"Oh no," Angel laughed, trying to mimic the North accent and doing a…very poor job, "Just tickled."_

_"No, no," the Doctor grinned at her, "Don't do that."_

_Angel just winked at him._

~oOo~

_The Doctor and Angel followed Mrs. Gillyflower through the courtyard of the factory, their arms linked as Ayla skipped beside Clara, the girl walking behind them, "Sweetville will provide you with everything you need," Gillyflower was saying, "You won't have to worry about a thing...ever again."_

_"The name," Clara remarked, "Sweetville."_

_"Yes?"_

_"It's funny!" Ayla cheered._

_"Why not name it after yourself?" Clara added as Gillyflower seemed almost offended, "After all, it's your creation."_

_"Gillyflowertown, eh?" the Doctor suggested, "Gillyflowerland! You could have roller-coasters!"_

_"It is named in tribute to my partner," Gillyflower informed them as she stopped walking._

_"Your…silent partner?" Angel guessed, having dropped her accent, eyeing the woman with a small frown, a bit of a pit forming in her stomach._

_"Yes," the woman smiled, "Mr. Sweet likes to keep himself to himself. Shall we move on?" she gestured at a door a few feet away, heading for it._

_"Who lives here?" Ayla asked as they stopped before the door._

_"Oh, names don't matter here. All you need to know is that we only recruit the brightest and the best," she patted Ayla's head before she opened the door._

_The small group looked in to see the house was already occupied…by a man standing and a woman sitting, frozen, inside a large bell jar that was hooked up to bellows blowing air into it. They were motionless, set up before their afternoon tea, just…like dolls. They looked over as the doors opened on either side of the room and women entered. They turned around to see men gathering behind them._

_The Doctor swallowed, "Run!" he shouted, throwing himself at one of the men to distract them and create an opening, before the girls ran off, Angel leading them down the courtyard._

_"This way!" Angel pulled Clara's arm to the side, her and Ayla following her into an alley._

_"We're trapped!" Clara gasped._

_"No, YOU'RE not," Angel looked at them, kneeling before Ayla, "Find Vastra sweetheart, you remember where she lives," she whispered to the girl, before she put her hands on their shoulders and the two women disappeared in a flash of golden light, sending them just outside the factory walls._

_Angel stood, staring at the alley way as, a split second later, the others reached her. She backed up to the back of the alley, her back hitting the wall as she was surrounded…_

~oOo~

_The Doctor gasped awake to find himself hanging from a rack, men on either side of him and behind him, a bubbling vat of red liquid below him as they were dipped into it. He gasped and held his breath, his eyes frantically looking around for Angel…but he couldn't see her._

~oOo~

_Mrs. Gillyflower walked among a row of frozen, petrified people, eyeing the men on one side, dressed in white trousers and shirts, and the women on the other, in their white dresses. She paused before one, reaching out to touch her strawberry blonde hair, "Like pretty maids all in a row," she remarked, before continuing on, "The process improves with every attempt! Mr. Sweet is such a clever old thing," she grimaced though when she looked down at a body on the floor, its skin bright red, "Oh, into the canal with the rejects, Ada," she called to her daughter standing at the end of the row._

_"Yes," Ada nodded, using her cane to make her way to the lone reject…only to hear a grunt when her cane came in contact with it. She frowned and knelt down, reaching out…only to find another hand, it was…moving, "Ma..." she began to call out to her mother…when the hand gripped her own and she gasped as it held her hand…_

~oOo~

_The Doctor stood rigidly, his eyes frantically flying around the room he had been placed in, as though searching for something…for someone…as Ada locked a set of shackles around his wrists, "Sometimes, the preservation process goes wrong," she whispered to him, and his eyes flew to her face, an angry look coming to them as the thought of Angel turning out this way hit him, "Only Mr. Sweet knows why. And only Mama is allowed to talk to Mr. Sweet. But if you're very good, you can stay here. You'll be my secret. My special monster," she reached out to put a hand on his face._

_"A…" he tried to speak, "An…" but his face was too frozen._

_"Shh," Ada whispered, before walking out._

_The Doctor's frozen expression seemed to darken as he stalked stiffly towards the door, his arms reaching out, but the door shut before he could reach it. He let out an inhuman roar and half threw his body at the door, frantically beating and kicking and slamming against it, needing to get out._

_His Mate was out there!_

~oOo~

_The Doctor stumbled back when the door was suddenly thrown open, Edmund crashing through, crashing into him as the man stared at him, dressed in white, his skin red, his eyes wide…and staring right at him, before he pitched forward, taking the Doctor down with him as he died…_

~oOo~

The Doctor's jaw tensed as he recalled that, a death that could have been prevented if Gillyflower hadn't taken his Mate. Edmund must have come looking for them when they failed to meet up later and ended up in a vat of the liquid, the poison, though given the man had been in the same white attire he could only assume he'd been pushed.

Jenny eyed him a moment, seeing he wasn't about to speak, "What is that red stuff then?" she offered instead, thinking it might be a shorter explanation.

"Deadly poison," he said shortly and she winced, that was probably…NOT a good question for her to have asked if Angel had been dipped into it, if she had ended up like the Doctor, "Mrs. Gillyflower's dipping her pilgrims in a diluted form to protect them. Preserve them. Process didn't work on me," he grimaced, "Maybe because I'm not human. Which means Angel will be much the same," he rounded on Jenny, "So if you could ask useful questions that don't waste my time, Jenny, that would be wonderful!" he shouted at her.

"No need to get your knickers in a twist Doctor," Jenny remarked, but he just turned and stalked on, "Preserve them against what?" but he was silent, "Is it that apocalypse she was talking about?" she shook her head, "About how 'when the End of Days is come and judgment rains down upon us all...'"

"Jenny, useful questions!" he snapped.

Jenny's jaw tensed, "Madame will come looking for me. She's bringing Ayla and Clara, we'll have a better chance of finding Angel with more of us…"

"No," the Doctor muttered, "I am finding my Mate, NOW!"

Jenny winced at the slight growl in his voice, before she ran off after him around a corner.

~8~

Strax pulled the carriage he was leading to a halt, glancing around before he rolled his eyes at the horse that he was driving, "Horse! You have failed in your mission. We are lost, with no sign of Sweetville. Do you have any final words, before your summary execution?" there was no response save a neigh that he heard Ayla giggle from within. He sighed, shaking his body in an attempt to shake his head, the girl had told him to take a left, but the horse had seemed to veer right, "The usual story," he raised a gun at the horse, "Fourth one this week, and I'm not even hungry!" he charged it up…when a voice called from beside him.

"Sweetville, sir?" a young boy stood there, staring at him.

"Do you know it?"

"Turn around when possible. Then, at the end of the road, turn right."

"What?"

"Bear left for a quarter of a mile and you will have reached your destination," the boy continued.

Strax eyed the boy and put the gun away, before holding out a hand to him, helping him up to the seat beside him, "Thank you. What is your name?"

"Thomas, sir. Thomas Thomas."

"I think you will do well, Thomas Thomas," he snapped the reigns, sending the horse on.

But within the carriage Clara blinked and looked at Ayla, "Thomas Thomas?" she asked, knowing that the girl would have a better chance of understanding the remark on the boy's name than Vastra, "Tom-Tom?"

Ayla just smiled and shrugged, at least they were going to get to Sweetville now.

~8~

Jenny rushed as the Doctor stalked through the dark courtyard, not using the sonic any longer, now clearly able to sense his Mate was nearby. He hadn't been able to see anything, not from when he'd been lowered into the poison to when he'd been removed, he hadn't been able to see her at all…but given that he was still alive…she had to be alive as well, she had to have survived and he was just hoping that she wasn't blocking her emotions to keep him from feeling her pain as he had done himself.

"She must be here somewhere," he muttered.

Jenny frowned, "But…if she was reject like you…why's she in the main part of the factory?"

The Doctor stopped at those words, Jenny watching him carefully as his hands clenched into fists, his jaw tensing, as he seemed to work something out. And then he took off running.

"Doctor!" she ran after him.

But he ignored her, rushing to one of the houses, slamming his shoulder against it, not even wincing as the door remained solid. He shoved against it again and again, determined to get it open.

"Use the sonic!" Jenny huffed.

He barely gave her a nod before he pulled the sonic out and flashed it at the lock, shoving the door open with a crash into the wall to see Angel sitting there on a chair, in a bell jar, prime and proper…and…NOT a reject. But his mind barely processed or wondered how that was possible (maybe it wasn't that he wasn't human? Other humans hadn't survived the process either. It made sense that a non-human might survive it when other humans didn't) as he glared at another aspect of the situation. There was another man, a ginger man, standing behind Angel, his hand on the back of Angel's chair, grinning…

His eyes narrowed even more at the man before he turned and grabbed a chair, rushing at the jar and smashing it, making Jenny jump back at the sudden and violent move. The Doctor just knelt down before Angel, taking her hands, looking into her eyes, but…everything was petrified. He swallowed hard, this reminded him FAR too much of the Wire, how Angel had been there physically but not mentally, it reminded him of his dream, of when the Dalek had shot at her and had killed Ayla, how she'd been there with him but not THERE with him.

"Angel," he whispered, reaching out to touch her face, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs, but she didn't react.

He swallowed hard, and stood, scooping her into his arms before he turned and strode out of the house, Jenny rushing after him.

~8~

Ada was kneeling on the floor of her monster's room, the shackles in her hands, sobbing…when she heard someone step up behind her, "What is the meaning of this?!" her mother demanded.

Ada turned around, on her knees, "Oh, Mama, I have been foolish. I have formed a...a sentimental attachment."

"An attachment? To whom?"

She winced, she could tell her mother was sneering at her for that, "A young man. Unlike the others, he survived rejection. He must be strong. Worthy of salvation."

"Wrecker! Berserker! You have loosed a reject onto the outside world!"

Oh this was NOT what she needed right now. Her plans had already been advanced and rushed faster than she wanted due to the two Smith girls disappearing. She hadn't been able to find them, had searched the entire factory, closed all the gates, had ever exit watched…but they weren't there. She wasn't sure if they were still in the compound or if they had escaped, but not knowing was forcing her to worry and fret and she did NOT need to know that the girl's father and brother had been let loose as well.

"I have disappointed you," Ada looked down.

"My plans must be accelerated. Nothing must interfere with the Great Work!"

"But please say there is still room for me in your new Eden, Mama! Promise me that!"

"I will set my Pilgrims onto him," she turned to leave, a flourish of her skirt sounding.

"No!" Ada reached out, grabbing at the bottom of her mother's dress.

"Kindly do not paw and slobber at my crinolines," she yanked her skirt out of her daughter's hands, "You know I cannot bear to look at sick people."

"Promise you will not abandon me, Mama, promise me that!"

"Do you not yet understand that there can be no place for people such as _you_?" her mother spat, her heart breaking at the sound and the words her mother was spewing, "That only perfection is good enough for myself and for Mr Sweet. The bright day is done, child, and you are for the dark."

Ada bowed her head, sobbing, as her mother just stalked out of the room, leaving her alone, in the dark, as she always was.

~8~

Jenny stood in the back of a hall, across from one of the booths she'd placed the Doctor in before, hesitantly watching him as he placed Angel within gently, the man's reaction and actions towards his Mate SO different than his countenance on the way to find her, "Can she be revived, like you were?" Jenny asked as he closed the doors and peered through the slates.

"Yes," he said simply, she HAD to be, she had to be ok…he couldn't lose her to this.

Jenny glanced over down the hall…her eyes widening when she saw that a small amount of 'pilgrims' had found them, stepped into the end of the hall and were holding weapons, "Doctor…" she tapped him on the shoulder, not taking her eyes off them.

"Wonderful," the Doctor grimaced at the group, "Just brilliant. Attack of the supermodels," he pulled his sonic out as the pilgrims readied their weapons, "Time for a plan."

But this time…Jenny smirked, "Nah, Doctor. This one's on me."

The Doctor barely glanced at her as she pulled her bonnet off and tore her dress off to reveal a catsuit beneath it. He just turned to look back at Angel, watching her progress as Jenny ran for the pilgrims, attacking them, flipping them over her shoulder and stomping on them and punching and jabbing and kicking them into submission.

So it was understandable when he jumped at the sound of gunfire going off, to see Strax running in with his laser, firing it at the pilgrims just as they had started to advance as one towards Jenny, sending them scattering.

"Daddy!" Ayla shouted, running in after the potato dwarf with Clara behind her, leaping at her father and into his arms as he hugged her tightly.

"Ayla!" he let out a relieved breath, burying his face in her neck as he held her close.

"Doctor," Clara smiled, "Good to see you're alright," she laughed.

"Quickly!" Vastra tried to lead them off, "Let's go!"

"No!" the Doctor stepped back, looking at the booth, "We need to wait for Angel."

"You found her then?" Clara remarked, relieved, "Oh thank god."

"What now, Madame?" Strax asked as he walked over from making sure the enemy had fled, "We could lay mimetic cluster mines…"

"Strax," Vastra rolled her eyes.

"Or dig trenches and fill them with acid…"

"Strax!" Vastra cut in, "You're over excited. Have you been eating Miss Jenny's sherbet fancies again?"

Strax blinked, "…no."

Ayla frowned, "You shouldn't lie Mr. Strax," she told him as the Doctor set her down, "It's rude."

"No honor in lying," Clara added with a small smirk, knowing that was the way to get through to the Sontaran thanks to a tip from Ayla.

"Go outside and wait for me until I call for you," Vastra ordered him.

"But, Madame..." he huffed.

"Go!"

Strax pouted, "I'm going to go and play with my grenades," he sulked as he left.

The Doctor just turned to the booth, sonicing it quickly, "Ok," he breathed, starting to smile as he placed a hand on the booth, "I think she's about done," his hand trailed to the handle and he waited a moment, wanting to make sure she'd be ok just a moment longer…before he opened it, smiling when he saw Angel with her eyes closed, before she fell out of the booth and right into his arms as he caught her.

Angel winced as she blinked awake, looking up into the Doctor's eyes and smiling, "Hello."

He smiled, "Hello," leaning in to kiss her, touching her face as he did so, unable to help it, he'd been…so worried, so terrified that he just…needed to make sure she was ok and he couldn't think of a better way to do it than to kiss her.

"Oi, daddy!" Ayla nudged him after quite a few minutes of her parents kissing and not seeming about to let up any time soon, "Daddy, I missed mummy too!"

The Doctor laughed as he pulled away, letting Angel kneel down to hug her daughter tightly as he watched. He could see it on Ayla's face, how scared she'd been, he knew that when she'd seen HIM there but not Angel that she'd been so afraid for her mother. He didn't like it, the fact that Angel had sent Ayla and Clara away and hadn't gone with them, but he knew she had been trying to keep them safe and give herself time to try and help him, but she'd been overwhelmed. She didn't like attacking humans and they really weren't much of a treat in that they hadn't had weapons when they'd been taken. But he knew his daughter was just as concerned as he had been and it warmed his hearts to see mother and daughter reunited.

Angel stood, with Ayla still clinging to her in her arms, "What's happened?" she asked, looking at Vastra and Jenny, pleased that Ayla and Clara had managed to find them.

"Haven't you heard, love?" the Doctor asked, his North accent slipping on for a moment, "There's trouble at t'mill!" he winked at her, taking her hand and kissing it, "Come on," he whispered, leading her off.

"Daddy, Aunt Vastra found out what the poison is," Ayla told them.

"What is it?" Angel glanced at the lizard woman.

"My people once ruled this world, as well you know," Vastra began, "But we did not rule it alone. Just as humanity fights a daily battle against nature, so did we. And our greatest plague, the most virulent enemy was the repulsive red leech."

The Doctor pushed a button for the lift, "Ooh!" he smiled, Jenny shaking her head at how different he was now that he'd calmed down and found his Mate and daughter again, he was his normal self once more, "The repulsive red leech! Nah. On balance, I think I prefer the Crimson Horror."

"You didn't exactly say what it was," Clara remarked, thinking about what Vastra had told them of it, which wasn't much.

"A tiny parasite," Vastra explained, "It infected our drinking water. And once in our systems, it secreted a fatal poison."

"If it's been hanging around, lurking in the shadows, maybe it's evolved," the Doctor suggested.

"No," Angel shook her head, "I…I think something was helping it," she looked at the Doctor, "I think Mrs. Gillyflower was helping it."

"You know…I've been thinking, the chimney…" Clara began, thinking of a thought that had been knocking around in her head since she'd been in the carriage, pulling up to Sweetville, seeing the place from the outside again had given her some perspective.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the Doctor waved her off, "Way past that now! Yucky red parasite from the time of the dinosaurs pitches up in Victorian Yorkshire. Didn't see that one coming!"

"Nor did I," Angel smiled, poking Ayla in the stomach, "Love it when that happens."

"Yeah, but the chimney..." Clara tried again.

"But what's the connection between it and Mrs. Gillyflower?" the Doctor turned to them, "'Judgement will rain down on us all...'"

"Doctor, the chim…"

"And an empty mill!"

"Daddy!" Ayla reached out and put a hand in his mouth to stop him talking, "Let Clara finish," she pointed at him warningly as they all smiled at that.

"Sorry sweetheart," he took her hand off him and looked at Clara, who was standing there with her hands on her hips and an amused expression on her face, "Clara?"

"A chimney that doesn't blow smoke," was all she said.

The Doctor blinked and started to smile, "Clever clogs. Oh look at you," he glanced from her to Ayla to Angel, "My clever girls."

"Ding," Angel winked, nodding at the lift a moment before it arrived. He laughed and took her hand, stepping into it with the others.

~8~

The small group of six crouched behind crates and barrels in the factory's main floor, watching as the pilgrims walked around, trying to see what was going on, "She's going to poison the air," the Doctor nodded, realizing why the chimneys were closed off, not to keep things getting out, but to keep the air getting in.

"How?" Jenny frowned.

Suddenly a large door opened before them, a rocket revealed as the pilgrims began to work on it again, "With that, I should think," Clara whispered.

"And that as well," Angel nodded, pointing at two pilgrims who were carrying a basket of a large glass flask that was filled with the red poison, before she closed her eyes...

... _Mrs. Gillyflower stood before a control panel as it lit up, the lights coming on through the factory out the window_...

... _Ada gasped as Gillyflower dragged her through a factory, a gun to her head_...

... _a rocket flew into the sky, Gillyflower standing below, cheering and grinning insanely_...

"Alright, gang," the Doctor clapped his hands, "I've got a plan!" he stood up suddenly, knocking over a metal pipe before ducking back down.

"Shh!" Ayla put a finger to her lips, the Doctor nodding and doing the same.

~8~

Gillyflower grinned as she sat before a large pipe organ in her office, pulling the stops in a specific order and then a lever on the wall beside it. She laughed, clapping in joy as the organ spun around and revealed the controls for the rocket.

~8~

The Doctor, Clara, and Angel stopped in the halls when they saw Ada sitting on an empty crate in the corner crying, Angel unable to help but opening a door and going to talk to her, wanting to thank her for protecting and saving the Doctor, as the two others followed, Ayla safely with Vastra and Jenny as they weren't going to risk the girl around Gillyflower.

"Who's that?" Ada looked up, hearing the door open, "Who is there?"

"Hello," Angel smiled as she knelt before the girl, taking her hand, "I'm Angel…"

"My Mate," the Doctor added, plopping beside her as Ada gasped at another person being there.

"It's very nice to meet you Ada."

Ada frowned, "How do you know who I am?" she couldn't remember meeting anyone that sounded like her.

Angel looked at the Doctor who nodded and took Ada's other hand, lifting it to his face so she could feel it.

"You," Ada breathed, "It's you! My monster. You've come back! But you're..."

"Warm," he nodded, pulling her hand off his face…starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with it now that Ada knew who he was, she didn't need to touch his face more now, "And alive."

"And it's all thanks to YOU Ada," Angel told her, "I wanted to thank you for that, for protecting him."

"Yes, you saved me from your mother's human rubbish tip. Now, what's wrong?"

"She does not want me, monster!" Ada sniffled, "I am not to be chosen. Perhaps it was my own sin, the blackness in my heart, that my father saw in me."

Angel shook her head, "That…is absolute rubbish," she squeezed Ada's hand, "Ada…you are a lovely, kind, bright young woman," she reached up and touched Ada's face, "You're love…ly…" she blinked, pulling her hand away as she looked down.

... _a young girl screamed, twisting in pain as a red liquid was injected into her_...

... _Gillyflower stood over Ada as the girl laid, unconscious, on a wooden board, pulilng out a scalpel_...

... _Ada hunched over in her bed, heaving into a pail, as Gillyflower stood in the doorway, smirking_...

The Doctor frowned and looked at Angel, ' _What is it?_ ' he asked her, concerned when he saw tears in her eyes.

Angel let out a breath and looked at him, opening her mind to show him the visions. He closed his own and shook his head realizing what the visions meant...the past, Ada's past. He felt ill at the sight of it, how could anyone treat their daughter like that? Just…thinking of Ayla, she was so sweet and pure and he loved her so much he couldn't fathom anyone doing to Ada what Gillyflower had.

"What is it?" Clara repeated, seeing something change in their expressions as she made her way over.

"Who is that?" Ada looked in her direction.

"I'm..." Clara smiled as she knelt down, "I'm his sister," she let out a small, happy laugh, oh that would take some getting used to, but the Doctor and Angel just smiled at that.

"Then you are fortunate, indeed. It isn't good to be alone."

"You're not alone Ada," Angel reassured her, shaking her head from her vision, "Not now, you have US."

"And Ada," the Doctor continued, "We need your help. We need you tell us something, who is Mr. Sweet? Ada?"

But Ada looked away, "Oh, dear monster..."

"Please," Angel whispered, "It's important."

"I cannot! Even now, I cannot! I cannot betray Mama."

The Doctor sighed and nodded, looking at Angel as he took her hand, "Well, come with us, then," he stood up, the two of them helping Ada up as well, "There's something you need to know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ada :( I always felt so bad for her :( But I hope you liked the little twist for Clara! She's now officially a part of the family ;) And the Doctor's sister! ^-^ That's a first for this story! I hinted at it a little and a few of you picked up on it, so congrats! ;)
> 
> As for how Angel survived the process, they never specifically stated that it was because the Doctor was alien that it didn't work on him, just implied that being alien kept him alive afterwards. And since we saw that some humans responded badly to the poison, I interpreted that to mean that some aliens could respond as the diluted poison was intended, as a preservative ;) Lol, I think the Doctor was more angry that another man had been set up with Angel than anything :) I hope you all liked where she was, I thought it would be an interesting twist ;)


	53. The Crimson Horror: Mr. Sweet

Jenny, Vastra, and Ayla crept along the factory floor, keeping an eye out for the pilgrims as they worked about.

"Look!" Ayla whispered, pointing from where they were hiding at the large red flask.

Vastra and Jenny exchanged a look and a nod before they slowly made their way out of their hiding spot, Jenny keeping hold of Ayla's hand to keep her behind them.

~8~

There was a small whir of the sonic as Mrs. Gillyflower turned around, seeing the door to her office open and the Doctor, Angel, and Clara step through. She didn't seem at all alarmed or upset by the intrusion though, chuckling merrily when she spotted them, "You do seem to keep turning up like a bad penny, young man," she walked over to them.

"Force of habit," the Doctor gave her a wry smirk.

"Can I offer you something? Tea? Seed cake?" she gasped happily and clapped her hands, "A glass of Amontillado?"

"No, thanks," the Doctor waved her off, Angel grimacing, not very fond of any sort of drink, "We've had a skinful already, as you might say."

"Ha!" she laughed heartily at that, "Very funny."

"I'm the Doctor, this is my Mate Angel," he added, taking Angel's hand as he stepped past the woman, "You're nuts, and we're going to stop you."

"I'm afraid Mr. Sweet and I cannot allow that," Gillyflower sighed.

"That is rather rude," Angel murmured, "How you and Mr. Sweet are preserving your pilgrims with diluted prehistoric leech venom."

"So when do we get to meet him, this silent partner of yours?" Clara asked as she wandered around the room, a small smile on her face. Being there with them, as bad as it was to say as it meant she wasn't with Ayla, made her feel included, like…a part of the family. Oh she loved that little girl very much, but to be there with the 'adults' and to be included in their stopping of the situation, it made her feel like she was a Time Lord in a way, like she was really the Doctor's sister and being involved in what he was doing, "Why's he so shy?"

"Mr. Sweet is always with us," Gillyflower hummed, lightly patting her chest.

The Doctor's glance dipped to her hand for a moment, nodding to himself, "You seem to have a very close relationship, you and your pal."

"Oh, yes, Doctor. Exceedingly close. Symbiotic, you might say."

Angel grimaced as Gillyflower unfastened the top part of her gown and pulled it to the side to reveal a rather large, rather hideous looking red leech that was attached to it. It turned its head to look at them, making her turn a bit green to see the round mouth lined with sharp, pointy teeth, before it turned back to Gillyflower and began to attach itself to her again.

' _And that…is why I DON'T want a pet for Ayla,_ ' she remarked to the Doctor.

He smiled at her a bit, knowing it was FAR more than just that but that she was also concerned for their daughter, for her safety in the sort of pet they might one day get (for he was determined to get Ayla _something_ despite Angel's hesitance). Oh he would never go behind Angel's back and get a pet, but…he was hopeful and optimistic that he might be able to convince her one day that a pet would be ok.

"Eww," Angel murmured.

~8~

Vastra looked back at Jenny and Ayla, pressing a finger to her lips before she followed two men up the stairs as they carried the flask between them.

~8~

Clara came around to the Time Lords's side, not quite sure what they were gaping at but grimaced herself when she saw the leech. Mrs. Gillyflower just sat down with a happy hum and began to take pinches of sugar off the tray where her tea sat, sprinkling it onto her chest and feeding it.

"Well that explains it," Angel murmured.

"Explains what?" Clara asked, unable to take her eyes off the hideous sight.

"The smell of burnt sweets," she remarked.

Clara DID look at her for that, recalling what Ayla herself had said of the woman. It made sense though, if the leech secreted poison and it mixed with the sugar…it probably would smell quite a bit like melting sweets.

"What is it?" Clara breathed, looking back at it.

"A survivor!" Gillyflower cried, "He has grown fat on the filth humanity has pumped into the rivers. That's where I found him."

"Very enterprising," the Doctor murmured, grimacing himself at the thought of it.

Angel had been right, the leech had gotten ample help from Gillyflower in surviving all that time. The leech, itself, wasn't strong enough to do all this and he very much doubted the leech would have thought to preserve the humans in such away. The vision Angel had seen of Ada proved it more, it was ALL Gillyflower's idea. She had taken what the leech produced and come up with this plan herself. The leech was just along for the ride really, he doubted it was aware of anything other than the fact that Gillyflower provided him food.

Oh humans, they were truly like Donna had once called them, either the greatest explorers or a plague, the best and worst potential lied within them…and Gillyflower was nothing close to the best.

"His needs are simple," Gillyflower spoke, "And in return, he gives me his nectar."

"Mrs. Gillyflower," Angel shook her head at her, standing there as the Doctor moved his arms around her, "Do you have any idea at all what you're doing?"

"In the wrong hands, that venom could wipe out all life on this planet!" the Doctor agreed.

Mrs. Gillyflower just grinned, holding up her hands at them, "Do you know what these are?" she laughed, "The wrong hands!"

Clara shook her head at the woman as she stood and headed for the controls in the wall, "She's completely mad."

The Time Lords had to nod at that.

~8~

Outside the factory, Thomas Thomas looked up, spotting the lights of the main chimney lighting up. He reached out and tapped Strax on the shoulder, pointing. Strax looked up and grinned, before dashing off, his gun held firmly in his hand.

~8~

Angel glanced out the window, spotting the lights throughout the factory turning on, lighting the way to the main chimney and gently reached out to touch the Doctor's arm, directing his gaze out at the chimney.

"Planning a little fireworks party, are we?" the Doctor glanced at Gillyflower.

"You've forced me to advance the Great Work somewhat," the woman sighed, "But my colossal scheme remains as it was. My rocket will explode high in the atmosphere, raining down Mr. Sweet's beneficence onto all humanity."

"And wiping us all out!" Clara cried, "You can't!" she moved to start for the woman, but Angel reached out a hand to stop her, tugging her back.

"My new Adam and Eves will sleep for but a few months before stepping out into a golden dawn," the woman grinned, clasping her hands, imagining it as she turned to face them, "Is it not beautiful?"

"It's horrifying," Angel shook her head, making the woman frown.

The Doctor nodded, eyeing the woman closely, before moving to sit on the sofa, pulling Angle to sit with him, the woman moving to rest on the arm of it as he took her hand, "Tell us about Ada, Mrs. Gillyflower."

"What?" the woman scoffed at the sudden turn in topic.

"Your daughter, Ada," Angel blinked, not sure if the woman was asking because of the topic change or because she honestly didn't even think of the girl as her daughter any longer. As terrible as it was to say…she got the feeling that it was the second option. She swallowed hard and squeezed the Doctor's hand at the thought, "Do you remember her? That sweet little girl that you blinded?"

Clara stiffened at that, looking at the woman in horror.

"How can you speak of such trivia when my hour is at hand?" Gillyflower spat, "The child is of no consequence."

"She's your daughter!" Angel stood, striding towards the woman as the Doctor rose and tugged her back, "She is of EVERY consequence. She should be your ONLY consequence."

"Is that why you experimented on her?" the Doctor asked the woman, a hard look in his eyes as he tried to soothe Angel, running his hand along her side, despite his own anger at the woman.

"Experimented?" Clara breathed, shaking her head at the woman, disgusted.

"The signs are all there," the Doctor swallowed, "The pattern of scarring…" he let out a breath, his mind drifting to Ayla, to the dreams he'd had of her if the Silence had kept her, of all the experiments they had done to her both in his dreams and in real life. He KNEW they had tried to test Angel's DNA, that they would have experimented if they could with Time Lord DNA, "You used her as a guinea pig, didn't you?"

"Don't deny it," Angel shook her head, "I SAW it," she told the woman, "I saw what you did to her. She was just a _child_! She was just a little girl, she was crying and in pain and you just…stood there. She's your _daughter_!"

She couldn't understand it, being a mother…she just…she felt so ill just thinking about what the woman had done to Ada. To imagine anyone, any mother, doing that to their child, to their own baby…it was horrifying. It made her so angry to think of how little the woman cared for Ada. That girl, that young woman, was remarkable, she was so strong and loyal and faithful and she kept hold of such _hope_ …any mother in the world would be lucky to have a daughter like her. To see Gillyflower just…throwing that away…it sickened her.

"God!" Clara gaped at the woman, completely at a loss to imagine it. Her mother had always protected her, as a mother should, made her feel better and safe and this…monster had experimented on her child!

"Sometimes, sacrifices must be made," Gillyflower stuck her nose in the air.

"Sacrifices?" the Doctor's expression hardened even more at that.

"It was necessary!" the woman glared at their looks of disgust, "I had to find out how much of the venom would produce an anti-toxin. To immunize myself! Don't you see? It was necessary!"

"No," Angel shook her head, "It wasn't."

"Was it Ada?" the Doctor called over his shoulder.

"Mama?" Ada stood in the doorway, staring unseeingly into the room in the direction of her mother, "Is it...is it true?"

"Ada…" Gillyflower began.

"It is," Ada breathed, now realizing what the Time Lords had been trying to tell her without having to SAY it, "It's true. True."

"Ada…" Angel tried to speak, seeing tears forming in the woman's milky eyes, her hearts breaking to see it.

"Ada, listen to me," Gillyflower cut in, taking a few steps towards her daughter.

"You hag!" Ada spat, stumbling towards her mother, angrily slapping her cane on the floor to reach her, the Doctor tugging Angel out of the way, seeing the woman on a rampage, "You perfidious hag! You virago! You harpy! All these years, I have helped you, served you. Looked out for you. Does it count for nothing? Nothing at all?!" she lifted her cane and began to strike her mother with it.

"Ada!" Angel pulled away from the Doctor and ran over to the girl, unable to stand seeing her so upset, crying and so angry. She gently reached out, putting a hand on Ada's shoulder, "Ada, shh…" she whispered, reaching out another hand to place on Ada's arm holding the cane, gently lowering it as she turned the girl to her. She pulled Ada into her arms, holding her tight, "It's alright," she soothed, just…hugging the girl to her, knowing THAT was what she needed most now, she just…needed a mother to hold her.

The Doctor smiled as he stood there, watching Angel comfort the woman, Gillyflower collapsed back against the wall as Ada sobbed in Angel's arms.

Angel pulled away only slightly, putting her hands on Ada's cheeks, wiping away her tears, "It's alright," she told the girl, "She will NEVER hurt you again," she promised, "I swear it."

Ada sniffled, a small smile appearing on her face despite the pain the truth had called her, to hear someone…to hear someone caring about her…it was something she hadn't heard in…SO long.

Angel smiled, "My love," she glanced at the Doctor, "Could you stop the launch please?"

"Right!" his eyes widened as he realized he'd completely forgotten about it, "Yes, the sonic…" he pulled it out…only to see that Clara had grabbed a chair instead, "Hang on, I've got the sonic screwdriver!"

"Yeah?" Clara smiled, winking at him, "I've got a chair!" before she lunged at the controls, shoving the chair into it, causing them to spark and short circuit, sparks flying.

"No!" Gillyflower cried.

"…is it over?" Ada whispered in a small voice.

Angel smiled, moving her arm around Ada's shoulders, "Yes," she nodded, "It is."

"I'm afraid your rocket isn't going anywhere, Mrs. G," the Doctor grinned, flipping the sonic in his hand before he slipped it away.

~8~

Strax grinned up at the chimney, looking around before spotting a way up.

~8~

Angel reached out and ran a gentle hand along Ada's hair, just touched when she saw the girl smile and close her eyes at the sensation, she could imagine the woman didn't get many motherly touches like that. She looked over at the Doctor and Clara who were smiling as they watched her, the Doctor with pride in his eyes.

' _Never EVER tell me that you're useless again,_ ' he told her with love in his voice, recalling all the times she'd worried that she wasn't strong enough or good enough or useful enough for him, ' _That right there…amazing._ '

She smiled at that, looking down modestly, blushing…when Gillyflower groaned, pushing herself up, "Please, come to me, Ada," the woman begged, "My child…"

Angel shook her head as she looked back at the woman, "No," she turned, gently nudging Ada towards the Doctor and Clara as she faced the woman alone, "She is NOT your child anymore. You lost the right to call her that the second you hurt her."

"Well then," Gillyflower glared at her, "I'll have to make do with what I have…" before she reached out and grabbed Angel, pulling her against her and holding a gun to her head.

"Angel!" the Doctor lunged forward, but Mrs. Gillyflower cocked the gun, "Let her go!" he nearly snarled as Clara was held back by Ada, knowing what her mother was like.

' _Have faith my love,_ ' he heard Angel reassure him in his mind. He looked at her, seeing that she seemed perfectly calm despite the gun to her head, ' _Please,_ ' she whispered, ' _Trust me. I couldn't let her hurt Ada even more._ '

He swallowed hard, realizing that she'd SEEN this, she'd seen Gillyflower take Ada, seen her do this to her daughter, and…she hadn't been able to stand it truly coming true.

' _Neither of us do well when children cry,_ ' she reminded him.

He let out a breath, Ada was a young woman, but…she was still Gillyflower's daughter and he knew, in relation to Ayla, that no matter what, no matter how old she grew to be, she would ALWAYS be his daughter, his child, his little girl.

"And now," Gillyflower smirked, seeing the Doctor stop, knowing (or thinking) she had the upper hand, "If you'll please forgive us, we must be going!"

And with that, she pushed her way with Angel through a door in the back, slamming it shut and locking it before any of them could run to it. Clara ran for the door, trying to get through, but Ada pulled her back, "No, Miss Clara you mustn't," she called, reminding Clara very much of Ayla at first, "If we follow straight after, Mama will surely shook her without hesitation!"

"She wouldn't!" Clara stared at Ada in horror.

"She would," the Doctor muttered darkly under his breath.

He knew that Angel would be able to protect herself, that the Vortex would protect her…but he also knew that she wouldn't attack Gillyflower either, that she wouldn't harm the woman despite what she'd done. She didn't like using the Vortex to hurt others, especially not now that it seemed to be overpowering her at times. She didn't want to risk using it in that way (not that she ever would use it like that) and have it take her over. It DID seem to consume her and utilize her to use more destructive energy than it used to.

He turned, looking for something, anything that he could use to get them out…and spotted a chair. He ran over and grabbed it, not bothering to utter another word before he ran at the window on the side of the room and threw it out, shattering it.

~8~

Angel remained as calm as she could…which quite surprised her just how calm she felt…as she was dragged through the factory floor by Gillyflower, the woman on a mission, but…they had their own mission too that the woman was none the wiser about.

"Has the venom been loaded?" Gillyflower demanded of a pilgrim.

"Yes, ma'am," was all she got in reply.

She grinned, "Then heaven awaits ya'!" she shouted, rushing off with Angel as the pilgrims went to their homes to await the next step in the plan.

~8~

The Doctor ran as fast as he could down the pavement of the courtyard, Clara leading Ada along by the hand after him.

~8~

Gillyflower looked up the stairs to the rocket, grinning when she saw it was ready for launch, before dragging Angel up them.

~8~

The Doctor shoved his way past the door and into the factory, looking up at the rocket before racing to it with the girls after him, rushing up the stairs, spotting Angel and Gillyflower on a landing above them on a landing, before a control box, "Let her go!" the Doctor shouted, aiming the sonic at the woman threateningly, "Let my Mate go!"

Gillyflower just hummed to herself, smiling away, not even perturbed, "Secondary firing mechanism, Doctor! Mr. Sweet and I are too smart for you, after all."

"Just let her go!" Clara moved to the Doctor's side, "What use do you have for her now that you've got away?"

Gillyflower seemed to consider that before she shrugged and shoved Angel forward, clearly attempting to push her down the stairs…only for her to disappear in a flash of gold, startling the woman, as she reappeared in the Doctor's arms, smiling at him.

"What…" Gillyflower stared at them in shock, clearly she hadn't expected them to be as alien as Mr. Sweet was as well.

Angel just smiled at the Doctor and gave him a peck as he set her down, only to pull her back in for another (though far TOO brief in his opinion) kiss, before he turned to glare at Gillyflower, nudging Angel just a bit behind him.

"Weren't expecting THAT were you?" the Doctor smirked at her.

"It matters not to me," Gillyflower shrugged it off, turning to the control box as she started singing, "I'll labor night and day to be a pilgrim!" and pulled a lever, the engines of the rocket powering up as it was sent off into the air, Gillyflower cackling madly the entire time as she watched it rise up and up and up, "Now, Mr. Sweet, now the whole world will taste your lethal kiss!"

"Will it?" Angel smiled, "I rather think not."

"What?" Gillyflower glared at her.

The Doctor just grinned, "Never, ever try to fool a psychic Mrs. G," the Doctor winked and nodded to the side and up.

Gillyflower turned to see Jenny and Vastra appear on the upper landing, the flask of venom between them, Ayla crouched down and waving at her through the beams of the railing, "Very well, then," she sneered, "If I can't take the world with me, you will have to do!" she turned the gun on Vastra and Jenny, "Die, you freaks! Die! Die!"

But a golden wall appeared before she could fire any bullets, blocking them.

"Don't you DARE threaten MY daughter," Angel said, her voice hard as Gillyflower looked over to see her eyes glowing golden as she held out a hand, keeping the wall up, "I can assure you, Mrs. Gillyflower, I am NOTHING like you and I will keep MY daughter safe no matter the cost."

"Put down your weapon, human female!" another voice shouted from above.

They all looked up to see Strax peeking over the top of the chimney with his gun aimed at Gillyflower. The woman glared and fired up at him…but he retaliated, striking near her feet as she fell over the side of the stairs, plummeting down to the floors below…

When the same golden wall appeared halfway down, catching her as she gasped and panted, clearly not having expected to be saved. Everyone looked at Angel, slightly shocked that the woman would save Gillyflower but she just shook her head and started to make her way down the steps, the golden wall gently lowering with her to the floor, Gillyflower lying there, stunned and dazed and shocked by the fall.

"It is a horrible way to die," was all Angel murmured when the Doctor joined her on the ground, winding an arm around her.

He smiled softly, knowing that she hated death, and a fall like that…it reminded her too much of Clara Oswin Oswald and how she had died. He leaned over and kissed her temple, holding out an arm as Ayla jogged down a set of steps on the other side, rushing over to their arms to hug them.

Ada reached the ground as well, using her cane to make her way over to her mother, "Does he live?" she asked them, "Mr. Sweet?"

Clara glanced down at the leech still stuck to the dazed Gillyflower "Yeah."

Ada nodded and swallowed hard, before leaning over, blindly reaching out, grimacing when she came in contact with the leech…grabbing it tightly as she yanked it off her mother, ignoring the cry of pain Gillyflower gave as its teeth were ripped away.

"Ada?" Gillyflower called, startled as she looked over to see her daughter standing with Mr. Sweet in her hand, "Ada what are you doing?!"

Ada just dropped the leech to the ground, shaking her head as she felt herself get angry and upset once more…before bashing her cane against the ground, striking Mr. Sweet over and over and over…not flinching at the squishing noises that reached her as she destroyed the leech that had destroyed her own life.

"Ada no!" her mother shouted.

She shook her head, knowing at that moment that her mother was lost to her, even without Mr. Sweet…she would NEVER be her mother again and she would NEVER forgive her. She took a breath and glanced back at the Doctor, not even needing to see to know that he and Angel had covered Ayla's eyes so she wouldn't see the violent act, because they were parents and THAT was what parents did, protect you.

"Could one of you see to it that…" she swallowed, "That my mother is turned over to the proper authorities…if one should exist for such matters as this."

Vastra nodded, stepping over to Ada's side and putting a hand on her shoulder, "Leave it to me, my dear," she told the girl, before glancing at Strax as he entered, nodding at the woman on the floor, still reaching out for the remains of Mr. Sweet.

The Sontaran grinned and strode over to the woman, all too happy to arrest her.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel walked with Ayla between them, holding her hands as they bounced her up and down between them, Clara shaking her head as she followed them towards the TARDIS, Jenny, Vastra, Strax, and Ada standing behind them to say goodbye, Jenny and Vastra with the poison between them.

"Right, London," the Doctor smiled as they let Ayla down, crouching down to tickle her stomach, "We were heading for London, weren't we?"

"Was there any particular reason?" Clara asked.

"No," the Doctor stood up quickly, making Clara eye him oddly, "No."

"We thought it would just be a nice place to visit," Ayla told her.

"Yeah," Clara laughed.

"I think this was an excellent trip though," Angel remarked, "Though we've probably had enough 'Victorian values' for now," she winked at the Doctor for that.

He grinned, winding an arm around her, "Well then, who am I to argue?" he tapped her nose, "You're the boss."

"Yes I am," she beamed at him, kissing him quickly.

Clara looked at them a moment, "Doctor…" she began, as he looked at her, "You…you called me your sister before. Was…was there any reason?" she knew that Angel had called some of her other siblings her 'sister' because they reminded her of her actual sister, like Rose, but…the Doctor was always so quiet about that part of his life, she really had no idea if he had a sister or a brother or anything like that.

His smile turned a bit sad at that, "Because…you remind me of her."

Clara nodded, her gaze softening, "One day…will you tell me about her?" she didn't mean right now, of course not, she had seen him slipping up a bit in the past, like he was about to call her his sister, and the comments Angel made made her feel like he'd felt that way for a while. But if it took him THAT long to admit it out loud, she got the feeling it would take him a while still before he was able to talk about the woman she reminded him of.

He nodded as well, "One day, yeah," he agreed, making no promise for right then either.

"Thanks," she smiled before disappearing into the TARDIS.

He smiled to himself, nodding again, before he spun around, scooping Ayla into his arms, "Now, Ada," he led the girls over to her, "We'd love to stay and clear up the mess, but..."

"I know, dear monster," Ada gave a happy sigh, "You have things to do."

"And what about you Miss Ada?" Ayla asked, blinking at her, "Will you be ok?"

Ada smiled at the girl's concern, she could hear it even now, the warmth and care that the girl's mother possessed, "Oh, there are many things a bright young lady can do to occupy her time. It's time I stepped out of the darkness and into the light."

Angel looked at her softly, "Ada…I think I may be able to help you with that," she remarked.

The Doctor beamed at that, "Oh that is brilliant!" he cheered, knowing what Angel meant.

"Mummy…are you going to…" Ayla looked at her with wide eyes.

"I'll try," Angel nodded, reaching out to take Ayla's hand, "Do you want to help me sweetheart?" and Ayla nodded eagerly, squirming till the Doctor set her down.

"Try what?" Ada blinked, shaking her head at them, not understanding.

"It's a surprise!" Ayla cheered, taking Ada's hands.

"Would you mind crouching down Ada?" Angel asked her, "Only for a moment, I promise."

Ada seemed a bit confused at that but nodded, crouching down. The Doctor watched as Angel took Ayla's hands and, after asking Ada to close her eyes, placed their daughter's hands over Ada's eyes before pressing her own over Ayla's hands. He grinned, seeing a faint golden glow start to drift off of Angel's hands, through Ayla's and into Ada's face.

He turned, moving over to Vastra, Strax, and Jenny, saying goodbye to them while Angel worked away so not to distract her, "Thank you," he told them, earnest, "Thank you so much you three, as much as ever," he winked and pointed at them, starting to step back, "Have some Pontefract cakes on me. I love Pontefract cakes! See you around, eh? I shouldn't wonder," he turned to head back to the girls when Jenny called out.

"Doctor," she spoke as he turned around, "That girl…it's…it's Clara but…it's not her," she frowned, "You haven't explained how that's possible."

He smiled at that, "No. I haven't," he sighed, "Because I honestly don't know," he told them, "She's just…there," was all he could offer as he shrugged, "I've learned to accept the miracles the Universe sees fit to gift me with," he added, nodding at his girls before he headed over to them.

Angel looked over at him as she smiled, pulling hers and Ayla's hands away from Ada, "Open your eyes!" Ayla cheered, fidgeting in excitement.

Ada frowned, not sure what difference that would make in the darkness she lived in, but she blinked, opening her eyes, before gasping and falling back on her bum as she SAW them! Her eyes widened as they darted around, taking in everything, "Oh my Lord…" she breathed, shaking her head, "But…how?!" she looked at them in confusion.

Ayla just giggled and moved to hug her, "Mummy really IS an angel," she whispered in the woman's ear, before pulling away to kiss her cheek, all the scars had even healed from her face, "Daddy says so all the time."

And with that she turned and skipped off to the TARDIS as Ada looked up at the two Time Lords before her, "Thank you…" she whispered to Angel, tears in her eyes.

Angel shook her head, "Thank YOU Ada," she told the girl, before the Doctor took her hand, kissing the back of it as they too headed for the TARDIS, Ada laughing as she watched them go, as she was ABLE to watch them go.

Strax rolled his eyes at the weepy human emotions, seeing even Vastra was teary eyed at the moment, "Another one for the vault?" he asked, picking up the flask.

But before Vastra could answer, Mr. Thursday spotted them on his way from their home and walked over, "Ah! There you are. I called to see whether there had been any progress…" he trailed off as the TARDIS disappeared in front of him…his eyes rolling back into his head as he collapsed backwards.

"Oh dear!" Ada gasped, rushing over to see if he was alright, "Hello?" she called, pulling out a small fan to wave before the man's face, "Sir?"

"Mr. Thursday," Jenny told her, sharing a sly smile with Vastra as the two backed up and headed off, Strax with them.

"Oh, Mr. Thursday?" Ada lightly tapped his cheeks, slowly rousing him, "Are you alright sir?"

Thursday blinked slowly, coming around, before he looked up at her, his eye widening as he felt the breath leave him at the lovely creature hovering over him, "Oh…hello."

She smiled a bit at that, at being able to SEE him actually starting to…blush, "Hello."

~8~

Clara smiled as she stepped into the Maitland home, dressed back in her usual, modern clothes, checking herself in the mirror to make sure her hair was straight again, "Lovely," she winked at herself, before she continued into the house, looking around for the children a moment before shrugging.

She stepped into the kitchen, shaking her head when she saw one of Artie's transformer toys sitting on the counter, "Hello there," she laughed, before making her voice go low, imitating the toy, "I'm the Doctor's sister!" she smiled at that.

That really WOULD take some getting used to, to think of herself like that, it was so foreign to her, having been an only child.

She glanced over when she noticed the laptop, Angie's laptop, sitting open on the kitchen table. She frowned, spotting something on the monitor and walked over, plopping down before it…only to see herself…and the Time Family on the Soviet sub, and another of them all in the Caliburn house…

Oh she was starting to think she was spending too much time with Angel now, there was a pit in her stomach.

"It's you, isn't it?" Angie spoke from behind her, making her stiffen as she and Artie entered the room, "It's from the '70s, but it's definitely you."

"Of course it's not," she said tensely.

"And that's you too, from 1983," Artie pointed at the photos, "I found it at school."

"No, it's just someone who looks like me."

"And that's someone that looks like your boyfriend?" Angie pointed at the Doctor.

"He's not my boyfriend," Clara grimaced, "He's like my brother."

"Is he an alien?" Artie asked, "Are YOU an alien?"

"Why would they be aliens?" Angie shook her head at her brother.

"The chin," Artie shrugged.

"And the time travel?" Angie clicked another image and Clara Oswin Oswald, the Victorian Governess appeared.

Clara frowned, leaning in to squint at it, "That's not right…"

"You were in Victorian London."

"No, I was in Victorian Yorkshire," she stated, before stiffening, her eyes widening before falling closed as she realized what she'd said.

Angie frowned, "How come you didn't tell us?"

But Artie smirked, "Time travel, that's so cool!"

"Can we have a go?"

"Can you have a what?!" Clara spun around in her chair to stare at them.

"We want a shot at the time machine!" Artie grinned, looking at her pleadingly.

"No, no, no! Listen..."

Angie just crossed her arms, "Ok, or we'll have to tell dad that our nanny's a time traveler!"

Clara looked back at the photos before pressing her face into her hands and shaking her head, Angie and Artie grinning behind her as they realized they'd won.

~8~

"Oh it was just wonderful Sissy."

The Doctor smiled as he leaned in the door frame that led to the halls, watching Angel as she moved around the console, fixing bits here and there as she went, speaking to the old box. She was just as talkative as Ayla was when she had something to share with 'Idris' about an adventure or two. He had been looking for her through the TARDIS, though now that he thought about it he really SHOULD start with the console room as Angel was there more often than not. But he'd been trying to sleep, having been poisoned and trying to find Angel for most of the time had worn him down but…at the same time…he hadn't wanted to sleep.

No, it wasn't that he hadn't wanted to, it was that he couldn't seem to fall asleep. He knew what it was though, a combination of things that all had to do with Angel. He hadn't been able to fall asleep without her in his arms, a remnant of when he'd slept so long without her beside him, he just couldn't do it anymore, not since they'd started sharing a room again after Berlin. And…he liked having her there when he woke up, more often than not the nightmares that hit him needed instant reassurance that she was still alive and having her there was what he needed most. And then there was…well…he wasn't quite embarrassed to say but…waking up so frantic and having her there to comfort him and soothe him…it meant a lot to him. It…really did comfort him more than he could say.

He didn't enjoy the nightmares, but…they were a necessary punishment.

"You should have seen the look on Clara's face when the Doctor called her his sister," Angel was smiling, "I've been waiting for that day for _ages_!" she laughed, "Yes, longer than YOU were," the TARDIS hummed, "Well YOU knew it was coming and when, _I_ was left to hope!" she argued with the box.

"I'm rather glad the Doctor claimed Clara for the family," she added, "After meeting 'Idris,'" she patted the console, "Well, you're a very tough act to follow girl. And I think it was high time the Doctor found a bond with someone like I did Rose in a companion. It's…a special sort of love that siblings share."

He let out a small chuckle when he heard the box give, what he would call, a huff.

"Oh don't worry Sissy," Angel reached out and patted the rotor, "He still loves you very much."

He shook his head at the box and made his way in, wrapping his arms around Angel's waist, startling her which he was quite proud of as it wasn't often he was able to sneak up on her, "Not as much as I love you," he murmured in her ear, kissing her cheek.

"Don't let Sissy hear you say that," she whispered, before the box hummed loudly and she laughed, "Too late."

"Oh she knows," the Doctor waved it off, "She knows YOU are the most important thing in my world now, you and Ayla," he nodded, "And I think that's what she'd rather have, eh Sexy?"

Angel laughed as the box hummed in agreement.

"She's VERY happy you love me that much," Angel interpreted, "And she's very glad that Clara's your sister now too," she added, "She's…happy for you Theta," she murmured, "She' so happy that you were able to call Clara your sister. Finally," she nudged him.

"Yes, yes," he laughed, "I got there eventually, with quite a few nudges," he poked her back.

Angel turned in his arms, draping her own around his neck, "I really am so happy for you though my love," she smiled at him, leaning in so her nose brushed against his own, "Rose…helped me heal, _so much_ , from the War and…and losing my sister. Clara, she can help you as well."

He nodded, "I know," he smiled, "She…she already has," he admitted, "I…I always tried not to think of her, of any of my siblings, of my family. But…" he nodded again, "Seeing her in Clara…I can remember the good times now, and…it doesn't hurt so much to see her memory live on in someone else."

Angel leaned in and kissed him slowly, that was exactly how she'd felt about Rose. She'd spent 50 years trying NOT to think about her sister but, being around Rose, it had allowed her to think of the better times, and…to keep her sister's memory alive instead of bury it and forget it, not that that was possible.

She pulled away, looking into his eyes as she reached up to touch his cheek, "You deserve it," she whispered, "You deserve to be happy Theta."

"I am," he responded just as quietly, "I really…truly am," he smiled, bopping his nose to hers, "Because of YOU Nella," he told her, "I…wouldn't be where I am today without you. I wouldn't have a home or a daughter or a Mate, I wouldn't have the family that I do or…or accepted the sister I have…if I'd never known you," he touched her face as well, "You make everything brighter."

"Well YOU make everything better," she countered softly, "You're such a doctor," she joked.

"And you…truly ARE an angel," he whispered, "My Angel."

"My Doctor."

He laughed, leaning in and kissing her soundly, just…so…content, with everything, with his place in the Universe, with his life, with anything that could possibly follow. He could face anything, anything at all, as long as he had Angel with him.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww :) Bit of fluff :) I hope you liked the small change to Ada not being taken, I really wanted Angel's maternal side to come out and show Ada a mother's love :') And...she can see! For some reason, I have it stuck in my head that Ada and Thursday would be lovely together lol :)


	54. A Lifetime Ago

Angel flinched as she stood to the side, watching as the Ganger Doctor crouched down, gripping his head in pain, screaming as his various lives played across his mind.

"Hello," he straightened, his voice taking on his last incarnation's intonation, "I'm the Doctor," he winced, pulling away, sounding like himself when he spoke next, "No, let it go, we've moved on!"

Angel closed her eyes a moment, her hearts breaking to hear him speaking like the man who had been her Mate. She opened her eyes to watch him sadly, wishing there was something she could do to ease his obvious pain, but there was nothing. Even if she could somehow try to comfort him she knew she couldn't. This Doctor didn't seem to favor her comforting him. She looked down, feeling helpless to do anything…

When the Doctor said something that caused her to freeze and her hearts to stop, "I need this, I need this to be my last memory," Angel looked at him, horrified, seeing his face scrunched, his eyes closed, nodding his head as though reciting something, "Me and you, dancing in the snow, me singing to you, with you in my arms. Us together."

Angel started shaking her head, her eyes wide, her mouth dropping open in shock.

The Doctor looked over at his Ganger, frowning, he didn't recognize those words. He recognized everything else but not those particular words. When he said anything like that?

But before he could ask, his Ganger just let out of breath, his hands pressed against his temples as he shook his head, "What have I done?" he whispered, "What did I do?" he looked up but, instead of turning to the Doctor like they all expected, his eyes locked on Angel's, "Angel…" he breathed.

Angel just shook her head, stepping back, turning away from him, unable to believe what was happening before her. This _couldn't_ be happening, not now, not when the Doctor was standing right there.

"Angel," she heard the Ganger shout as he leapt to his feet, rushing over to her, turning her around and taking her face in his hands, looking at her, "Angel I'm so sorry," he whispered, tears in his eyes.

Angel could only stare at him, not sure what to feel. What did one do when the person who was not your Mate remembered you but your true Mate didn't? What was she to think, with the Ganger looking so much like him, and sounding like him, and…and feeling like him…she winced. She couldn't hear him in her mind, which was just another way to tell…this wasn't HER Doctor.

"What's going on?" the Doctor asked, looking between them, confused.

But his Ganger just ignored him, staring at Angel intently, his entire focus never leaving her. It was like it _couldn't_ leave her. Amy eyed him closely, she'd seen that same look in Rory's eyes and expressions before. It was the look of someone who was in love and whose love had been harmed deeply…which made her gasp, staring at the Ganger in shock, "Oh my God," she breathed, "You remember her don't you?!" she pointed at the Ganger accusingly.

The Doctor looked at her, "Amy what are you talking about?"

Yet his Ganger nodded, "Yes Amelia, yes I do."

The Doctor frowned as he turned back to him, "I don't understand. What is going on here? Someone explain!"

"No," Angel shook head, backing up, away from the Ganger, "No, this…this isn't happening," her voice cracked, sounding like she was about to cry.

The Doctor made his way over to her but his Ganger got in his way, "You stay away from her!" his Ganger shoved him back.

"No…YOU stay away from her," he shoved the man right back.

"No, YOU!" his Ganger ordered.

"You're upsetting her!"

"Me?! You're upsetting her!"

"Oh the both of you are upsetting her you morons," Amy cut in, pushing past them and to Angel's side, gathering the girl in her arms, holding her as she cried, "So the two of you, shut up!"

The two Doctors looked at each other, "I don't…I…" the Doctor stuttered, not understanding what was going on but his Ganger just glared at him.

"This is all _your_ fault," the Ganger sneered at him before walking past them to Angel, "Amy please…" but Amy shook her head, "Please, she's my Mate," he whispered, his voice breaking.

The Doctor's mouth dropped open as he stared at his Ganger, "What do you mean she's your Mate?"

He could tell, he could just tell, that the man was _not_ speaking in a platonic sense of the term but that he was speaking of a Mate for life. But why would he call Angel his Mate? Angel couldn't be his Mate. He would've remembered something like that happening. But…as much as he tried to deny it…he couldn't make himself say no or say that the Ganger was wrong. He couldn't deny the title of Angel as his Mate and he didn't understand how that could be possible. Others had called Angel his Mate so many times in the past, but he'd denied it every time.

Yet now, looking at his Ganger, looking at him cradling Angel in his arms, having taken her from Amy, whispering to her…he felt himself grow angry that the man was touching her so when it should be _him_ who was touching her and holding her so close…even though the man technically _was_ him.

"I don't understand what is going on," he repeated.

"Yeah I bet you don't," his Ganger muttered, "So you just keep away from her," he pointed at him, moving Angel to stand behind him.

"Why do you keep telling me to do that?" the Doctor demanded, "I would never do anything to hurt Angel."

His Ganger scoffed, "You've already hurt her! _We've_ already hurt her enough and I _won't_ let you hurt her more!"

"Doctor," Angel cut in, "Please just…stop," she pressed her hands to her ears.

She didn't want to hear this anymore. This was one of the reasons she hadn't told him she was his Mate flat out. She didn't want this to happen, she didn't want to hear any version of him denying it again. to the hill angel hit

"Angel…" the Ganger turned her.

"No," she held up a finger at him, "You stay away from me too," she warned him, shaking, "You…you both just…just leave me alone," she moved to the other side of the room, trying to put as much distance between the two Doctors as she could.

The Ganger looked like he wanted to go after her, but Amy put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him, "Listen to her," she whispered, "You've admitted it yourself," she pointed out, "You've _both_ hurt her. You can't expect her to just forgive you out of nowhere just because you suddenly remember."

"Remember what?!" the Doctor shouted, getting frustrated with all of this. Why weren't they giving him a straight answer?

Amy glanced at him over her shoulder, "Like he said Doctor…Angel's your Mate," and that was all she said before walking across the room to Angel, hugging the girl she cried, shaking her head, unable to deal with all of this, with having two Doctors in the room, one denying she was who she was and the other refusing to let her go.

It was her dream for him to remember her, but not like this. She wanted _the Doctor_ to remember, not his Ganger. Because she knew, she could see it in her mind, what would happen to the Ganger, that he would be melted eventually. He would die saving them and she couldn't bear for that to happen, to lose another Doctor and be left with the one who didn't know who she was. She knew that now her Doctor would be suspicious, he would want to know everything that happened and if he _still_ didn't remember…it would break her hearts. Because the baby would be coming in little over a month and she couldn't bear to deal with that.

"I hope you're happy," the Ganger sneered at the Doctor out of the corner of his mouth.

"Happy with what?" he sighed, confused.

His Ganger turned to face him, "Nothing."

"No," he poked the man in the chest, "I want to know what it is that I seem to have forgotten about all of this. How is Angel my Mate? What is it that you remember that I don't?"

"Everything," the Ganger cut in, "I remember everything. I remember everything that we have ever done with Angel and now I know everything we have done _to_ her, that _you_ have done to her," because he refused to believe _he_ was the same person as this Doctor, he would never ever _ever_ hurt Angel the way this man had.

In his mind, the man before him was NOT the Doctor.

"Why don't I remember then?" the Doctor asked.

"Search me," his Ganger spat, crossing his arms, staring across the room at Angel as Amy rubbed the girl's arms, seeming to have managed to calm her enough for the moment.

"Oi!" Jimmy called from where he and the other humans…how quickly the Time Lords had forgotten they were there, "Whichever one of you's the Real Doctor…we could use some help here!"

"Right," the Ganger stepped up, needing a distraction, needing something to keep him from fretting (even though he always did) about Angel, to keep his hearts from breaking (as they were now) at how she didn't want him near her, "We have to get you off this island."

"And the Gangers too," the Doctor added.

"Sorry, would you like a memo from the last meeting?" Cleaves called as they tried to hold the door shut despite the acid leaking through, "They're trying to _kill_ us!"

"They're scared," Angel murmured as she and Amy walked over, the ginger with her arm around Angel's shoulders, "I…I can feel it."

"And fear breeds savagery," the Ganger murmured, "Right, we need to get out of here now," he walked over to Angel, Amy stepping back with her when he reached out to touch her, only to let his hand drop, "It'll be alright Angel," he whispered, promising her, "I won't let anyone, Ganger, human, or Time Lord," he threw that last one over his shoulder at his real self, "Hurt you, ever."

The Doctor frowned as he watched his Ganger look at Angel, utterly confused by why he agreed completely with the man's statement, yet…didn't know why it impacted him so deeply. Yes, he never wanted Angel to be harmed, but…to swear to something like that so vehemently…it was startling how powerfully he agreed with it, "The Flesh bowl is fed by cabling from above."

"So we need to find the Earthing conduits," the Ganger nodded, the two of them pulling out their sonics and looking around, till they found a vent in the back, "There!" the Ganger shouted, rushing to it, not bothering to let his real self get a word in, knowing he'd do something ridiculous like yell 'yowzah' or something and waste time, and he would NOT do that when Angel's life was on the line.

"Come on," the Ganger muttered as he pulled the panel off, "Ha ha! Yes," he grinned, turning, holding out a hand to Angel, "Angel you first," he gestured her in.

The Doctor frowned as he watched her go, his own hearts breaking for a moment when she refused to take the Ganger's outstretched hand, crawling in herself, Amy pushing her way to follow to make sure neither he nor the Ganger could follow right after.

~8~

The Doctor was in a rather foul mood as he sat in the evac. tower, before the controls, though he could barely keep his focus on it instead of the Ganger as he stood in the back of the room, quietly speaking with Angel. Everything had just gone from bad to worse in the span of mere minutes. They'd made it out of the chapel, into a hall…when some thick, choky gas had filled the halls. The Ganger had barely let them get a breath of it before he was off, pulling Angel by the hand down the halls, leading them out. He scarcely gave a single concern to the others that were there, reacting solely when Angel had let out a single cough. It was like a switch had flipped and in that instant there was no one else there but Angel, not even Amy, not even HIM, the REAL Doctor.

He had to admit he was both relieved and upset about that. Relieved because Angel was alright, the smoke hadn't damaged her and the others were fine now as well due to the Ganger's quick thinking…but he was upset because, in a way, HE had wanted to be the one to rescue them all, to be the one that Angel would look proudly at (not that she had looked proudly at his Ganger, having yanked her hand away from his the moment they entered the tower and stumbled to the back of the room. HE hadn't gotten to be the one to hold her hand and his Ganger hand. And the man had reacted so quickly, instantly almost. It was weird, it was like he as faster because Angel was there.

And from there it had just continued to get worse between him and his Ganger, he had tried to get the man to agree to switch shoes and places as they'd fixed the communications control…but the Ganger refused, it seemed he really did hate him for forgetting Angel was his Mate, but…he couldn't understand it. It didn't feel like he'd really forgotten anything, there was just…no memory at all, not even a snippet, how was he to know he'd even forgotten…though he HAD said to Angel, his very first words actually…that he'd forgotten something. The Ganger refused to switch, muttering something about how he wasn't going to trick Angel like that.

He'd remarked that Angel was psychic, she'd guess who was who and the man had just glared at him, half spitting as he said that he was _not_ going to trick the others, he was NOT going to pretend like HE didn't remember her when it was so important that he did. And just like that, his plans to try and trick the others into thinking they were the opposite of what they were, to show them there was no difference between Ganger or Human, evaporated. He didn't know how else he could prove it now without that part of the plan.

The Ganger had even refused to help find Rory and Jennifer, having insisted that he stay there and refused to leave Angel's side. He'd had to send Amy and Buzzer after them, which he was not pleased about as he was hoping that one of them would have encountered the other Gangers and gotten them to cooperate and help them, despite their last incident. Now he had no idea what was going on, he had no control over anything, and his Ganger was completely disregarding him.

And worse yet! The Ganger was in the back, talking with Angel, he was reaching out and touching her arms and lifting her chin with a finger and looking at her softly and…Angel was smiling, she was starting to _smile_. It felt like it took him _ages_ to do something (to work out some way) to make Angel smile, and this man did it within moments! It wasn't fair. Though, apparently he had some sort of experience and knowledge that HE didn't in how his memories were missing. It was frustrating beyond belief to sit there and watch someone that was HIM getting closer and closer to Angel, cheering her up and making her smile when it should be HIS job!

He frowned at that, where had THAT come from? That possessive, jealous streak? Rory cheered Angel up all the time…and admittedly he DID want to throw Rory into a black hole from time to time for it.

He looked over, watching his Ganger intently when he saw the man nodding at something Angel said, before he…before he leaned in and kissed Angel's forehead! He felt his jaw tense at that, his hands clench into fists, before he stood up and strode out of the room, into a side room, starting to pace within, not sure what he was doing or why he was there. What did it matter to him if his Ganger kissed Angel, technically it was like HE had kissed her.

Except he hadn't.

Except he wanted to.

He froze at that, he wanted to. Yes…he DID, he really did. And it infuriated him to see her kissing someone else, his Mate ought only kiss him!

He winced, his hand moving to his head as he half-fell against the wall, using his other hand to brace himself as the pain and the throbbing increased. But then he heard the door to the room open and he didn't even need to turn around to know it was Angel.

"Shouldn't you be with my Ganger?" he asked, not harshly but more…in a sad breath.

"No," she shrugged.

"Why?" he turned to face her.

She just looked at him, taking him in, "Because I can't bear to be around either of you," she told him, making him frown.

"What?" he breathed.

Angel closed her eyes and shook her head, "He…" she nodded at the door, "He is my past and you…you were supposed to be my future," she sniffled, "And neither will happen. I can't get the past back and the future…it won't ever come will it?"

He walked over to her, about to take her hands but she pulled them away, "Angel…" he swallowed hard, "Why didn't you tell me I was your Mate?"

"I _did_ ," she reminded him, "That first night you asked Amy to come, I told you, right to your face…and you laughed it off."

He looked down, wincing at that, he HAD done that, hadn't he? "There's a chance though," he murmured, looking at her, "If HIS memories came back, maybe mine can too."

But she looked down, "It'll be too late," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" he froze his hearts starting to race in fear at the…finality in her voice.

"Too much has happened," she remarked, "Too much has happened that you don't understand Thet…Doctor," she corrected quickly.

He blinked and stared at her, "You were about to say my name, weren't you?"

She nodded, "And that's what it's all about you know," she rubbed her head, "The Silence, the little girl, Demons Run, everything."

He frowned, "What?" he shook his head, "What's Demons Run?"

That…that…didn't make sense, what was that? How…how did she know about something like that, whatever it was? And what did it have to do with his name? What was she talking about?

"Your name," she remarked, "Silence will fall when the Question is asked. Doctor Who?" she eyed him, "Perhaps I'm getting a bit ahead of myself," she sighed, seeing his confused look, realizing the things in her head hadn't happened yet, "Either way…it always ends with me, doesn't it? With MY end."

"Angel…what are you talking about?" he had to ask, this was making no sense at all.

"They want to know your name. But YOU can't tell them. I'm the only one who…" she paused, looking away, "Oh…well…that explains it…"

"Explains what? Angel you're not making any sense," and she ALWAYS made sense to him, always.

"River," was all she said to make him stiffen, "I get it now. I…die. And you…you live on, and you move on…to her. You'll tell her your name and, in the Library, she'll be so cross because she's seeing HER Mate being so sweet on someone else and…" she swallowed hard, "You're going to tell her your name, when I'm gone."

"What are you talking about, when you're gone?" he reached out to take her hands, not letting her pull them back, "You're not going anywhere!"

"I already have," she sighed, looking into his eyes, stepping closer…so his hands brushed against her stomach.

His eyes shot open as wide as they could go as he looked down at her stomach, really and truly looked, letting go of one hand to press his to her swelling abdomen, "I…" he couldn't even think of a word at the moment.

"You see…the little girl," Angel whispered, "Our daughter…they've taken me already Doctor," she told him, "They'll kill me and they'll use her…to kill you. Just because they think your secret is one that YOU can tell."

He shook his head, "No…" that was all he could hear in his mind, no. No, Angel was right there. No he couldn't have missed that SHE was a Ganger. No she…she couldn't be pregnant. No the baby was safe. No, that girl…that wasn't their daughter. No, Angel wasn't going to die.

"Yes," Angel replied, "Either way, no matter what you do here, what you learn, what you do if you keep me here or wake me up…I'll die."

"No."

"I HAVE to die, for YOU," she argued, "That's how it would have always been. They don't want your secret shared. They must kill me to keep it. I am the only one who can tell it. They want you stopped, what better and easier way than to kill me first? They need to test how to kill a Time Lord before going after you? Well here I am…it was always going to be me, right from the start," she looked at him, "My death was set the moment you told me your name Theta."

He swallowed and looked at her, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to know that, no matter what you do, you will never be able to save me. Amnesia or not, you or your Ganger, either one or both of you, neither of you can save me. This…this is my fate. To die for you Doctor. It always was and always will be my punishment for loving you."

"I can stop it," he took her hand again, "I can…I can save you both."

"How?" she shook her head, "You keep me here and they will take my baby away, they will kill me as I lie sleeping in my harness, no regeneration. You wake me up…and they'll know you're coming. They'll take the baby and kill me too. I lose, either way I lose," she let out a bitter laugh, "I always lose."

"Angel please," he begged, tears in his eyes, this…this was turning out to be a worse nightmare than he thought it would be and…

Hold on…a…a nightmare?

"That's why I came in here," Angel continued, "I needed you to realize, I wanted to tell you myself…you need to know that no matter what you do you will NEVER be able to save me Doctor."

Why…why was she saying that? Angel, HIS Angel wouldn't ever say anything like that. …HIS Angel?

"And every pain I suffer, every hurt I endure…will be YOUR fault."

No…no this was wrong, this was…this wasn't right. This wasn't real.

He stepped back from Angel and looked around the room, it had gotten darker, it wasn't the side room that he'd entered anymore but just an entirely dark room, with a single light above them. This…this wasn't real. It couldn't be because…

Because he KNEW Angel was his Mate, yes…he KNEW it. He remembered that so…so why hadn't he before? Why was she saying such things that were her? Why as his Ganger remembering her when he hadn't? That wasn't how things had happened. No, all this was more like…

A nightmare.

~8~

The Doctor's eyes gently drifted open as he let out a breath, looking over when he felt fingers gently running through his hair to see Angel was awake and lying beside him, watching him, just…playing with his hair soothingly.

"Are you alright?" she asked him, eyeing him in concern, "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

It bothered her a bit that she still didn't see his nightmares, that his mind was still guarding them against her, but…at least this time she'd woken up and been able to try and comfort him in the midst of one. Well, not really woken up per say. She hadn't really fallen asleep. They'd just come from Sweetville and while _she_ had been petrified, which was essentially like sleeping for a good few days, the Doctor had been less fortunate. The poor dear had been covered in red poison and left wide awake and straining, suffering, for days on end. He'd been so tired when he'd come to find her in the console room, needing her to be beside him as he dozed, that she didn't have the hearts to tell him she wasn't tired. So she'd gone to bed and was just…lying there, watching him sleep, before she noticed his face scrunching and how he was starting to subtly jerk in bed. She'd reached out and tried to play with his hair, soothing him as she knew it soothed her, and had seen him start to relax, his expression moving to one of more confusion than concern, alarm, and heartsbreak.

"Yes," he nodded, "I…I was…"

She looked at him a moment, "Would…would it be one you'd like to share?"

He turned on his side, taking her hand from his hair and just…holding it, looking at it as he played with it a moment, absently analyzing the dream in his mind. He knew where it came from, the vats of Flesh had reminded him of the Vats of poison, the different people and objects that were forged from both and the pilgrims, sitting like dolls just waiting for people to pull the puppet strings like a Ganger with its original in their harness.

"I…don't think I need to," he remarked quietly, looking at her, "I…I actually think…I might have realized, in the middle of it, that…that I WAS having a nightmare, that it wasn't real."

She smiled, "That's wonderful Theta," she leaned over to kiss him deeply, SO relieved that that had happened.

She knew that he was always reluctant to tell her about his nightmares, whether from embarrassment or wanting to protect her or even from wanting them not to stop, she knew it was a combination of the three. He never really enjoyed talking about them, much less than he enjoyed having them the first time. She'd hoped that, by talking, it would help him get over them, and…it seemed it might have started to at least.

"Yes," he smiled, reaching out to touch her cheek, gently pulling her back to kiss her again, "It's…good," he nodded, wondering if…if perhaps this was the first step in actually ending the nightmares. He didn't enjoy them, he rather hated them, but he'd always felt like they were necessary, that he needed them to try and make up for hurting Angel and Ayla so badly. But this time…this time he'd realized it wasn't' real.

He'd realized that what Angel was saying in the dream as NOT what she felt in real life and…maybe it was starting to sink in that she didn't blame him for what happened, that she still loved him and that she _did_ forgive him. He…he actually was starting to hope that might be the case. He was starting to miss sleeping peacefully with his Mate in his arms, waking up slowly with her beside him, the two of them so…happy and content. He missed that, he missed that feeling. He missed being able to enjoy these little private times with his Mate, to settle down for the night and cuddle and just...hold her, to be able to fall asleep beside her without constantly worrying that he might wake her with his screams or that he'd envision some terrible end for her. He just...wanted to be happy again, he wanted to let go of the guilt he felt because he really just...he was starting to believe that Angel had truly forgiven him and...and maybe, seeing how happy she and Ayla were, to realize that he must be doing something right, maybe it was showing him that he was slowly but steadily making up for what had happened.

Though, at the current moment, with Angel in his arms as he kissed her in slight celebration over this single step towards the end of his nightmares, he was rather…quite a bit of both, happy and content.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a little surprise at first, got a bit darker, but I really wanted this to be a turning point for the Doctor, the first time he's realized, while dreaming, that he's actually in a nightmare and woke himself up :) I think that's a step in the right direction ;)


	55. Nightmare in Silver: Webley's Wonders

"It's Clara," Angel called, pressing the phone to her shoulder as the Doctor led Professor Brian Cox out of the TARDIS after having imparted some wise words about a little girl in the audience at his speech tonight, "She says she's run into a bit of a…problem."

"What is it?" he asked, serious, making his way over to the console, "Is she ok?"

Angel smiled, reaching out to touch the Doctor's cheek for his concern, "She's just fine, but…it appears the children have worked out that she's a time traveler. They've threatened to tell their father AND," she added putting a finger to his lips to keep him from saying she should let them as the man wouldn't believe them, "Show him proof of it as well. Picture of her in different eras and such."

"Well what do they want?" the Doctor pulled her hand from his mouth, pressing a kiss to the tip of her finger and holding her hand.

"They want a trip in the TARDIS."

"Angie and Artie are coming!?" Ayla gasped, hopping off the side-chair and running over to take her father's hands, "Are they daddy? Can they? Please!"

"Oh that is not fair," the Doctor tapped her on the nose, "Clara never should have taught you that puppy dog look, how can I say no to that?"

"I believe that's the point of it," Angel laughed, before picking up the phone once more, "Clara? Hello, the Doctor says that's just fine. Yes, whenever you…oh," she blinked, "Alright," she laughed, "We'll be right there then."

"What?" the Doctor watched her put the phone down and hang up.

"They want to go right now," she smiled.

"Patience is a virtue," he countered.

"Which you lack quite a bit of my love," Angel reminded him, before reaching up to straighten his beloved bowtie, "Come on," she laughed taking his hand and pulling him to the console, the two of them piloting the box away as Ayla ran after them, watching them as she followed.

~8~

On a dusty, gray landscape drifting in what appeared to be the black of space, the TARDIS slowly faded into existence, the Doctor stepped out, sticking his head out first to see an American Flag hanging there, Earth in the blackness behind and grinned, "I did it!" he cheered, exceedingly happy that he'd managed to get this trip done in the first go.

They had actually been debating taking Ayla to an amusement park or two, just a little…family outing. But with Clara and Angie and Artie there, well, it was more the merrier and, of course, to the Doctor that meant that the more children there were, the bigger the park had to be. So he had decided to take them to the largest amusement park in the Universe! Which had excited the children to no end, even Angie had looked rather pleased for a moment or two, before trying to pass it off as disinterest.

Angel seemed very fond of the girl despite her less than warm reaction and reception of everyone. He was of the impression it was because Angie was an Angie too, and he'd remarked that they should take care that Angie never crossed paths with good old captain Jack, the confusion that would ensue would be immeasurable they were sure. Ayla seemed to have become fast friends with Artie, who she'd gotten to know when she'd given the two children a tour of the TARDIS. Artie was especially a fan of the library, and had been rather amazed to see there was a garden INSIDE the spaceship, a garden that had a lovely little stone chess table set up like in the parks. It had been something they'd added to the garden when they'd learned that Ayla quite loved playing chess. And the small garden was just lovely to play in.

"Well, here we are!" the Doctor cheered as he threw his arms out and spun around, Angel and Ayla stepping out after him, followed by a more cautious Clara, Angie and Artie, looking around at the moon-like landscape, "Hedgewick's World, the biggest and best amusement park there will ever be and we've got a golden ticket!" and then he actually pulled one out of his pocket, "Ah, there we are," he grinned, handing to Ayla to hold, "A golden ticket for my golden girl eh?" Ayla smiled at that praise, as he jumped onto a rock and looked around, "Eh, eh? Fun!"

"Fun?" Clara lifted an eyebrow as she eyed their surroundings, that…wasn't quite the word she'd use. It looked rather dark and depressing and…not like an amusement park.

"Your stupid box can't even get us to the right place," Angie scoffed, "This is, like, a moon base or something."

"Angie that's very rude," Angel told her, patting the corner of the box, "It's alright Sissy, she didn't mean it."

"Yes I did."

"Angie," Clara chastised her, shaking her head as Angie rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry about her," Clara whispered to them, but they just waved her off, though Ayla watched the girl stalk off with a sad smile.

"It's not the moon," the Doctor added as he jumped off the rock, Clara moving to sit on a different one.

"Actually, I think it does look like the moon," Artie countered, "Only dirtier."

"It's not the moon though," Ayla agreed, "If daddy says it's not the moon, it's really not the moon," she leaned in to whisper to them, "Aliens remember?"

"I believe it's called the Spacey Zoomer ride?" Angel looked at the Doctor as he nodded, winding his arm around her waist, "Right then," she turned suddenly, "Hello sir," she called.

Angie and Artie frowned and exchanged a look, not sure who she was talking to or why she kept looking over at the side of the rocks…when a door opened in one and a man peered out at them, startling them as they'd been looking at it so intently that they hadn't jumped when the man appeared.

"Oh, ah," the man apologized, "'Scuse I. I don't suppose you happen to be my lift off planet? Dave's Discount Interstellar Removals?"

"'Fraid not," Clara shook her head, oddly enough not at all perturbed by the man's sudden appearance. She had actually found that…since the Doctor had called her his sister, she sort of felt…more confident in him. Granted this was the first adventure since then that he'd been with her so she couldn't really say how it would go…especially as it was the DOCTOR. It was like she felt more sure that things would be ok, that she was even more protected because she was a 'sister' in their little family now.

"They were meant to be here six months ago," the man sighed, "That's Dave for you, see, unreliable."

"Stay where you are!" they heard a woman shout from behind a door in the back of the room. They all looked over, the Doctor pulling Ayla back to stand behind him and Angel just incase the people coming were not nice…

' _It'll be alright my love,_ ' he heard Angel reassure him in his mind, but he didn't relax as much as he probably should have, he just…he didn't want to risk anything. If there was one thing to be said about the nightmares, it was that he could understand now just how much of a treasure his girls were, how lucky he was to have both of them, and how much he would fight to keep them with him.

As far as he was concerned, nothing and no one would _ever_ hurt them again.

"Oops," the man winced before ducking back into the door, shutting the rock as a group of soldiers swarmed into the room, their guns held rather…clumsily in their hands.

"Throw down your weapons and identify yourselves!" a woman with yellow hair and dark red lipstick ordered, clearly the one in charge of this particular platoon.

Clara stood and moved in front of the children, Angel keeping Ayla close as the Doctor stepped forward, showing them the golden ticket, "No. No weapons! Golden ticket! Spacey Zoomer?" he started bouncing in place, "Free ice cream?"

"Who are you?" the woman demanded, eyeing them suspiciously, "This planet is closed, by Imperial order."

"How's this?" the Doctor grinned, whipping out the psychic paper and holding it up to the woman to read.

Her eyes widened as she saw it, "Oh," she bowed her head, "Welcome, Proconsul. I wish they'd told us you and the Haruspex were coming," she shook her head looking up at the Doctor and Angel, "Any news of the Emperor?"

"Oh, the…Emperor..." the Doctor turned to Angel, his expression begging for help.

"The sun has not risen on that foretelling," Angel shrugged, trying to impersonate what she could remember of Lucius Petrus Dextrus and Evelina.

"We pray for his return," the woman remarked, "If there is anything you need, my platoon is at your service."

The Doctor nodded his thanks at them, "Right! Righty-oh. Well, carry on, Captain," he saluted her as she returned one of her own, bowing her head to Angel in respect.

"Haruspex?" Clara murmured as she led the kids to stand by Angel.

"Soothsayer," she supplied, "Prophetess…"

"Psychic," the Doctor winked, making his way over to her as well.

"Thief," she countered, "Proconsul my love?"

"Yes well," he flipped open the psychic paper, "Never really know what I'm going to get sometimes."

Angel smiled, patting his cheek, "I still can't see the psychic paper my love."

"What about you sweetheart?" he looked at Ayla, holding the paper up to her.

"It's blank," she pouted.

"No it's not," Angie pointed, "It says right there, Proconsul Doctorus, and Har…Harun…"

"Haruspex," Artie corrected, "Haruspex Angela."

"And speaking of seeing things," Angel murmured, walking over to the line of rocks and knocking on them, "Hello? They've gone."

They looked over as the door in the rocks opened once more and the man peeked out again, letting out a breath of relief as he saw the tail end of the army walking off, "Uniforms give me the heebie-jeebies," he shivered, "Come on," he opened the door wider, "They can't stop me being here, but they don't like it."

Clara stepped forward with the children, heading in after the man as the Doctor and Angel fell behind, watching Ayla go ahead of them as they glanced at each other.

' _Any more feelings on this one?_ ' the Doctor asked her silently as they slowly made their way after their daughter. When they'd been trying to determine a place to go, Angel had been hesitant to agree to this one but she wasn't sure why.

It was like she didn't feel there was a real danger there, at least not one that they wouldn't be able to handle, but…it was also…odd. It was like the planet was asleep, that had been the only way she'd been able to describe it. The planet was…TOO quiet. Which he had to admit was a bit funny as their adventures tended to be a bit TOO loud.

But he'd promised her, the first sign of danger, they'd head off. He was NOT about to make that mistake again in ignoring a present danger and trying to stay there. Every time he did…bad things happened.

' _Not just yet,_ ' she sighed, feeling…fuzzy, like she had when she'd been in the Mortarium, there were so many Weeping Angel statues that she hadn't been able to sense just one of them.

He nodded and took her hand, kissing the back of it, 'Everything WILL be fine,' he promised her, 'I'll make sure of it.'

She smiled and leaned over, kissing his cheek as they caught up with the man, standing before a rather large doorway, the children and Clara staring out in wonder and sadness at the sight beyond, a rather large amusement park that seemed to span the whole surface of the planet…now in ruins.

"Ha, ha!" the Doctor tried to be chipper, "You see? I told you it was amazing. Well, it used to be."

"It closed down," the man sighed, feeling for the children, "Wish I'd known that before I landed here. But let me show you my collection. Come along, follow me, this way. This way in, come on. Welcome to my show..."

"Can we mummy?" Ayla turned to Angel, excited for the prospect of a collection, she loved collections, well…not alien collections…but she did like other things. Humans were always so interesting in what they could collect.

Angel smiled and ran a hand down her daughter's hair, "Of course."

Ayla beamed and hugged her quickly before taking the Doctor's hand, "Come along dad!" pulling him off with a surprised shout from him, she was really eager.

Angel laughed as she watched her go, Artie jogging to catch up to them as Angie just rolled her eyes, the three girls following the others off.

~8~

The funny man led them back into the heart of the complex, to a room that was quite dark, giving off a slightly eerie feeling that had Ayla clutching the Doctor's hand, still not very fond of the darkness. He smiled and squeezed her hand reassuringly as he walked with her and Artie down the steps and into the room as the man stopped and spun to face them, the lights coming on as the other three reached the top of the stairs to reveal what was truly in the room.

It was filled to the brim with wax replicas of different alien species and other important historical figures. There were two rather large, rather worn, yet very comfortable looking sofas in the middle of the room. Angel smiled, seeing the figures of the different aliens were only wax and…not stuffed, like Van Statten's had been. Slitheen might have been one of the least pleasant enemy to deal with but she didn't want to imagine what had happened that had led to one of their arms being cut off and stuffed just for the man to put it on display the way he had.

"Webley's World of Wonders!" the man spun around, his arms out, "Miracles, marvels and more await you. I am impresario Webley," he bowed with a flourish.

"NOW she's interested," Clara smiled as she saw Angie step past them and into the room, heading down the steps with her brother and Ayla as the children looked around in wonder, the two women moving to join the Doctor at the base of the steps, "Thanks," she whispered to them.

It really meant a lot to her that the Time Lords were doing this for her, it wasn't even that it was the threat of the children telling Mr. Maitland about her. There were PLENTY of ways around that. One could claim photoshopping for the photos, or even pretend it was a school project, something for a magazine trying to do period pieces. She was sure the Time Lords probably also had some sort of virus or something that could get into computers and erase the entire thing. And, on that note, she could have easily hacked into one of the websites and removed the photo herself.

Mr. Maitland would have never known. But…she could have done all that, the Doctor and Angel could have too…but there they were, CHOOSING to take the kids out for a day of fun.

"It's no problem at all Clara," Angel put her arm around her shoulder to half-hug her, "Anything for family," she winked.

Clara beamed at that, SO pleased that they were really taking to that whole, 'she was the Doctor's sister' thing. She had actually thought, for a moment or two, that they were just joking, but no…Ayla called her her Aunt and they really seemed to be sticking to it. It was just…wonderful.

"You see before you waxwork representations of the famous..." Webley grinned, "And the infamous!" he added, his voice going deep for effect, "Anybody here play chess?"

"I do!" Ayla grinned, lifting her hand instantly, as did the Doctor, and Artie too.

"There can only be one," Webley laughed.

"Ladies first," Artie gestured Ayla on, polite as ever.

"That boy is remarkable Clara," Angel whispered to her.

"I know," Clara smiled, SO proud of the young gentleman Artie was, as she ran a fond hand through his hair, ruffling it a moment.

"Well then, follow me," Webley grinned, leading them to the back part of the room, through a door and into a small side room.

Angel slowed as she entered, looking around hesitantly with a frown, the Doctor spotting it instantly, and not because he was watching her or anything, no…not at all, she just…happened to look rather love in that lighting (like she was in ALL lighting in his opinion). He made his way over to her, taking her hand, ' _What is it?_ '

She looked over at him, ' _There are bugs in here,_ ' she whispered.

He let out a small chuckle at that, ' _Bugs?_ '

' _Funny insects,_ ' she corrected, ' _And…not NORMAL insects. And…there's someone else IN here too._ '

THAT made him sober a bit and look around, half expecting it to be some sort of trap the Silence had whipped together. He carefully looked at the ceiling, around the room, his sonic out, but…there as nothing. He looked at Angel again but she nodded to a thing that was covered in cloth, sitting on the opposite end of a chessboard.

"Now, let me demonstrate to you all the wonder of the age, the miracle of modernity," Webley continued, trying his level best to impress, "We defeated them all, a thousand years ago. But now he's back, to destroy you. Behold! The enemy!" he pulled the cloth off the object with a flourish…

Only for the Doctor to shout out, "Cyberman!" and pull them all to the ground, "Get down!"

"It's not alive my love," Angel told him, even though it lifted its head, "Just a shell, the robotic component."

The Doctor paused at that bit of information before he lifted his head, watching it carefully but keeping Ayla still in his arms, ready to protect her at the slightest hint of an attack.

Webley though, just laughed at their reaction, seeming for all the world as though it were something that always happened yet it was also something he never grew tired of, "No need to panic, my young friends. We all know there are no more living Cybermen. What you are seeing is a miracle, the 699th wonder of the universe. As displayed before the Imperial court, and only here to destroy you, at chess! Careful now. An empty shell. And yet it moves. How?"

The Doctor slowly circled the table, eyeing the robot before glancing at Angel. She caught his eye and her gaze travelled down, his own looking at the chair the Cyberman was sitting on before he smiled, working it out.

"Magic?" Angie asked, sarcasm heavy in her words.

But Webley just pointed at her as though she'd been completely serious in her guess, "That might well be, young lady. A single penny wins you five Imperial shillings if you can beat this empty shell at chess."

Angel glanced over a moment, feeling like she'd seen something slither past in the corner of her eye on one of the wax figures, but there was nothing there. She looked back when the Doctor came to lean on the table beside her.

Ayla pouted, "I don't have a penny."

Webley tried to be strong when he saw her adorable pout, before sighing, "Tell you what, this one's on the house."

"Really!?" Ayla looked at him with such wide eyed joy that he had to laugh.

"Take a seat," he gestured at the table, Artie quickly pulling out the chair for Ayla, being polite, "Now…" he moved to the side and opened up the panel beneath the table, showing them Ayla and the Cyberman's feet, showing them there was no one under there to trick them, "It is free of all devices, and yet it has never been beaten. Would you like to make the first move, young miss?"

Ayla smiled and moved her pawn, tilting her head as she watched the Cyberman jerk forward and make another move. She let out a small giggle and moved one more piece that made the Doctor beam proudly to see…as it tricked the Cyberman into making one particular move that…

"Checkmate," Ayla smiled, looking up at Webley as the man stared at the board in shock, "I win!"

"Yes…" he said slowly, a bit startled at that, no one that had faced the metal machine had been able to beat it yet, "If you can tell me how it works, I'll give you a silver penny," he offered.

"I think..." Angie began, "You do it with mirrors?"

"That's a very good guess Angie," Angel smiled at her, "Very clever."

"And on any other situation most likely right," the Doctor added before he moved behind the Cyberman as it just sat there, "Low tech. It's a puppet, monofilament strings, which means the brains are in..." he knelt down and popped open a panel in the side of the chair, a small man crammed inside with a remote in his hands.

"Hello!" Ayla greeted as she dashed over to see what her father was staring at.

"Hello," the man nodded, "I'm the brains."

"Hello," the Doctor repeated what his daughter had said.

"Give us a hand?" the man laughed holding one out for the Doctor to help tug him out, Ayla kneeling to do the same, "They call me Porridge. Ah, it's good to be out of that box."

"For you, Miss..." Webley reached out behind Ayla's ear and 'magically' pulled out a small penny, "An Imperial penny," he held it out to her.

Ayla just scrunched her nose and shook her head, "I don't like money," she told him.

"Oh," he blinked, that was another first.

"I'll take it," Angie held out her hand as Webley shrugged and handed it over.

Angel smiled as she looked at her daughter, leaning against the wall as the Doctor scooped the girl up in his arms, she was JUST like her father, never carried a hint of money on her, not even a penny. Her small smile faded though when she stiffened, looking over to the side to see a few small…insects…crawling up the wall across from her...

... _a door crashed off its hinges as a Cyberman stood in the doorway_...

'... _we've upgraded ourselves. The next model will be undefeatable_...'

... _an army of Cybermen gathered together, marching across the park_...

She shook her head, frowning, those little mites looked FAR too much the color of a Cyberman.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel walked cautiously behind Webley as he led them all back into the main room of his wonderful room, only for the man to pull a cloth off of two other statues, more Cybermen, "I have not one but THREE Cybermen in my collection!" he cheered, grinning as though that were an accomplishment.

But one look at the Doctor and Angel's serious faces told Clara that it was nothing of the sort. The Doctor looked serious as he took to scanning the metal men with his sonic, while Angel stayed back, frowning at them with a look that seemed to be a hint of resentment mixed with mostly sorrow, as she held Ayla's hand, keeping the girl away from the statues.

"Is that the king?" Angie pointed to another statue, a tall wax work figure of a man with dark hair dressed in regal clothing.

"Emperor," Porridge corrected, making Ayla look over at the tone of it. It was like someone who was responding to a personal insult, defensive. She squinted, eyeing Porridge and then the statue before smiling, wondering how long it would take the others to realize what she had, "Ludens Nimrod Kendrick, etc, etc, the 41st, defender of humanity, imperator of known space."

"He looks a bit full of himself," Clara eyed the statue.

"Don't say things like that about the Imperial family, you can end up on the run for the rest of your life."

"That's not very nice," Ayla frowned at that, "That's the worst way to make friends too."

"Go on," Porridge called to Webley, "If the kids want to ride the Spacey Zoomer, then I can operate the gravity console."

"Thank you Porridge," Clara smiled at him, putting an arm around Artie and leading him out, Angel and the Doctor exchanging a look before following with Ayla between them.

"Angie?" Angel glanced back, seeing the girl just looking between her coin and the statue before her before she turned and headed after them with what had to be the longest long-suffering sigh in the world.

~8~

The Doctor, Angel, and Clara stood to the side, watching as the kids bounced up and down in the air, as though in zero gravity on the moon, laughing and smiling and just…warming the hearts of the adults watching them. Angel smiled as she rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder, him standing with his arm around her waist, just…beaming to see their daughter so happy. She really was just the easiest little girl to please. It was always the simple things that she appreciated the most.

"Smile!" Clara called, holding up her camera phone to snap a picture, "Say, 'Spacey Zoomer!'"

"We're flying!" was all she really got from Artie as Angie tried to make it seem like it was average once she saw Clara trying to take a picture and Ayla was giggling too much to say anything.

"Having a good time?" the Doctor smiled at them. Porridge slowly turned off the anti-graves, the three children drifting back down to the floor equally as slowly.

"I think that was the most fun I've had in my whole life!" Artie beamed at Clara.

"It was...ok," Angie shrugged, making the Doctor make a face at that.

' _She's lying my love,_ ' Angel commented in his head, which made grin as he whipped out the sonic and started to scan the area.

"Clara?" Artie turned to her, "I think outer space is actually very interesting."

"Right," she laughed, turning to lead him and Angie to the TARDIS, "Wonderful day out, but it's time to get the kids home."

"Actually Clara," Angel looked at her, "We may need to stay a short while longer."

"Why?" Clara turned to them.

"I dunno," the Doctor shrugged, distracted as he looked at the readings on the sonic, or the lack of readings in that particular area, "Reasons."

"What reasons?"

"Insects," he glanced at Angel, sharing a meaningful look with her, "Funny insects. I should add them to my funny insect collection."

Ayla blinked up at him, "We have a funny insect collection!?"

The Doctor winced at that, "Not just yet, but…we're in the process of making one, aren't we?" he smiled at her, "Starting right now," he added, stepping back into the main part of the complex again.

~8~

The children were lying down on the sofas in Webley's room later that day, Angie and Artie tucked up on one, the larger of the two, and Ayla on the other. There were blankets and pillows everywhere, making a nice little bed for the three of them, Clara and Angel tucking them in while Porridge brought them in a glass of water each.

"How long do we have to stay here?" Angie grumbled, not even thanking for the water but putting it aside.

"Not long," the Doctor assured them, dropping a kiss to Ayla's fore head as he stood, "Have a nap. I'll wake you when we're ready to leave," he moved over to the doors, testing them a moment, to see if they'd open, which they did.

"Sweet dreams," Angel added, kissing Ayla's hair too, before she moved to leave, flicking off the lights as Porridge followed them.

"Comfy?" the man called back to them before he disappeared completely.

"Sleep well," Clara whispered, heading out.

"Good night," Porridge called as they both left the room. Artie reached out and took a sip of his water, placing the glass down on the small glass table beside him as Ayla snuggled up under her covers.

"Don't wander off!" the Doctor shouted, jumping back into the room with the sonic held under his chin and startling the poor children, well, the humans, Ayla just smiled as she snuggled more into her pillow, as though she knew her father was going to do this, "I'm not just saying 'Don't wander off,' I MEAN it. Otherwise you'll wander off, and the next thing you know, somebody's going to have to start rescuing somebody…"

"From what?" Angie frowned, now suspicious.

"Nothing," a voice said as Angel stepped back into the room, linking her arm with the Doctor's to tug him out, "There's nothing to worry about."

"Yes," the Doctor pointed at her, "Nothing. Nobody needs rescuing from anything. Don't wander off. Sweet dreams," he winked at them and left, the Maitlands settling back down onto their sofas, but neither of them seemed able to fall asleep now.

~8~

Webley sighed as he entered the chess room, eyeing the Cyberman as he rolled his eyes and moved to place the chess pieces into their proper orders, "So then, total takings for the day…nothing, because some hunk of junk lost," he banged a fist on the top of the Cyberman's head, before shaking his head and moving to reach for the pieces on the Cyberman's side…

Only for the Cyberman to grab his wrist.

"That's a bit odd…" he murmured, trying to remain calm, "That's not funny, give me my hands back!" he struggled more and more, gasping when he saw small, worm-like insects slither out of the Cyberman's head and crawl down its body…right onto HIS skin, starting to cover him as he screamed…

"Upgrade in progress!" the Cybermen stated, deaf to the agonized yells around him.

~8~

Angie wandered around the main room, holding her mobile phone out this way and that, trying to get reception but there was nothing, "I HATE the future. It's stupid."

"That's mean," Ayla sat up, unable to sleep with the amount of noise and grumbling that Angie was making.

"Oh yeah?" Angie scoffed, wiggling her phone at Ayla, "There's not even phone service," she set the phone down on a small table beside the sofa, "I'm out of here."

"Daddy said not to wander off!" Ayla told her, pointing warningly at her as she moved to look at the woman over the back of the sofa, moving onto her knees.

"He said that, and then he wandered off," Angie countered, not even noticing the small worm-like bugs that had started to swarm her phone.

"I don't think Clara would like that…" Artie frowned, having tried to fall asleep and failed at it as well.

"She's not our mum!" Angie snapped at her.

"She doesn't have to be to love you," Ayla told Angie quietly.

Angie rolled her eyes and turned to head out, "Don't leave me here!" Artie cried.

"It's alright Artie," Ayla reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm still here. I won't wander off and leave," though her gaze kept getting pulled to where Angie had disappeared, unable to help but feel like she and Artie were being watched.

~8~

The Doctor zigged this way and that through a rather large terminal set up in the middle of the factory, a magnifying glass in one hand, the sonic on the other, as he investigated everything he could get in his line of sight. Angel and Clara were walking on either side of Porridge as they talked about the situation.

"Was this really the biggest amusement park in the universe?" Clara had to ask. For being the biggest…she couldn't imagine what could have happened to it that they just…stopped coming.

"Yeah," Porridge sighed, "Hedgewick bought the planet cheap. It'd been trashed in the Cyber-Wars."

"Who were we fighting?"

"Cybermen," Angel said quietly, staring out at the dark night's sky as they walked nearer to the doors that opened to the outside, "Metal men, human brains trapped in suits of armor. The 'technologically upgraded warriors.'"

"We couldn't win," Porridge agreed, "Sometimes we fought to a draw, but then they'd upgrade themselves, fix their weaknesses and destroy us. It's hard to fight an enemy that uses your armies as spare parts."

"You beat them, though," Clara frowned, "Beat them or you wouldn't be here. How?"

"Look up there," Porridge pointed to a rather empty area of space that looked like a sort of eye with a big black spot in the middle of it, "That corner of the sky. What do you see?"

"Nothing," Angel murmured, already knowing what that meant.

"It's just black," Clara nodded, "No stars, no nothing."

"Used to be the Tiberion Spiral Galaxy," Porridge explained, "A million star systems. A hundred million worlds. A billion trillion people. It's not there anymore. No more Tiberion galaxy. No more Cybermen. It was effective."

"It's horrible," Clara breathed.

"It's…terrible," Angel nodded slowly, "But…it's even worse for the one who has to push the button and do it," she glanced over at the Doctor, "For the sake of the Universe."

Clara followed her gaze, knowing where her mind had gone, they'd told her about the War, about what the Doctor had been forced to do for the sake of all creation. He'd had to push that button and send the planet away, he'd had to do what whoever had pushed the button for the Tiberion Galaxy had done.

"And that's why I feel like a monster sometimes. Instead of mourning a billion trillion dead people, I just feel sorry for the poor blighter who had to press the button and blow it all up."

"Clara?" the Doctor called as they looked over at him, seeing him squinting out into the darkness through the shell of some piece of equipment he was inspecting, "Did you tell Angie she could go to the barracks?"

"You KNOW I didn't," Clara frowned, before realizing why he was asking that, "She hasn't..."

"I bet she has," Angel nodded.

"She's just gone in there," the Doctor agreed.

Clara sighed, "Come on…" and led them off.

~8~

In the barracks, the Captain of the platoon was walking through with another woman as she placed a piece of equipment that seemed to have been ripped apart down on a bench, "I can't fix this," the woman shook her head.

"It can't be broken," the captain rolled her eyes, "It's a solid state sub-ether ansible class communicator. Just run the diagnostics."

"There's nothing left to diagnose. It's not broken. It's empty. All the components have gone."

"Well, you must have replacement parts," she turned to head away.

"Not enough to build a new one," the woman muttered.

"Captain," a young man in glasses made his way over to the Captain as she rolled her eyes and huffed, "The weather-controller is malfunctioning again. There's storms, heat waves, snow."

Just as the Captain opened her mouth to retort, the young woman she'd been speaking to place a hand on her shoulder and pointed at the door…where Angie was standing, looking around.

"Hello," Angie strode in, "I'm bored!"

"Where's your big sister?" the Captain eyed her.

"Clara?" Angie let out something between a scoff and a grimace, "She's not my sister. She's stupid. She's talking to Porridge."

"She talks to her porridge?" the Captain raised an eyebrow at that.

Angie rolled her eyes, "Porridge. That little bloke."

The Captain's smile tensed as she looked at Angie, stepping closer to put her arm around her, "We need to have a chat," she told the girl, leading her away.

~8~

"Are you ok Artie?" Ayla whispered as she and Artie laid on their sofas in the main room of Webley's display, both of them trying to ignore the creepy statues and the dark.

"I'm fine," he said, but his voice went squeaky.

"You're lying," Ayla remarked, "Daddy's voice does that too when he lies. You don't have to lie to me if you're scared."

"I'm not scared," he insisted, "I just think I ought to turn the lights back on."

"Please do," Ayla agreed, "I don't…I don't like the dark."

Artie nodded and got up, walking over to the switch, looking around nervously at the different displays. He ran the last few feet and turned the light on, smiling widely at the light that flood the room…until he heard Ayla scream.

He spun around to see one of the metal men had been right by the sofa and grabbed her, another was right behind him! He yelled out, trying to call for help when the Cyberman covered his mouth and picked him up, pulling him and Ayla off…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear Lord...they took AYLA?! O.O I have a feeling that the Cybermen better run...and not just from the Doctor }:)


	56. Nightmare in Silver: The Cyber-Planner

"So, tell me about the little bloke," the Captain smiled at Angie as they walked through the barracks, Angie now with a mug of hot chocolate in hand.

"Well, you must have seen him," Angie shrugged…

When the doors opened and Clara, the Doctor, and Angel ran in, Clara shouting, "Angie, Angie!"

"She has to turn up and spoil everything!" Angie half-stomped her foot at Clara's appearance, "I wasn't doing anything! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"Angie she's just trying to look out for you," Angel began…when the door behind them was thrown off its hinges.

They spun around, gasping and staring in horror at the Cyberman, not looking beaten down or rusty or worn at all, standing in the doorway.

"Cyberman!" the Captain cried and the soldiers scrambled into action, trying to grab their weapons and find cover to attack from behind.

The Doctor whipped out his sonic, scanning it as Angel stepped back to Angie's side, just KNOWING the Cyberman had come for her.

"Attack formation!" the Captain ordered, the soldiers trying to fire at the Cyberman as it stomped into the room. One man ran at it with his bare hands…only to be thrown to the side, "No!"

"Angel!" the Doctor turned to her, "Get Angie out of here!"

Angel nodded and had just started to glow gold, teleporting out…when the Cyberman rushed past at a blur and grabbed Angie out of her hold before she could manage to finish, whizzing off as Angel disappeared, only to reappear without Angie there, "Angie!" she called, gasping as she felt her hand go empty, Angie's screams still echoing through the room as she disappeared, kidnapped by the Cyberman.

"Angie!" Clara spun around, seeing the girl gone and tried to run after her.

"Clara no!" Angel pulled her back as the Doctor ran over.

"Clara..." he grabbed her hand as well, helping Angel hold her.

"That was a Cyberman!" the Captain just stared at the center of the room, completely started, "But they're extinct!"

"Clara," the Doctor turned the girl, placing his hands on her shoulders so she'd look at him, "Listen to me, I will get her back…"

"WE will get her back," Angel promised, crossing her hearts, "I swear it, Angie…she'll be just fine," she took Clara's hands, "Us Angelas must look out for each other."

The Doctor nodded and pointed at Angel, before he turned and strode over to the Captain, grabbing her arm as he passed, "Captain, a word, please," he pulled her off to the side, Angel leading Clara over, her arm around the girl's shoulders, "Now," he took a breath, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I take it your platoon doesn't do much fighting?"

"What do you expect?" the Captain frowned back at him.

"What?" Clara shook her head, what sort of army platoon didn't know how to fight the enemy they were built to fight?!

"We're a punishment platoon," the woman rolled her eyes, "It's why they sent us out here, so we can't get into trouble."

"Ah, right, right," the Doctor nodded, he'd been so hoping that WASN'T the case, but…it seemed he'd have to make do now, "Well, ok, as Imperial Consul," he pulled the Captain's badge off her uniform…and stuck it on Clara, "I am putting Clara in charge with the blessing of my Haruspex," he pointed at Angel, who nodded, "Clara, stay alive until we get back…"

"And…please try your hardest NOT to let them blow the planet up," Angel added, shifting as she stepped over to the Doctor's side.

Clara frowned, "Is that something they're likely to do?"

Angel had to nod, "I get the feeling it might be."

And it wasn't just that, she had this…terrible pit in her stomach, that something was wrong, that something had happened, something horrible. It was slowly inching up, making her shiver, she…really didn't like it, at all. She felt like her hearts were starting to race and she was starting to get quite a bit afraid of what it could mean. It wasn't like the other times she'd get a twist in her stomach, this time it was truly heavy and sinking and she felt like whatever it was that had happened or was about to happen was so much worse than anything she'd felt before.

She just wanted to get out of there, check on Ayla (and Artie) and then find the Cybermen to stop them. She'd seen it in her vision, she knew it wasn't just one Cyberman that was out there, there was an army somewhere. And they needed to stop it, they needed to make sure that another war against the Cybermen didn't start again. She didn't want the humans to EVER have to resort to what they had before and blow up an entire galaxy just to stop them. No, she and the Doctor could handle it, they could do it. She was sure of it.

"Get to somewhere defensible," the Doctor pointed at Clara before he took Angel's hand and led her off.

"Where are YOU going?" Clara called after them.

"We need to check on Ayla and Artie," Angel told her, "If they went after Angie, we need to make sure the others are alright too."

Clara nodded, that made sense. There was an entire room of people, half of them couldn't use a weapon to save their life apparently, and there were TIME LORDS there, and yet the Cyberman had gone right for Angie. It had to mean that SHE was the target, and the only thing different about Angie was that…she was a child.

"And then we'll go get Angie and start looking for funny insects," the Doctor agreed, "Stay alive. And you lot," he pointed warningly at the army, "Heed the command of the Haruspex, no blowing up this planet!"

"Good luck," Clara called after them as the Doctor saluted, the two of them rushing off.

~8~

"Put me down!" Angie shouted, kicking and screaming as she was carried into the chess room of Webley's main room, "I hate you!" she spat, stumbling away when she was suddenly deposited on her feet, the Cyberman dropping her.

She turned, trying to run…only to stop short and gasp at the sight before her, Artie, Ayla, and Webley standing there, motionless. Webley had some sort of metal covering the side of his face and a metal arm, while Artie and Ayla were blank faced, a sort of blinking light attached to their temples.

"Artie?" she breathed, "Artie, what's happening?"

"Please stand by," Artie spoke, his voice monotone, "You will be upgraded."

Ayla was merely silent, blinking, as Angie screamed when the Cyberman stalked towards her, Webley merely putting a finger to his lips as he grinned…

~8~

Clara walked with the Captain through the barracks as the soldiers began to unload case after case of weapons, "Cyberiad class weaponry," the Captain explained, "I've taken it out of storage."

"Good," Clara nodded, taking a breath, trying to keep calm and keep collected, knowing the Doctor and Angel wouldn't have put her in charge if they didn't think she was able to handle this. And…she was the Doctor's sister, he was amazing so…she had to be amazing too, she had to prove him right, she had to prove that she deserved that title, "We need to find somewhere defensible. Where?"

The Captain moved over to a rather large map of the park, more like a mural, and pulled out a pointer, "The beach," she pointed to the various places "The Giant's Cauldron, Natty Longshoe's Comical Castle…"

"Real castle?" Clara cut in, not letting her continue, "Drawbridge? Moat?"

"Yes. But comical."

"We'll go there," she decided.

"Ma'am..." the Captain stepped up, "My platoon can deal with one Cyberman. And there are protocols if we cannot immediately find and destroy it."

"Blowing-up-the-planet protocols?" Clara asked, crossing her arms, unamused.

"Respectfully, ma'am..."

"Somewhere defensible," Clara repeated, giving the Captain a hard look, not backing down, she would NOT back down, not when the Time Lords (and Angie and Artie) were depending on her to keep them alive till they could get out, "No blowing up the planet."

"She's your commanding officer now, isn't she, Captain?" a deep voice said, though one rather low to the ground.

The Captain looked over, fully intent to tell the small man who had walked over to them to keep out of it…when she noticed exactly WHO the short man was, "Yes... sir."

Clara nodded, pleased, before she winked at Porridge and walked off to tell the troops to finish sorting through the weapons and pack up what they needed, that they were heading out.

Porridge waited till she was far enough away to look at the Captain, "You really saw a Cyberman?"

She nodded, serious, "We really did."

"Have you reported it to the Imperium?"

"No communicators."

"So you're going to do what she says. Right, let's all spend the night at Natty Longshoe's Comical Castle," the man rolled his eyes with a sigh, turning to follow Clara through the barracks.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel rushed into the main room at Webley's…to find the lights on but Ayla and Artie nowhere at all to be seen.

"No…" Angel started to shake her head as she ran down the steps, "Ayla!" she shouted, spinning around as she tried to find her daughter.

"Artie?" the Doctor moved to help her, praying that they were just hiding.

"No, no, no, no, no," Angel muttered, over and over, starting to breathe heavily, "No…Ayla!" she ran to the sides, literally pulling the curtains down, pulling any sort of cloth off the walls, opening cupboards, trying to find her.

"Angel!" the Doctor rushed to her side, pulling her back, turning her around, "Angel…calm down," he swallowed, knowing that he himself was having an enormously difficult time doing that as well, "Angel…"

"Doctor…where is she?" she whispered, tears in her eyes.

He felt tears gather in his own as well, "I don't know, but we'll find her," he took her hands, squeezing them, "Wherever she is, we WILL find her Nella," he reassured her quietly, reaching up to touch her cheek, "We WILL get her back, I swear it."

Angel took a breath and nodded, trying to calm down though she could feel herself still shaking. He kissed her hand quickly, before leading her away, scanning the room with the sonic…till it picked up a trace of something. He led her over to a table, fining one of the small mechanical worms on the small table by the sofas. His jaw tensed as he leaned down to look at it, talk to it, "Firstly, if anybody's watching this, you have taken…MY DAUGHTER," he glared, "She is MY child and I will protect her with my life. My Mate and I are coming to get her and the others, so if you are smart, if you value your existence…you give them back to us…and then you run, VERY far away," he stared into the worm a moment longer before shaking his head and reaching out to take one, looking at it as he scanned it with the sonic, "Not even a Cybermat anymore," he muttered, "Cyber-Mites?"

Angel looked back at the chess room, "That way," she murmured, now calmer, now able to focus now that they had a lead, able to calm because she knew the Doctor would ensure their daughter was returned, SHE would ensure it as well. Nothing would harm her daughter ever again.

She started off for the chess room, stepping in with the Doctor behind her, looking around. They stopped dead, seeing that the Cyberman that had been in there was gone.

"In here?" he looked at her.

She nodded, "There's something here," she frowned, trying to get more of a sense of it, but she was still too worried.

He nodded, whipping out the sonic and flashing it around. It beeped louder when he aimed it up, before he followed the trace to the Cyber-Mite, "There's a local transmat link open," he remarked, as Angel stepped closer, "If I can just find the frequency..." he flicked the sonic and the two of them disappeared in a flash of light…

Reappearing in a sort of stark white room that was actually quite dim and dull, to a grey. It looked disused and full of other technologies, but it was still powered which meant that it was still used, just…old, and on its last legs.

"That really shouldn't have worked," he muttered.

"Daddy, help us," they froze, hearing Ayla's voice, FAR too monotoned to be their daughter, call out, "Help us, mummy."

They slowly turned to see Ayla standing in a row with Angie and Artie, her face blank, staring ahead of her, with a small blinking light on her temple.

"Ayla," Angel gasped as they bolted over to her, she knelt down before her daughter, taking her hands as the Doctor frantically scanned the blinking relay, only to swallow and shake his head.

"If it's short circuited," he looked at her, "By ANY means," he swallowed, knowing that the Vortex would be useless now, "It'll…"

"Don't," Angel cut in, "Don't you DARE say that!"

He nodded, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it tightly, both to offer her strength and to take comfort for himself as they looked at their daughter just…staring out at them, blank, unseeing.

The Doctor jumped forward, before Angel, aiming his sonic out when he heard a stomp, to see someone else was there, "Webley?"

Webley stepped out of the shadows, the Doctor eyeing his cybernetic components, as the man just grinned, "We needed children, but the children had stopped coming. You brought us children. Hail to you, the Time Lords, saviors of the Cybermen!" he saluted, pounding his fist to his chest as the Doctor gave him a dark look.

Angel though…just stood, facing the man with a…rather terrifying glare on her face…

~8~

Clara strode through the park, at the head of the small platoon, though Porridge was walking beside her to guide the way to the castle, "What would the Empire do if they WERE alerted?" Clara asked the small man.

But it was the Captain who answered, "I told you, tell me to blow up the planet."

"After they got us off?" she glanced back at her.

"Captain, you want to take that one?" Porridge scoffed.

The Captain sighed, "No, ma'am. Just blow the sucker up."

Clara frowned at that, but it soon turned into a smile as they reached the foot of the drawbridge, "Drawbridge, moat…brilliant."

"With respect, ma'am, we ought to be hunting the creature," the tall man with spectacles spoke.

Clara spun around on her heel and eyed him, "The only reason I'm still alive is because I do what the Doctor says and avoid what Angel warns against," she walked up to him, looking him in the eye despite being shorter than him, "Can _you_ guarantee me you'd bring back my children alive and unharmed?" the man shook his head, "I trust them."

"You think they knows what they're doing?" the Captain called.

Clara looked at her, "Their daughter was taken as well," she said, not entirely sure if Ayla had been.

But…if the Cyberman had gone after Angie and they were worried about the others…there WAS a chance that Ayla had been taken. And if she had…she truly feared for these Cybermen things. And even if Ayla hadn't been…the platoon didn't need to know that, they just needed to know that the Time Lords were serious and on a mission…the safety of a child to a parent was one that ALL of them could understand.

"Right," she nodded, turning to the castle, "We need to prepare the defenses," and strode towards it, the platoon following.

~8~

"You give her back to me!" Angel snapped, stalking towards Webley, the man actually starting to back away as golden energy began to pour off of Angel, "You give me my daughter back! Now!"

"Angel!" the Doctor ran after her as she held out her hands, energy gathering in them, "Angel stop!"

"I will NOT let you harm her!" she glared at Webley, the man's robotic eye locked on the gathering energy, "Release her!" she moved to throw her hands out at him, when the Doctor took hold of her wrists and turned her to face him.

"Angel, Angel you need to stop…" he looked at her, but she just turned her head to the robotic man. He reached up and cupped her face, turning her head to face him, "Angel…please," he begged her quietly, seeing…an anger, seeing a…hatred in her eyes that he hadn't seen since they had first encountered the Cybermen in Pete's World.

Back then it hadn't been so bad, back then she didn't have the Vortex at her disposable, at her control…control that was slowly starting to slip, even more so now with their daughter's safety in the balance. He knew exactly where her mind had gone, she had lost her mother to the Cybermen, and now…now she was terrified she'd lose her daughter to them as well…because they HAD. They HAD lost her to them, but one wrong move, one wrong threat…and Webley could short circuit the control to Ayla's relay.

"Angel please," he stroked her cheeks, "You need to pull it in, you need to control it…" he leaned in, resting his forehead to hers, his eyes closed, feeling the energy starting to waver around her, she could hear him, "For Ayla," he murmured, "You need to stop, for HER," he opened his eyes and looked at her, seeing her starting to blink, "Please," he whispered, a crack in his voice, "I can't lose you too."

He watched intently as she closed her eyes shut tight and shook her head, the golden light starting to diminish, pulling back into her…till she stumbled into his arms. He caught her, his hearts breaking when he felt her starting to shake, when he felt her starting to cry. He could feel tears in his own eyes as he sunk to the floor, Angel worn from the energy and the effort to pull it in and just…unable to stand seeing their daughter like that.

"We can't lose her," she sobbed, clutching at his shirt as she broke down in his arms, "Please…please don't let them take her away," she shook, her head shaking back and forth as he cradled her in his arms, trying to be strong, trying to keep strong for her.

Angel, this new Angel, was SO strong, so sure, so confident, but there were things that were too much for even the strongest person. And seeing her daughter in such a state, seeing how the girl's life hung in Webley…in the Cybermen's hands…it was too much.

"Shh," he tried to sooth her, stroking her hair as he pressed a kiss to her head, "It will be alright," he whispered, "I promise, I swear it, Ayla will be alright," he lifted her chin to look at him, his hearts shattering completely at the pain and the fear in his Mate's eyes, "I will get her back," he swore it to her, "Trust me."

She nodded, closing her eyes and taking a breath, trying to gather herself more. He swallowed hard, standing, helping her up despite her shaking in his arms. He moved her over to Ayla, knowing she would feel better if she could be closer, if she could protect the girl in some way, even if it was physically standing by her. He turned her head and kissed her softly, resting his forehead to hers a moment before he turned and stalked over to Webley.

The man smirked though, not seeing the rage on the Doctor's face, not seeing how he was literally out for blood, but just a man who was…angry, oh yes, and the angrier the better, the angrier the man was, the more mistakes he'd make, and now that the woman was inconsolable and focused on the girl…she wouldn't see what was coming for the Doctor.

"Why do you need the children?" the Doctor demanded, if he could work that out, he could find a way to negotiate, to get the man to give them up, work out some other way for them to get what they wanted.

"When the battle raged between humanity and the Cyberiad was waged, the Cyber-Planners built a Valkyrie, to save critically damaged units and bring them here and, one by one, repair them."

"The people who vanished from the amusement park," the Doctor realized, "They were spare parts for repairs."

"We've upgraded ourselves. The next model will be undefeatable."

"Nothing's undefeatable," the Doctor glared, nothing ever was, everything had an Achilles heel, one just had to look hard enough.

Webley smirked and headed for the children…when a bright golden wall appeared around them and Angel, "Stay AWAY," the girl glared at him through golden colored eyes.

Webley stepped back, eyeing the wall with a calculating look, before moving back to a circular table in the middle of the room, Angel watching him go cautiously before the Doctor nodded at her and she dropped the wall. She moved back behind Ayla, needing to just…comfort her daughter somehow, gently resting her hands on the girl's shoulders as she watched the Doctor over her head.

"We needed children to build a new Cyber-Planner," Webley explained, standing stalk still as the Doctor slowly and carefully moved closer to him, circling him almost, "A child's brain, with its infinite potential, is perfect for our needs. But we no longer need the children. The Cyber-Mites have been scanning your brain, Doctor, yours and your Mate's," he grinned as the Doctor tensed at that, "It's quite remarkable."

"Also completely useless to you," the Doctor glared, "Cybermen use human parts. We're not human. You can't convert non-humans."

Webley eyed him, it was true that they couldn't use the female, the...golden energy, if the scans he'd run were to be believed, was dangerous and would deactivate and obliterate the Cyber components if they attempted. But the Doctor…HE had no such protection, "Well, that was true a long time ago. But we've upgraded ourselves. Current Cyber-Units use almost any living components."

And before Angel could even call out a warning, Webley threw a handful of Cyber-Mites at the Doctor, right at the man's face.

"Doctor!" Angel cried, rushing forward as he screamed in pain, bending backwards over the small table behind him as the Mites attached themselves to him, him gritting his teeth, clutching at his face as he fought, as he fought as hard as he could against the controls…

But they were too strong.

Angel stopped short, hearing the Doctor's voice in her head grow…staticy, like she was listening to him calling out through white noise, and knew…this was NOT the Doctor.

The Doctor half-threw himself forward, metal meshing on the left side of his face as he grinned darkly, "Incorporated," he spoke, even his voice taking on a deeper and darker intonation, "Yes," he patted himself down, examining himself, "Unfamiliar pulmonary set-up. Nervous system hyperconductive. Remarkable brain processing speed..."

"Who are you?" Angel strode up to him, trying her best to keep the Vortex under control though she could feel it raging inside her, thrashing about, trying to come out and lash out against the threat to her Mate but…the threat was INSIDE him, if she attacked now…she could hurt him, "Give me my Mate back!"

"Ooh," the Man-who-was-not-the-Doctor laughed, "Amazing! The little whelp grew a backbone," he sneered at her, reaching out for her…only to jerk back, falling against the table, panting.

"Don't you DARE touch her!" the Doctor snarled, his normal tone of voice, closing his eyes tightly and focusing, "Get out of my head!"

~8~

The Doctor stalked through a bleak black space in his mind, what seemed to be a wall to the side of him covered in warm browns and Gallifreyan symbols, a sort of looking glass in the middle of where the wall turned blue and mechanical with equations floating on it. His side, the Gallifreayn one, had pictures of Angel and Ayla, their different incarnations drifting past, and an image of Clara in the center, flickering through the three versions they'd met.

He came to a stop before the looking glass, glaring at the Cyber-Planner as he stood across from him, on the blue 'Cyber side,' "Stop rummaging in my mind!"

"Just you try and stop me," the Planner smirked, "Ooh, who's Clara?" he glanced over at the looking glass, "Why are you thinking about her so much?" he tsked, "And you've got a Mate and daughter you should be thinking of instead."

The Doctor's jaw tensed, "Enough!" he knew that it wasn't that HE was thinking of Clara, it was that that was the ONLY information the Planner could get to. He would guard his thoughts and memories of Angel and Ayla with his life, but focusing on that had left his lingering drifting thoughts on Clara open but…he could use that to his advantage as well, pushing those images to the forefront as a distraction.

"Fascinating," the Planner remarked dryly, "A complete mental block. Highly effective," he rolled his eyes before smirking, "Relax, relax. If you just relax, you will find this a perfectly pleasant experience. You are being upgraded and incorporated into the Cyberiad as a Cyber-Planner."

"Get out of my head!" he snapped, but the Planner just shook his head. He glanced past the man to see dots appear, like a net or a web behind the Cyber, "What is this place? A network? A hive? You're getting signals from every Cyberman everywhere. How many of you are there?"

~8~

Angel stepped back as the Doctor jerked, his expression darkening to the Planners as his thoughts went staticy again, "Oh... this is brilliant!" the man cheered, looking at Angel before walking towards her as she backed up, "I'm so clever already, and now I'm a million times more clever!" he reached out and suddenly grabbed Angel, pulling her in and spinning around the room…almost…dancing with her, "And what a brain! Not a human brain, not even SLIGHTLY human," he dipped her, remarking, "I mean, I'll have to completely rewrite the neural interface, but this is going to be the most eff…icient…" he frowned, blinking as he looked at Angel, "Why am I doing this?" he asked her, before pulling her back up and stumbling away from her, looking at his hands in horror…he'd just…grabbed her and _danced_ with her and he didn't know why.

Cybermen did NOT dance.

So what had that been? Not the Doctor, no, he would KNOW if the Doctor had managed to gain control of him for a moment, he'd have fought it, turned it into a jerky mess. This…that had been a fluid motion, that had been a non-Cyberman action, it was…not right, it was wrong, it was NOT supposed to happen. So why had he grabbed her and danced with her? Why had he not realized it till it was too late, till it had happened. Was he becoming…less-Cybernetic?

"Cyber-Planner!" he shook his head, no, he was fine, he was just fine, it was just…a glitch in the system. He rushed past Angel, leaping onto the circular table and throwing his arms out, "I am the Cyber-Planner," before he grimaced in thought, "Not a great name, that, is it?" he looked at Angel as though asking her opinion as she eyed him oddly. He blinked, why did he care what SHE thought? He shook his head, "I could call myself…" he smiled, "Mr. Clever. Yes…" he smiled before bowing at her, pulling a flower from his jacket and handing it to her…

Only to jerk back up and stare at the flower in horror before throwing it away, what was wrong with him?! How had he even known there was a flower in there?!

"You!" he pointed at Angel, glaring, "What have you done to me?"

She HAD to have done something, something to…to…to corrupt the system with that yellow light. It was the only explanation…even though she hadn't been anywhere near him when he'd absorbed into the Doctor, nor had the yellow light appeared after the fact but…it was the only explanation that fit. She had to have done something! Because this…what he was doing without realizing, was NOT the actions of a Cyber-Planner but the actions of a…

He stiffened, his eyes wide, "Time Lord," he breathed, "There's information on the Time Lords in here!" he grinned at THAT though, the more he knew about them the more he could work out what that girl and the Doctor were doing to him, "Oh, this is just dreamy!"

~8~

"I'm _allowing_ you access to memories on Time Lord regeneration," the Doctor stated as images of his past regenerations appeared on the looking glass.

The Planner though seemed more amused than worried as he clapped, "Fantastic!"

"I could regenerate now," the Doctor got to the point, "Big blast of regeneration energy, burn out any little Cyber widgets in my brain, along with everything you're connected to. Don't want to. You diss me up, who knows what we'll get next? But I can. And I WILL," he warned, "I will do anything to get my daughter back. And I'd rather match my Mate, incarnation for incarnation and she's been on her current one for quite a while."

"Stalemate, then," the Planner glared, "One of us needs to control this head. We're too well-balanced."

The Doctor frowned, "What did you say? No, no, no, I heard you. Rhetorical device to keep me thinking about it a bit more. Stalemate?"

"We each control 49.881 percent of this brain. 0.238 of the brain is still in the balance. Whoever gets this gets the whole thing."

The Doctor eyed him a moment, "Do you play chess?"

"The rules of chess are in my memory banks. You're proposing we play chess to end the stalemate?"

"Winner takes all. Nobody can access that portion of the brain without winning the game," he held out a hand and the Planner shook it.

~8~

Angel shook her head as she watched the Doctor battle against himself, her backing up as she saw him jerking and speaking and arguing with no one but the person in his mind. She swallowed hard, feeling…utterly powerless, for all her abilities, for all her powers, she couldn't help him. If she tried to use the Vortex on the Planner, it might kill the Doctor as the Mites were in his brain and the man would see her attack coming. If she tried to look ahead and help the Doctor with the game…if she tried to send him a mental call, the Planner would absorb it, it would get lost in the static.

Oh she knew what the static was, it was what she heard when the Planner took control of the Doctor, it cleared mostly when it was the Doctor in control, but…she knew the Planner would still be there, listening in. She had to wonder if this was how the Doctor felt when she had been poisoned, when she had been dying, when it was something internal that HE couldn't help her with, if this was how…powerless he felt. If it was…well, she'd most certainly have to kiss him quite a bit when this was over to make up for it.

"You can't win!" the Planner snapped, glaring at nothing.

"Try me!" the Doctor jerked back.

"You understand, when I DO win, the Cyberiad gets your brains and memories. All of it."

"When _I_ win, you get out of my head, you let my daughter go! You let those children go, and nobody dies. You got that? Nobody dies!"

Angel rubbed her head, this was…going to be a long day with just the Doctor arguing with himself.

~8~

A young woman walked through the basement of the Comical Castle, on patrol, and seeming very nervous about it, jumping at every sound she heard, "Castle's clear," she let out a startled squeak when one of the platoon called over the radio, "Missy, confirm status."

"All clear in the power station," she sighed, before she heard a clank behind her. She frowned, turning, spotting a shadow ahead of her. She swallowed hard and stepped closer to it…only to duck and hide behind some barrels at another sound…like footsteps, "It's Missy. Something's out there."

"What do you mean? Is it the Cyberman?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see it. It was only for a moment. Can I hide? Is it ok if I hide?" she screamed when the barrel before her was shoved to the side and the Cyberman appeared, "DON'T MOVE!" she leapt to her feet, pulling out her gun, "I'M IN THE ARMY!"

But the Cyberman just reached out for her. She turned and fled, ducking around a corner and holding her breath as the Cyber passed her. She let out a breath when it was far enough away…closing her eyes, not seeing it stop or its hand fall off of its arm and scuttle across the floor towards her…

She did scream though when the hand leapt up and latched onto her face.

~8~

"Erm, ma'am," the tall man in spectacles called as he ran up the stairs towards where Clara was walking along, inspecting things, "Missy said she saw something, and then she went quiet."

"It's on its way, then," Clara realized as she stepped into a room to see the Captain and Porridge, with a few other soldiers unpacking the weapons, "Weapons! Show me," she moved to squat before them, frowning when she saw…"Only one gun?"

"Cybermen have been extinct for 1,000 years," the Captain defended, "Even one Anti-Cyber Gun is a miracle. These things are hand-pulsars," she held up a sort of glove she moved over her hand, a circular pad in the center, "Touch the back of a Cyberman's head, the electromagnetic pulse deactivates it."

"What's this for?" Clara glanced at a rather large black box, "Just a mad guess here, it blows up the planet?"

"Implodes it. There's also a trigger unit," she held up a thin, cylindrical wand with a red button on the end.

"I'll have that, then," Clara snatched it, "Is there any other way to activate the bomb?"

"It's set to respond to MY voice. I have the verbal code."

"You will _not_ activate it without a direct order from me," Clara told the woman, giving her a hard look.

The Captain's lips pursed as she stood, making her way around the others to Clara's side as the woman also stood to face her, "I will follow my orders."

"Your orders come from _me_ ," Clara reminded her, "Don't they?"

The soldiers looked at each other and then Clara and the Captain as they stared each other down, "You'll need to sign for that trigger unit, ma'am," the one in spectacles held up a clipboard, needing to do something to end the stalemate.

"Thanks," Clara smiled and took it, signing away.

"Mind if I take one of these?" Porridge held up a pulsar, "Might be handy," he winked at Clara, making her laugh at the joke.

The Captain seemed rather annoyed though, "Help yourself. I'll teach you how to use it. Upstairs," she added, a hint of a command in her voice, "Now."

Porridge frowned at her tone but got up and headed for the stairs, the Captain after him.

~8~

Angel cautiously walked around the base of the room, eyeing the bits of technology and controls everywhere, hoping that, maybe, she'd find something that could help the Doctor but…she really was just rubbish at technology outside TARDIS now, everything looked like…well, Greek to her, to quote the humans. She was sure half of the controls there could be similar to a TARDIS, but she just…wasn't seeing it.

"There," the Planner smirked, moving a pawn on the chessboard set up on the circular table, "That was easy."

There was a jerk and the Doctor moved his own white piece, "The game... has just started."

"Doctor..." the Planner jerked back, "Why is there no record of you or your precious little family," he mocked, "Anywhere in the databanks of the Cyberiad?" and moved his black knight, blinking as he smirked, seeing the answer, "Oh. You're good. You've been eliminating yourself from history. You know, you could be reconstructed by the hole you've left."

The Doctor's jaw tensed as the smallest of flinches was seen, "Good point. I'll do something about that," he moved his own white knight. Though he was...SO relieved that the Planner and the other Cybermen seemed to have NO idea who he or Angel were, which meant...they wouldn't be prepared for just how clever he was and how powerful Angel was.

"The rules of chess allow only a finite number of moves," the Planner remarked, "And I can use other Cyber units as remote processors."

"That's cheating," Angel called, making her way over to the board, standing across from it, vaguely able to hear the Doctor shouting for her across the static, wanting her closer.

"Either way," the Planner smirked, "He cannot possibly win."

"I can," the Doctor jerked, his eyes on Angel as he communicated through his eyes instead of his mind, "I know things you don't. For example, did you know...very early versions of the Cyber operating system could be seriously scrambled by exposure to things, like gold or cleaning fluid? And what's interesting is, you're still running some of that code."

"Really?" the Planner scoffed as Angel reached its side, " _That's_ your secret weapon? Cleaning fluid?"

The Doctor smirked, "Nope. Gold!" and slapped the golden ticket to his face, shaking it out with an odd noise, "Ho ho!" he turned to Angel, "Like a charm. Right, now, you…" he leaned in and kissed her, "I'm fine dear," he whispered, knowing he had t be quick, "I will be fine, trust me," he stroked her cheek quickly with the back of a finger, "I'll get our girl back," he promised, kissing her again, and twice more, before pointing at Webley, "You, Cyber...Webley. And you, kids," he glanced at them, swallowing hard as Ayla didn't even react, "I'll bring the chessboard," he looked at Angel, "You keep them going," he told her, "Let's get out of here," before he gathered all the pieces into his arms, Angel closing the board up as they rushed to get out.

~8~

Porridge stood on the upper gallery of the castle, leaning against the wall, absently fiddling with the pulsar on his hand, "You knew it was me."

"I was in the Imperial Guard on Caspertine," the Captain nodded, "Mostly just parades. But I had the honor to guard the old Emperor during the ice picnic."

"When the snow bears came and danced for us. That was a day."

"We're a punishment platoon. We can't beat a Cyberman. The Imperium has to know what's happening."

"Like you said, the communicators are out. The only way you can report this now is to activate the bomb."

"Yes!" the woman agreed, seeming pleased that he agreed that was what needed to be done.

But Porridge just gave her a hard look, "And I forbid you to do that," he told her, not even bothered when her smile fell or when she glared at him.

They looked over when they heard footsteps on the stairs to see Clara heading up them, "I don't get it. Why would you blow up a whole planet, and everybody on it, just to get rid of one Cyberman?" she moved over to them and sat on a crate.

"We tried other ways. But they only work sometimes. So now we take drastic action. And it works."

"If you find a Cyberman and you can't destroy it immediately, you implode the planet," the Captain recited the orders they had all lived by in the past, "I was sent here because I didn't follow orders. I can make up for that," she turned and grabbed the bomb she'd brought with her.

"Put it down!" Clara stood, ordering her, "I forbid you!"

"Yeah," Porridge nodded, "What she said."

The Captain just turned to glare at them, shaking her head at Porridge, "You ran away," she told the man, before she faced Clara, "I will do what I was brought up to do. Live for the Empire, fight for the Empire, die for the Empire. This is Captain Alice Ferrin," she stormed past Clara, "Imperial ID 19-delta-13B. Activate..."

But before she could finish a bolt of light flew past them, striking the Captain dead.

"Cyberman!" Porridge shouted, pulling Clara to the floor, "Get down!"

Two soldiers ran over to the Captain, checking for a pulse, but there was none. Clara rushed to the side of the castle, looking down at a lone Cyberman that stared up at her, looked RIGHT at her…before just walking away. Clara swallowed and pushed herself up, rushing off with Porridge and the soldiers following her.

"The Doctor said to get somewhere easily defensible," she muttered, "But if we stay in the castle, it'll pick us off one by one. We have to take it out."

"Is that an order, ma'am?" one of the heavier soldiers asked.

Clara nodded, "Yes."

The man grinned, one of the few who WASN'T frightened of the metal man, "Good."

"You know what to do," Clara tossed the spectacled man a pulsar.

"Pulse to the back of the head," the man recited, putting the glove on, "Fry the brain circuit interface."

"It's going to be hard to get in close enough," she warned them, "We need a plan."

~8~

A lone, female soldier walked slowly through the basement of the castle, where the last soldier had been attacked, looking for the Cyberman, knowing it had to be close. She turned, seeing a Cyber-Head, and moved towards it, reaching up to try and fry it…when the rest of the Cyberman appeared behind her, electrocuting her. It watched as she fell to the ground before reaching out and taking its head, placing it back on its shoulders before it stalked off, walking through the basement…when it spotted two more soldiers who opened fire at it.

It merely walked over to it, grabbing them by the junction of their necks and shoulders, electrocuting them as well, dropping them to the floor.

"I've heard about the Cybermen since I was in my cradle," the heavy soldier shouted, rushing out before a door, "I'm not afraid of you!"

The Cyberman turned and stalked towards him, when Clara jumped up, the large Anti-Cyber gun in her hand, "Now!" she cried and the man dove to the side as she fired, blasting the Cyber to pieces. She grinned, looking a bit impressed that she'd done it, she had…fully expected that plan to fail…which was to be expected when one took lessons from the Doctor.

The heavy man pushed himself up, frowning when he saw the two soldiers get up, blinking lights on their temples, having been taken over by the Cyberman, "Hold it right there!"

"What's happening to them?" Clara frowned, lifting the gun again, calling a warning to the soldiers, "One more step, and I fire!"

"Don't fire that," the man held up his hand to stop her, "A pulse will deactivate them," he nodded and two other men rushed out, sneaking up on the two that were being controlled, knocking them out with a pulsar to the back of the head, "And anyway... it's a waste of charge. We may need it again."

"You don't think that was the only one, then?" Clara sighed, she'd feared the same.

~8~

Angel quickly led the way towards the castle, just knowing that was where Clara had gone, the Doctor trusting her as he walked with the chessboard and the pawns, the kids and Webley following behind them.

"Don't shoot!" Angel held up her hands as they made it to the drawbridge, the soldiers rushing out to stop them, "Please! It's us! Clara!" Angel breathed a sigh of relief to see she was ok.

"Hey," the Doctor grinned, "You haven't let them blow up the planet. Good job."

"Did you get the kids, are they alright?" Clara asked first…and then frowned when she saw the bit of gold stuck to the side of his face, "What's going on?"

"Bit of a good news/bad news/good news again thing going on," the Doctor began, "So...Angel?" he looked at her.

She smiled at how he was letting her tell the good news, "We found the kids, they're…" she swallowed, "Fine," she decided on, because they were, they were safe enough at the moment, "And the Doctor's got control of their Cyber-Planner."

"Bad news?" Clara looked at the Doctor.

"Bad news," he sighed, "The Cyber-Planner's in my head. And DIFFERENT bad news…the kids are...well, it's complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"Complicated, as in walking coma…" he stepped to the side, showing her the kids, the three of them just standing there with the blinking relays.

"Please tell me you can wake them up!" Clara looked at them horrified.

"Of course I can!" he snapped, "They've taken my daughter," he reminded her, making her flinch a bit, "I will NOT stop till she, and the others are back," he swore.

"Other good news?" Clara swallowed.

"I…can't think of any," Angel shook her head, not quite sure what the other good news was.

"There are a few more repaired and reactivated Cybermen on the way," the Doctor added, " And the Cyber-Planner's installing a patch for the gold thing."

Angel blinked, "That's not good news my love."

"Right," he winced, "Yes, getting that. Um…"I have a very good chance of winning my chess match?" he tried, holding up his chessboard.

"What?" Clara shook her head.

"I'll explain later. In a bit of a hurry," he moved towards the drawbridge, "Get me to a table," he paused, looking at them, "And somebody tie me up! Need hands free for chess," heading off once more, before pausing, "And immobilize me. Quickly," before he ran up.

Angel glanced at Clara, at Ayla and back, "Can you…"

Clara nodded, "Go make sure he's ok, I'll bring the in."

Angel nodded, hesitating with a look at Ayla before she ran off after the Doctor.

~8~

Clara stood before the Doctor in the throne room, watching as Angel finished tying him up, the chessboard before him, the kids and Webley off to the side, "Right, that's good," the Doctor nodded, testing the ropes, "Well done dear," he leaned over and kissed her, "I won't be able to move, but... hands free. Good."

"You're playing chess with yourself?" Clara frowned, trying to keep up with what Angel had been explaining of it all.

"And winning," the Doctor looked at Angel, taking her hand, "Ready?"

She swallowed hard and took a breath, reaching up to the golden ticket. She hesitated a moment before pulling it off, the static back in her mind.

The Cyber-Planner had returned.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Angel :( Poor Doctor :( Weird Cyber-Planner though, flowers and dancing? Hmm...I wonder if something else is at work there? }:) I hope you liked a bit of the Fury moment for Angel there, don't mess with the Mama Bear lol :) I'm very excited to see more of the 11/Planner interaction next :)


	57. Nightmare in Silver: Final Battle

"Actually," the Doctor…no, the Planner spoke, his voice deep as he sat stiffly in his chair, "He has no better than a 25 percent chance of winning at this stage in the game. Some very dodgy moves at the beginning."

"And I've seen him win with only 5 percent chance of it," Angel remarked as she moved to stand beside Clara, "He'll do it. If anyone can, it'll be the Doctor."

"So much faith the Angel has in her Lonely God," the Planner sneered, "So much faith in a man who couldn't even remember your place in his life only a century ago no?"

Clara frowned when she saw Angel stiffen, as though the woman were shocked by what he man had made the Doctor say, "Angel…" she reached out and placed a hand on Angel's rather stiff shoulder, "What's he talking about?"

"Oh hello, flesh-girl," the Planner sneered, as though just realizing she was there, "Fantastic! I'm the Cyber-Planner."

"That's really not the Doctor, is it?" Clara murmured, it didn't even sound like him, it didn't even look like him. The playfulness and kindness in his eyes was just…gone.

"Afraid not. I'm working the mouth now. Allons-y!" he smirked, seeing Angel flinch, his hands clenching into fists when he felt himself jerk forward as though he were about to reach for her hand to hold it. He didn't know why he was reacting his way, but he needed to get a grasp on it, "Oh, you should see the state of these neurons," he tapped the Doctor's head, "He's had some cowboys in here. Ten complete rejects. Oh," he laughed, "But I know who you are now. You're the impossible girl. Ooh, he's very interested in you."

"Why am I impossible?" Clara frowned, glancing from him to Angel, confused.

"Hasn't he told you?" he laughed, "The sly devil. Oh, dear me, not quite a fit for an angel then," he sneered at Angel, "But it doesn't matter. Soon, we wake, we'll strip you down for spare parts, then build a spaceship and move on."

"The other Cybermen," Angel murmured, thinking of the army she'd seen in her vision, "The army's waking, isn't it?"

"From their tomb right now," he grinned, "You can either die or live on as one of us."

Angel shook her head, making her way closer to the chessboard, standing right in front of him, "I've seen what that's like. And I won't let it happen."

He scoffed, "And how are you going to stop me? Hmm?"

Angel just smiled, pressing her hands together and rubbing them, a small spark and crackle of golden energy appearing between them, "Like this," she slapped her hands down onto his as they rested on the table, sending a small jolt though the Doctor, not harmful, but stinging enough where it shocked the Planner away in a small flash of pain.

"Owwww!" the Doctor jerked, back, pulling his hands away and rubbing them, "Ow! Oh, that hurt!" he pouted at her.

Angel reached forward again, her hands now normal, and took his, pulling them towards her as she kissed each of them on the knuckles, "Better?"

He smiled, "Exceptionally."

"What just happened?" Clara shook her head, stepping beside Angel, "Is that him? Is that the Doctor again?"

"Yes, yes, it's me, hello," he waved, smiling jovially at her, "Bit of pain, neural surge, just what I needed," he winked at Angel.

"Just like with Amy and her stone hand," Angel nodded.

"Good, right," Clara nodded, before shaking her head again, "Why am I the impossible girl?"

"It's a thing in my head," the Doctor spoke quickly, "I'll explain later."

Clara sighed, "Chess game…stakes?"

"If he wins, I give up my mind and he gets access to all my memories, along with knowledge of time travel. But if I win, he'll…"

"Break the promise," Angel cut in, "He'll root down deeper and then…um…kill us all," she winced at having to say that, knowing it was true. One thing the Cyber-Planner didn't' seem to realize was that yeas…hearing the Doctor in her mind while the Planner was active was a lot like trying to listen to someone talking out of a rather bad radio. But…the fact that there was static when she heard the Doctor talking…it meant that she DID hear the Planner as well. He didn't seem to be aware that she could hear his thoughts in the static, not truly, not loudly, more like whispers, but it was there.

"That's not reassuring," Clara grimaced.

"No," the Doctor winced.

"Don't worry Clara," Angel smiled, "I won't let anything happen to you, the Doctor, or the children."

The Doctor looked up at her softly, wishing he wasn't tied down so he could just…pull her to him and kiss her soundly, "Guardian Angel of the Universe you are," he murmured, which Angel gave him a wink for.

"So you CAN fix the what happened to the children then?" Clara let out a relieved breath at that.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, now even more certain of that what with the Planner in his head.

It was like with Angel, HE had access to the Planner's mind as much as the Planner had access to his, he could see the controls…he just needed to shut down the Planner first. He swallowed as he glanced over at the children, at Ayla still just…standing there, his hearts breaking to see her like that and praying that she wasn't hurt or scared or crying on the inside. He hoped she wasn't aware of what was happening, that she'd wake up later and it would just all be a dream.

"They're fine," he whispered, knowing that, technically, they WERE alright for the moment, "Right now their brains are just in stand-by mode..."

"That is not fine!" Clara huffed.

"Listen, right now, they have a better chance of getting out of this situation alive than you do," he sneered, his voice going deeper.

Clara didn't even have to look at Angel rubbing her head quickly to know it was the Planner who had just spoken as she glared at him.

The Planner laughed, "I'll make sure your chances get infinitely smaller as well. Me. Cyber-Planner. Mr. Clever. Now, if you don't mind, I have a chess game to finish. And YOU have to die, pointlessly, and very far from home," he lifted a hand and waved his fingers at them, "Toodle-oo."

Clara frowned as she straightened, Angel just looking at the Doctor sadly. It didn't take Clara all that long to realize that the woman would be staying there. And that was probably for the best, a psychic in the room with the enemy, and her child to protect, would mean that Angel would do whatever it took to keep everything under control. She would be better qualified to deal with the Doctor and the Cyber…people…while SHE sought to the castle and the last minute modifications to their defense.

"Here," Clara murmured, tugging ANgel to the side and handing her the control to blow up the planet. She didn't trust herself with it. Well, she DID, but...she couldn't be sure if none of the soldiers would mutiny and try to sneak it off her. If it was with Angel and they didn't know that, it would be better protected.

"Thanks," Angel swallowed, REALLY not liking having such a massive weapon's control in her hand, but knowing why Clara had given it to her, "Be careful," she told the woman.

Clara winked and turned to head out.

~8~

Clara walked out of the throne room, heading for the drawbridge, stepping through the main gate as the bespectacled man joined her with the Anti-Cyber gun, "Apparently there are more Cybermen on the way," she called to the platoon, Porridge among them.

"There's at least a dozen more shots left in the gun before it needs to recharge," the man with the gun reported.

"We might have more than a dozen Cybermen to worry about," she sighed, rubbing her head when she looked down to see a rather large, rather thick wire running along the side of wall, "What's that cable?"

"Power line for the park," Porridge shrugged.

Clara, though, started grinning, "What'd happen if we dropped the end into the moat and turned it on?"

The heavy soldier smiled, "Fry anything that entered the water."

"Can Cybermen fly?"

"No, ma'am," the soldier with the gun shook his head.

"First good news of the day. Do it," she nodded, stepping back to watch as the soldiers got to work, rushing for the line. They hacked away at it with a small saw before they carried the rest to the top of the castle, not all the way from the top but just high enough where it reached the water of the moat. The soldiers watched it intently as the power was turned on, grinning when they saw a burst of power fizzle through the water, electrifying it. They cheered, patting each other on the back as they headed for the castle once more, lifting the drawbridge.

~8~

Angel stood by Ayla, softly humming 'You are My Sunshine' in the hopes it would get through to her daughter incase she was frightened and help soothe her. It was soft, so soft that she knew neither the Doctor nor the Planner could hear it and that was just as well…she didn't want to distract the Doctor or set the Planner off.

The Doctor made a move with his white pawn…when he jerked, gasping, not switching to the Planner but looking at the board, shocked, "Stop that! I felt that!"

He winced, the Planner coming out, "Of course you did. It's time to get up. Wakey wakey, boys and girls. Wakey wakey!" he started to laugh, humming victoriously to himself…

When Angel stiffened. She looked back at him, seeing the Planner grinning widely, and humming 'You are My Sunshine' as well. She just…stood there, staring at the man as he contemplated his next move, not even seeming aware that he was humming…

Till he looked at her, frowning, about to ask her what she was staring at…when he seemed to realize what he was doing. He stopped immediately, looking alarmed that he'd not had control over himself to the point where he was humming a tune he could tell was important to the Time Lords and not even trying to use it against them. It was like…it just happened.

"What are you doing to me?" he glared at Angel for that, just knowing SHE had to have a hand in it.

"Nothing," she told him, walking over and looking at him intently, "But you seem to forget…you're in the _Doctor's_ body, it was HIS first…" she shook her head, "His mind has been fighting you from the start, his body is now too."

The Planner pursed his lips at that, but it wouldn't matter, the army was rising even now…

~8~

Across the park, thousands of Cybermen within the Valkyrie woke, stomping out of their cells and out into the park, marching off, heading for their target…

~8~

Angel frowned as she saw the Doctor flinch and open his eyes, letting out a breath as he looked up at her warmly, his eyes shining, a soft smile on his face, "Angel," he breathed, "Quick, before the Planner comes back, what's our weapons strength?"

"Why do you need to know?" she frowned, the Doctor NEVER asked about weapons, not EVER.

"I need to know how long the others will be able to hold the Cybermen off," he explained, "I need to know how much time I've got left."

"That's not it," she shook her head.

"Yeah it is," he smiled, "Come on, guns? Pulsars? Any…big black bombs that implode the planet?"

Angel eyed him, "And how would you know about that?"

"Maybe you're rubbing off on me," he leaned in, "I love it when you do that, rub off on me," he winked at her.

Angel shook her head, a bit…amused, "No, I won't say…because it's not YOU Doctor."

"It is, it is me," he insisted, "The Planner tends to hibernate when he's taking exceptionally long to work out the next move," he smiled smugly, "I think I may have cornered him now."

"You don't have him cornered, because I'm speaking to the Planner right now," she stated, "And don't bother trying to lie, not only am I psychic and can tell when you are, but I KNOW my Mate. I know every single expression, every look, and THAT," she nodded at him, "Your eyes don't sparkle like his do when they look at me. And weapons?" she held out the trigger to show him it, "This? He'd rather die than ever ask about it, in fact…" she swallowed hard, before she squeezed the cylinder, a soft glow drifting out of it and…short-circuiting it, making it useless as she tossed it away.

The Planner grinned, "Exactly what I wanted. You fell right for my trap!"

Angel shook her head, "I can hear your trap," she told him, "I knew about it and I KNOW the Doctor…THAT," she pointed at the button lying off to the side, "Is exactly what he'd want too. He doesn't want them to blow up this planet anymore than YOU do."

"And why's that?" he frowned, cross that his plan (even when it had worked) was benefiting the enemy.

"Because we're still on it," she said simply, "The TARDIS, me, Ayla, everyone. And until everyone's safe…this planet stays whole," and with that she reached out and slapped her glowing hands, hands that had been building in energy all that time but he hadn't noticed, onto his own, snapping him out of it again.

"Ow!" he winced, even though the pain wasn't bad just…unexpected, "Angel!" he smiled, looking at her the same way the Planner had, but with a softer look, a kinder look, a sparkle in his eyes this time, "Thank you!" he smiled, looking over at the broken button, "Well done!" he cheered, "Though…" he started to frown, feeling something creeping on him, "Do you think there's something wrong when both sides agree on one thing?" he sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head, "He got what he wanted which was what we wanted too. The trigger destroyed…and that means…" he winced.

Angel frowned, seeing it wasn't him anymore, "Means what?"

"It means..." he started to grin the Planner taking over, "Good news, boys and girls! THEY'RE HERE!" he shouted, his voice deep and long drawn out, as though he'd been waiting for that moment forever.

~8~

Thousands, likely millions of Cybermen marked in row after row through the park coming to the castle, surrounding it.

~8~

Clara stood, leaning against a wall in the upper gallery, watching the Cybers approach, "One gun, five hand pulsars and a planet-smashing bomb that doesn't work anymore," she sighed, rubbing her head. She'd rushed into the throne room when she'd heard the Doctor shouting…only to find that the trigger button had been basically destroyed by Angel of all people.

"Why not?" the glasses-wearing man turned to her.

"Broken trigger unit."

"But you signed for that!"

~8~

"I've learned so much from you, Doctor," the Planner nearly sneered as he held a chess piece up, eyeing it, Angel moving to look out the window at the courtyard and drawbridge below, "It's been an education. But now it's time for the endgame!" he slammed the piece down.

Angel shook her head, smiling, making him frown, "You clearly haven't learned enough if you missed the lesson here."

"And what's that?" he spat.

"Never underestimate a human," she told him, smiling down as she watched Clara and the army, before turning to look at him over her shoulder, "And never underestimate a Time Lord."

~8~

Clara watched as the Cybers marched right up to the castle, only to stop at the moat. One looked down at it and stepped in, jerking terribly as it shocked him, sparks flying as it slumped forward, powering down. She cheered, laughing with the others as it worked, their plan actually worked!

"Brilliant!" she cheered…

Only for the metal man to straighten, "Upgrade in progress," it reported…moving to stand right up before it continued across, as though nothing were the matter, the other Cybermen sharing in his upgrade and now prepared for the electricity as they followed.

"Damn," Clara swallowed, before eyeing the soldiers, "Who's our best shot?"

The heavy man stepped up, "Probably it's me."

Clara gestured for the bespectacled man to hand her the gun as she carried it over to the man, "Shoot any of them who make it across. The rest of you," she eyed the remaining soldiers, "Take defensive positions!" she watched as they ran off the bridge, before she looked at Porridge, "Porridge?"

"Yes?" he turned to her.

But she just smiled, "Keep yourself safe," before she turned to keep a lookout on the Cybers as they drew nearer and nearer.

Porridge swallowed as he looked at the power line, before he sighed and turned, rushing off, on a mission, disappearing before Clara could even turn around. She moved into the courtyard, seeing the Cybers had reached the castle, and hurried to join them, not about to let them fight alone.

She looked over as the heavy man fired at the first Cyberman to step into the gate, disintegrating it, getting a good laugh out of it…only for more and more to appear.

~8~

Porridge ran to the upper gallery where the Captain's body had been gently laid to wait for burial, "Alice Ferrin..." he murmured, "You should have destroyed this planet when you had the chance," he swallowed, turning to pick up the bomb and run off.

It was up to HIM now.

It was his turn to be the poor blighter instead of sending others to do his dirty work for him.

~8~

"What underestimation?" the Planner laughed, smirking at Angel, "They're nearly here and I've trapped your precious Mate," he looked down at the chessboard, speaking more to the Doctor than her, she knew, but Angel just kept her gaze out the window, watching those who would soon be in more danger than them, "Now, you can take my bishop and keep limping on for a little longer. Or you can sacrifice your queen, and get the children back, but it's mate in five moves. And I get your mind."

Angel watched as the heavy man and another girl rushed in different directions, trying to distract the Cybers around them, managing to avoid the blasts though others of the platoon weren't so lucky. The heavy man DID manage to take out another Cyber.

"Take my queen then," Angel could hear _the Doctor_ clearly say, "And give me back my daughter," he snapped, "You give her back, and you can have me. Just…give the children back," he moved his queen.

"Emotions!" the Planner rolled his eyes, more annoyed that the Doctor was throwing the game than eager to be winning, "Can't you see what a foolish move that was? You've lost the game!"

"Kids! Back! Now!"

Angel actually saw the Planner wince at the snarl in the Doctor's last word and took the Doctor's queen. Across the room, Angie and Artie fell to their knees though Ayla…had a different reaction. Angel ran to her daughter's side as the girl stumbled forward, letting out a small pained scream that broke her parents' hearts as she grabbed at the relay at her temple and pulled it off, throwing it onto the ground and stomping on it.

"Ayla," Angel gasped, picking her up in her arms and hugging her tightly as Ayla clung to her, shaking.

"I could hear you mummy," Ayla sniffled, "I could see you, but…I couldn't move and…and it made me move and talk and…it wasn't ME."

"Shh…" Angel stroked her daughter's hair, soothing her as she held her, "It's alright, your father and I are here, we won't ever let them near you again.

"A prime example of emotions, Doctor," the Planner rolled his eyes, gesturing at Angel as she glared at him for implying they were a weakness, "All for on little girl and two human children you barely know. And it was a pointless sacrifice anyway…"

The Planner jerked violently as the Doctor took control, "My daughter is NOT a pointless sacrifice."

"What's going on?" Angie slowly stood, hearing the sounds of firing going on in the courtyard, seeing herself standing somewhere she had no idea where. Last she'd remembered it was night and she'd been in Webley's…and now she was standing in some sort of castle…

Angel looked over Ayla's shoulder, seeing Porridge enter with the bomb, the firing getting worse from outside and she knew, only Clara and a handful of the platoon were left alive.

"Welcome to Webley's World Of Wonders, children!" she turned back, hearing Webley speak, to see him stalking towards Angie who was trying to pull Artie away, "Now presenting delights, delicacies... and death."

"No!" Angel threw out a hand, thoroughly shocking all in the room when Webley went flying through the air, struck by a golden energy, and sent crashing into the wall.

Angel ran over to him, Ayla still in her arms, placing a hand on the man's neck when he remained unmoving, pleased to see he was just knocked out but…disheartened to realize that the circuitry and the 'upgrade' was FAR too deeply carved into him. He was like the Cyberman version of a Dalek puppet, there was nothing human left to save.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him before taking a breath and getting up, moving to Angie and Artie, "Are you alright?" she looked the kids over, "Angie? Artie?"

"We're…we're ok," Angie nodded.

Angel let out a breath at that and set Ayla down, "Ayla, sweetheart," she took the girl's hands, "Watch out for them for me ok?" she asked, Ayla nodded and taking a breath herself. She smiled, kissing Ayla's forehead before she ran to the window, hearing screams.

She watched as one of the women tried to sneak up on a Cyberman, trying to hit it with a glove on her hand…but its head swiveled around an grabbed her before anyone could react. More and more Cybers invaded, stomping into the small courtyard as Clara, the heavy soldier, and the one in glasses backed up against a wall.

"Upgrade in progress…" one of the Cybers was reaching for them.

She held out her hand and a golden wall sprang up before the three humans on the ground, blocking the Cybermen from getting to them…but also keeping them from escaping as well, "You need to hurry my love," she called to the Doctor.

He nodded, "Your move," he spoke to the Planner, "But before you take it, just so you know, sacrificing my queen was the best possible move I could have made. The Time Lords invented chess. It's our game. And if you don't avoid MY trap, it gives ME mate in three moves."

"How?" the Planner scoffed, "How?"

"Oh, come on," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "Call yourself a chess-playing robot?"

"How!?" it demanded.

But the Doctor shrugged, needing to distract it just a bit more…"You figure it out! Or don't you have the processing power? Hmm?" he tugged his bowtie.

And just like that the sounds of stomping in the courtyard froze and fell silent as the Cybers froze.

Angel glanced at the Planner, hiding her smirk, "What are you doing?"

"Doctor," the Planner sighed, mocking him, "Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor! I'm pulling in extra processing power," he grinned, "Three million Cyberbrains are working on one tiny chess problem. How long do you think it's going to take us to solve it?"

"That's cheating!" Ayla frowned at the mean old man who looked like her father but as NOT her daddy.

"No, no, no, no, no. Just pulling in the local resources."

Angel glanced at the courtyard, seeing the Cybermen frozen and lowered her hand, the golden wall that had protected the three humans fading, freeing them. Clara looked up at her a moment, before taking off, not willing to risk wasting a single moment, leading the other two into the castle to get to the throne room.

"There's no way you can get to mate in three moves," the Planner smirked, sounding sure.

"Three moves!" the Doctor insisted, "Want to know what they are?"

"I do!" Ayla shouted, raising her hand, starting to come back to herself a bit.

"You're lying!" the Planner glared at the chessboard.

"No!" the Doctor winced back, knowing he needed to be quick. The second that the Planner realized what he was doing that there was a point to have the thing tap into all the Cybers of that world. It was to distract it, to lower its defenses and firewalls…to give him access to the main controls that would short circuit everything properly and precisely and free everyone in the process.

He struggled, pulling out his sonic, "Move one, turn on sonic screwdriver," he flicked it on, "Move two," and held a hand back to Porridge who had set the bomb down only a foot or two away, "Activate pulsar!" Porridge's eyes widened as he quickly pulled his glove off and tossed it to the Doctor, "Move three, amplify pulsar!" he flashed the sonic across the pulsar as he put it on, about to slam it to his own face when his left hand grabbed his wrist, trying to stop him.

"You can do it daddy!" Ayla cheered.

He grinned, nodding, "See ya!" he shouted, slapping the uber-powered pulsar to his cheek, his body jerking and twisting as the Cyber-Mites fell off his face.

"That's cheating!" the Planner cried out, his final words.

The Doctor jerked forward in his chair, his face clear of the widgets, panting…till angel and Ayla ran over to him, hugging him tightly as he held them just as close, burying his face in their necks as he inhaled the scents of his daughter and Mate.

"Are you alright daddy?" Ayla asked as she pulled away.

"Perfectly fine sweetheart," he crossed his hearts, winking at Angel, "Just taking advantage of the local resources," he tossed the pulsar aside, "Ah, hello!" he cheered to Clara and the other two men as they ran in, "Can someone untie me, please?"

"Consider it done, my love," Angel smiled, focusing and snapping her fingers, creating a series of small golden sparks down the length of his ropes, splitting them so they fell open. He stood up and immediately pulled her to him, kissing her deeply despite the others watching and the children present.

"Hold on," Clara frowned, making them pull away, "What happened to the Cyber-Planner?"

"Out of my head and redistributed across three million Cybermen," the Doctor grinned, turning to her, winding an arm around Angel's waist as he took Ayla's hand, "About to wake them up, kill us and start constructing a spaceship," he turned and soniced the bomb, "We need to destroy this planet before they can get off it…" he frowned though when he saw the results of it, "Ok…it has a fallback voice activation."

"The Captain!" the heavy set soldier sighed, "But she's dead."

"Ask Mr. Porridge," Ayla suggested.

"Why?" Clara looked at her.

"'Cos he's the Emperor?" Angie shrugged, as though it were obvious, "I bet HE knows the activation codes," she glanced at them all as they turned to look at Porridge, stunned, the man himself looking away, "Oh, come on, it's obvious. He looks exactly like he does on the coin Ayla gave me, and on the waxwork, except they made him a bit taller, but...look, are Ayla and I the only ones paying attention to ANYTHING around here?"

"You are full of surprises," Clara smiled at Angie, sensing a bit of a…better attitude from the girl.

"Porridge?" Angel called gently.

He sighed, "She's right."

"You you can activate the bomb?" Clara asked.

"We all die in the end. Does it matter how?" he looked down, shaking his head, "I don't want to be Emperor," he admitted quietly, "If I activate that bomb, it's all over…"

"And if you don't, three million Cybermen will spread across the galaxy," the Doctor cut in, "I've worked FAR too hard to make it a safer place for my daughter by taking care of enemies like them."

"Doctor…"

"Porridge," Angel cut in lightly, "One planet, with no one on it, all living souls removed, with just the Cybermen there. If you're worried about a body count…" she swallowed, "None of them are human anymore.

"That's not it," Porridge shook his head, "The bomb, the throne, it's all connected. I just have to say, 'This is Emperor Ludens Nimrod Kendrick, called Longstaff the 41st, the defender of humanity, imperator of known space. Activate the Desolator,'" he looked at the bomb as it activated, "And it's done."

The Doctor grabbed Angel and Ayla, taking a step back from it, holding his daughter and Mate close, not sure what it would do to keep THEM safe..

"It'll blow in about 80 seconds," Porridge added, "Easily long enough for the Imperial Flagship to locate me from my identification, warp-jump into orbit, and transmat us to the State Room."

He closed his eyes and took a breath and when he opened them they were NOT on the planet any longer, but rather in the Senate Room all empty save for two guards in the back fixing the controls. It was a warm room with a large window that showed them the planet, Porridge standing on a multi-level dais behind them all.

The Doctor was on his feet, Ayla in his arms as he looked around, "Oh, yeah! Nice ship. Bit big."

"I don't like it," Ayla scrunched her nose, "There's not enough blue."

"I agree," he tapped her nose, "Definitely not blue enough."

"And speaking of blue," Angel looked at Porridge, "If it's not too much trouble, there should be a bright blue police telephone box at coordinates six ultra 19P. Could you have it transmatted here too?"

Porridge nodded and looked at one of the guards at a control, "Did you get that?"

"Yes sir," the woman nodded bringing the blue box over to the side of the room.

~8~

On the planet, the Cybermen entered the control room, the throne room, and marched right up to the bomb, counting down from 13 seconds…

~8~

"10 seconds," Angel called, glancing out the rather large window.

The others turned and stared out it when, 10 seconds later the bomb exploded and took the planet with it, knocking them all back a bit from the force that shook the ship, but they remained standing.

"Fairwell, Cyberiad," Porridge sighed, moving to sit back on a small throne as Clara, Angie, Artie, and Ayla moved to sit on the steps that led up to it, "You know... it was GOOD to get away. Good to be a person and not to be lonely or Emperor of 1,000 galaxies, with everybody waiting for ME to tell them what to do."

"Can't you run away again?" Artie frowned.

"They'll be keeping a close eye on me this time. That's what happens when you're Emperor, loneliest job in the Universe."

Clara smiled and reached out to put a hand o his arm, comfortingly, "You don't have to be lonely," she told him, the Time Lords smiling as they stood to the side, watching the lovely moment play out before them. The Doctor shook his head, JUST like his sister too.

"I don't," Porridge seemed to realize before he turned to Clara and got down on a knee, her eyes widening, "Clara...will you marry me?"

Clara blinked as the Doctor started to sputter, Angel laughing as though she'd expected something like that to happen, "What?"

"He said…" Ayla began.

"She heard what he said," Angie laughed.

"You're smart and you're beautiful," Porridge told Clara, "And I've never met anyone like you before. And being Emperor won't be as hard if you're by my side. And you'd rule 1,000 galaxies."

The Doctor quickly joined them at the small platform, needing to help Clara realize the delicacy of this situation for when she turned Porridge down. She…WAS going to turn him down right? She was FAR too young to consider marriage! "This sounds like an actual marriage proposal, tricky. Now, if you want my advice..."

"You," Clara reached out without looking and put a finger on his lips to silence him, "Not one word. This is between me and the... Emperor," she glanced over only when Angel reached out and tugged him back before focusing on Porridge, "Porridge, I...don't want to rule 1,000 galaxies."

"Yeah," Porridge got up, trying to play it all off, " Silly of me."

"I'm really sorry."

"But that's stupid," Angie rolled her eyes, "You could be queen of the universe. How can you say no to that? When someone asks you if you want to be queen of the universe, you say, 'Yes.' You watch. One day, I'LL be queen of the universe."

"I don't doubt you will be," Angel winked at her, only to zip her lips when the Doctor and Clara looked at her questioningly.

"Of course," Porridge stood with a smile, "I could have you all executed, which is what a proper Emperor would do."

"But not a nice one," Ayla remarked, "Not one I want to be friends with."

Porridge laughed at that, "Well then, how can I give that order against my friend?"

"Really?!" Ayla beamed before jumping up and rushing to hug her parents, "I'm friends with an emperor!"

The adults laughed at her excitement, Porridge waving them on, "Go on, get out of here, all of you, before I change my mind."

The Time Lords nodded, the Doctor saluting him before they turned to lead the humans towards the TARDIS, all of them piling in, Ayla waving excitedly at Porridge as she stepped in with her parents, the doors shutting as the box disappeared.

~8~

Clara was leaning against the console as she watched Angie and Artie say goodbye to the Time Family, "Thank you for having me!" Artie was shaking the Doctor's hand, before turning to Angel who pulled him into a hug, "It was very interesting," he told her, "It was nice to meet you too Ayla."

"Our pleasure," the Doctor smiled, "Thank you for coming."

"It was VERY nice to meet you," Angel grinned as the boy headed for the doors.

"Bye Artie!" Ayla waved.

"Now," the Doctor turned to Angie, "I've got something for you," he started running around the console as Angie followed him, "It's not from me, it's from the TARDIS. Ah!" he picked one up…right out of Angel's hand as she held it out to him, "New phone," he handed it over to Angie.

"Thanks!" she beamed.

"You're welcome," he winked.

"Sorry I said this box was stupid," Angie added, shaking the Doctor's hand, "See you around Ayla."

"Bye!" Ayla smiled.

"I'll show you to the door," Angel nodded to the side, leading Angie over to them, pausing by them before she let the girl out, "Angie…" she started, before kneeling down before the girl, taking her hands, "I wanted to say…I'm sorry, about what happened with your mum."

Angie's smile faded, "Thanks," she said, but she didn't sound it at all.

She squeezed Angie's hands so she'd look at her, "I don't mean it in a false sympathy, I mean…" she took a breath, "I lost my mum too," she said, "Me and my sister did. Suddenly, unexpectedly, only had my dad."

"You…you did?" Angie looked at her.

Angel nodded, "And you know…Clara did too."

Angie's eyes widened at that, "She…did?!" she breathed, looking over at Clara, Angel realizing that the girl had had NO idea Clara herself had lost her mother when she'd been around Angie's age.

"Clara and I…we understand Angie," she continued as Angie looked back at her, "We understand better than anyone else can what it's like for a little girl to lose her mother like that," she offered her a sad smile, "So…if you ever need someone to talk to or just…want someone who understands, please…Clara and I are here if you want us."

Angie nodded slowly, "Thanks," and this time it sounded genuine.

"No problem at all," she tapped the girl's nose with a finger, "I hope we'll get to see you and Artie again."

Angie smiled, "I hopes so too," she added quietly, before she turned and headed out.

Angel let out a breath as she watched her go, before making her way to the console. The Doctor slipped an arm around her waist, just…smiling at her, ' _That is why I love you SO much,_ ' he told her, ' _You are just…an angel. Truly just…an angel._ '

She smiled at that, blushing a bit, when Clara spoke, "Thank you," she told them.

"For what?" The Doctor looked over, almost having forgotten she was there.

"Kids' day out, getting us off the planet alive, whatever you were doing with the Cybermen..." she took a breath and let it out, "Good night," before she pushed off the console and headed for the doors, "See you next Wednesday."

"Well... A Wednesday, definitely. Next Wednesday, last Wednesday..." he trailed off as the doors shut behind her, "One of the Wednesdays."

Angel smiled, shaking her head, "She really is an impossible girl, isn't she?"

He nodded, "A mystery wrapped in an enigma squeezed into a floral skirt."

"I wonder what she is," Ayla remarked, thoughtful.

The Doctor grinned, "Let's find out," he turned to the console, getting the box in motion ones ore as they continued their quest to discover the mystery that as Clara Oswin Oswald.

~8~

Porridge sat on his throne, staring out into space at where the planet had been, "Signs of any Cyber-tech remaining?" he called to one of the women at the controls.

"No, Majesty," she answered.

He twiddled his thumbs absently, "You ever wanted to be Emperor, Gloria?"

"No, Majesty."

He nodded, "That's the right answer. Come on. Let's go home," he smiled as the ship took of…

None of them saw a lone Cyber-Mite floating in space as its eyes activated…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, they got Ayla back! :) Lol, I sort of liked the idea of the Doctor's body starting to fight back along with his mind, with him naturally reaching out for Angel and things :) But now Clara seems to know about the amnesia period, not all of it, but she's got a hint }:)


	58. Cybernetic Revenge

The Doctor glared as he stood before Webley, standing strong, standing before Angel and Ayla, not about to let the man and the things controlling him harm his family. He knew Webley wanted something from him, wanted a Time Lord to become some sort of Cyber-Planner, but it was impossible to use them, Cybermen could only convert humans and he'd told the man so.

"Well, that was true a long time ago," Webley conceded, "But we've upgraded ourselves. Current Cyber-Units use almost any living components!" and before he could even move, the man threw a fistful of Cyber-Mites at him, sending him stumbling back into the circular table behind him, clawing at his face, trying to get the Mites off himself.

"Doctor!" he could hear Angel shouting as he screamed, arching backwards onto the table as the Mites dug into him…

Before he hunched forward, metal attached to the side of his face, his eyes were closed as he panted, "Well…" he began, Angel frowning at a very…familiar inflection to his voice, "Isn't that…wizard," he started grinning, "Look at that," he began to pat himself down slowly, examining himself, "Bit less thin," and then examined his wrists, "Better wrists, thicker fingers," and moved his hands to his clothes, "A…bowtie?" he grimaced, "That won't do," he shook his head and continued up to his face, "Chin, nose, nothing I've not seen before, no sideburns though, and hair…" he ran a hand through his hair, looking at it, "Brown and not ginger, again," he grumbled, before patting his chest, "Binary vascular system fully functioning, hyperconductive nervous system efficient, brain processing speed…ooh," he grinned, "As fast as ever…"

"Doctor?" Angel called, eyeing him.

The 'Doctor' looked at her, his smile (which had been quite a bit…dark) softened, "Angel."

She shook her head, "Not…MY Doctor."

"Oh, more your Doctor than you know," he winked at her, making her frown, confused, she couldn't quite hear his mind at the moment, it was like there was static blocking some of it.

The 'Doctor' took a step toward her, only to grunt, pressing a hand to his temple as he turned, shouting, "Get out of my head!" and sounding very much like the real Doctor.

~8~

The Doctor stalked through a bleak black space in his mind, what seemed to be a wall to the side of him covered in warm browns and Gallifreyan symbols, a sort of looking glass in the middle of where the wall turned blue and mechanical with equations floating on it. His side, the Gallifreyan one, had pictures of Angel and Ayla, their different incarnations drifting past, and an image of Clara in the center, flickering through the three versions they'd met, though…it appeared that quite a few of the mechanical designs on the other blue side had formed the shame of his Mate and daughter as well.

He came to a stop before the looking glass, glaring at the Cyber-Planner as he stood across from him with his back to him, "Stop rummaging in my mind!" he spat, "Get out of my head!"

The man before him shook his head, "That would be rather difficult to do," he remarked, "Seeing as how it's MY mind too."

The Doctor stiffened when the man turned around and he stumbled back in shock as, right before him, was NOT a Cyber-controlled version of himself but…his last incarnation with the metal attached to his face.

"Hello," 10 greeted, "Surprise! Boo! Etc!"

"What…" 11 breathed, shaking his head as he stared in horror, "How…"

10 just sneered at him, "So…finally decided to face me then? Took you long enough."

11 blinked and frowned, no…this was wrong, this was all wrong. This was NOT how it had happened, it wasn't 10 that had been the Cyber-Planner, it had been himself. This…this wasn't a memory, no, this was…this was a dream. A nightmare! He let out a breath, thankful he'd managed to realize that before anything too severe had happened. He did NOT want it to reach the point that other dreams had had, where he realized too late what was going on. Now that he knew…he could wake himself up and…

"Don't bother trying," 10 called.

"Trying what?" he frowned.

"I'm IN your head," 10 reminded him, "I'm a _part_ of your head, I know you, Doctor," he sneered the last word, "A title, I should say, you DON'T deserve any longer given what you've done to Angel. Our Mate. Or have you forgotten her again?"

11 swallowed hard, "Try WHAT?" he demanded again, trying not to let on how much 10's words bothered him.

"Try waking up," 10 answered, "I wouldn't bother trying to escape, you won't be able to until I let you. Just like all the other times."

11 frowned, "What do you mean the other times? I…I've never had this dream before," he was quite sure he'd remember this particular one."

"Course you haven't," 10 rolled his eyes, "This one is…special. This one is different."

11 eyed him for a long while, before he slowly worked out what was going on, "YOU'RE the one controlling my nightmares?" he let out a breath.

He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. Of all the things he'd thought…THIS was not it. He'd been so sure that it was just his subconscious wreaking havoc on his fragile mental state. He'd sworn that it was just his own guilt eating up at him, leading to so many horrible nightmares and things. He'd even, briefly, considered it might be the Dream Lord at work (which was really just his subconscious again) but…he never thought it was THIS. He'd always been able to keep a lid on the past selves, like they were all held in their own little rooms in his mind, with doors he could keep locked and lock them he did. He wanted to be his own person and not influenced by his past selves, so he'd separated them from his mind, kept them back a little.

But…looking at it now, he could see how THIS particular incarnation had gotten out. This one would have fought harder than the others, would have pushed and kicked and pulled more. Because while the incarnation of him that had first travelled with Angel was fond of her and did love her very much…he hadn't been able to tell her or even ask her to Mate. No…the man before him was the incarnation that would take what had happened with his amnesia worst of all.

Because his last self had been the first to tell Angel he loved her. It had been the one to ask her to Mate, the one to go through the process with her, complete it. It had been the one to be there for her and hold her and take care of her as she slowly died twice. It had been the one that had conceived Ayla and done all he could to protect her and keep her safe. His last self was the one that had created the bond he so cherished and his last self would be the one to take the most offense to it being strained and cast aside the way it had been.

"You really are thick aren't you?" 10 scoffed, "I can't control the dreams, all I can do…is spark them,"  
he looked over at the looking glass before them, 11 wincing as he saw different images of all the nightmares he'd had, all the images of Angel suffering, of Ayla being twisted, of him losing his girls.

"Enough!" he snapped, not wanting to see any more of it, "Why are you doing this?"

10 shook his head, "Because I want you to see how disgusted I am with you. I want you to know how much of a failure you are. I want you to realize how much you hurt Angel…"

"You think I don't know that?!" he cut in, shouting at the top of his lungs, panting, his hands curled into fists as he shook in rage, "You think I'm not more disgusted in myself than you? You think I don't see, every single time I look at Ayla and wonder what her first word was or how long it had been before she took her first step, how much of a failure I am? That I can look at Angel, a different Angel, and NOT realize she's like that because _I_ failed to protect her? Or that I don't see it everything I look at the TARDIS doors, Angel sitting in Torchwood and admitting to me she wanted to kill herself!?" he tried to take a breath but was unable to, he was just…

Angel was always the most delicate subject to him, the one he cared the most about.

10 merely crossed his arms, "No, I don't think you do," he narrowed his eyes, "Do you know how hard I had to fight to get Angel to where she was? Do you even remember that? Angel was our entire world and YOU forgot about her. You let her fade to the background. You let her get captured…"

"No," he shook his head.

"YOU let them hurt our daughter."

"No."

"YOU let River Song manipulate you," 10 continued, knowing 11 couldn't counter that, "You let that woman kiss you when the ONLY one who ever should was watching," he shook his head, "YOU are NOT me. You will NEVER be me. Because I would rather destroy the Universe than hurt Angel," he looked at his future self harshly, "I WON'T let you hurt her again."

"Well sorry," he glared right back, "But you're just a memory now. This body is MINE, and Angel is MY Mate. You had your time with her. Move on."

"No, I don't think I will, actually," 10 shot back, "Right now you're being upgraded and incorporated into the Cyberiad, which I control," he sighed, "Do you know what that says? About ME? That _I_ can control a Cyber-Planner? That I can control that technology that's meant to take YOU over?" he shook his head, "It means I refuse to let anything come between me and Angel again. Not the Cybermen. Not YOU."

"So what," 11 frowned, "You're just going to…absorb me? Take me over?"

"Yeah, pretty much," 10 nodded, "Like you said, 'Doctor,' it's YOUR body, but this is OUR mind. And the mind…controls the body."

"Don't you dare!" 11 took a step forward, seeing on the looking glass that 10 made his body take a step towards Angel, his hand reaching out for her face, before HE made the other hand reach out and grab it away. He panted from the effort as he looked at the wall behind the 10-Planner lighting up, "What is this place? A network? A hive? You're getting signals from every Cyberman everywhere."

"All to stop you," 10 agreed, "To stop you taking Angel away from me. To stop the others trying to stop me."

"Who ARE you?" 11 frowned, shaking his head. He had…gotten possessive and frantic and a bit mad about protecting Angel in the past…but this…this just…didn't seem right.

"I'm you."

"Yes, I know that, but who else? 'Cos no version of me would be willing to do this, because any version of me would want Angel happy and this…this would devastate her. So…oh," he cut off suddenly, eyeing himself, "I see."

"Do you?" 10 sneered, "I doubt it."

"No, I do…" 11 nodded, letting out a breath, "You're…me."

10 rolled his eyes, "Yes, I believe I've told you that.

"No, but…you're more than me," 11 swallowed, "You're the me that was screaming behind your closed door all those years, ranting and raving for me to remember Angel. You're the one who pushed those memories into my head. The one who reacted when she was in danger. All this time…you were trying to come back."

"And now I finally have a way to do it," 10 nodded, "And I'm not about to let you stop me!"

"I don't need to stop you," 11 shook his head, "You won't win."

10 glared, "You don't think I won't fight for her? For my Mate?"

"MY Mate," 11 countered, "Do YOU really think she'd go with you?" he scoffed, "We're not the only ones who have moved on. Angel has too. She's come to peace with our regeneration, she loves me, we have a daughter together!"

"MY daughter," 10 spat, taking an angry step towards him, not noticing the small smile on 11's face when he saw the man getting angry, that was…exactly what he needed to happen, "Ayla is MY daughter. Just because I regenerated doesn't mean she isn't MINE. I was the one who conceived her…"

"And Angel's last self was the one who birthed her," 11 shot back, "Are you saying SHE's not her mother now?"

"Don't you dare twist my words!" 10 strode right up to his face, the two men standing nearly nose to nose.

"Don't threaten to take MY Mate from me!" he pressed his nose to 10's.

"She was my Mate first!" 10 shoved him back.

"And she's MY Mate now," 11 returned the push, his eyes narrowing, "And I will NOT let you take her away from me! You'll have to kill me first."

"Didn't you think that was the plan?" 10 grabbed him by the lapels and shoved him aside, "With you gone, your mind will be blank for me to fill!" he shoved 11 against the looking glass.

But 11 lashed out, he turned, using the momentum of the shoving to slam 10 against the glass instead, so hard that it started to crack, "You STAY away from MY family!" he snarled, shoving the man once more, sending him flying through the looking glass…

~8~

The Doctor gasped as he fell to his knees before Angel, panting as he looked around at the children standing there with their relays blinking, Webley in the back, with Angel rushing to knee before him.

"Doctor!" she cried, "What happened?"

He swallowed hard, shaking his head, "We need to go, quickly!" he leapt to his feet knowing that it would only be a matter of time before the 10-Planner crawled his way back from the dark abyss behind the looking glass and he needed to make sure that Angel and Ayla were safe. If he could stop the Cybermen before the 10-Planner was back…he could lock 10 away once more.

He knew that the only reason 10 was stronger was because he'd managed to tap into the Cyber-Planner's circuitry, somehow fusing himself with it, controlling it, making him better able to fight for control.

And he was terrified the man might win.

~8~

It was a terrible blur of pain and running and yelling after that. He had taken Angel's hand, ordered (hated to do it) the children and Webley to follow them to where Clara was. He knew that the army, having been put there to fight Cybermen (however ill-trained they were) would have something, anything, to use against the metal men. He'd needed to get there before the 10-Planner could awaken once more.

And he'd just barely succeeded.

He had stumbled and fallen more times than he could count, feeling the 10-Planner starting to rise within him, clawing to get out, but he refused to let the man, he REFUSED to let him out. It hurt, terribly, and there were brief zings of pain where the Planner was able to gain control of him for a moment or two. Mostly all he managed was to shout for Angel before HE wrestled the man back down into his mind and took control again. It really was amazing how much the paternal and Mating instincts were to protect his Mate and child. It had…given him a strength he hadn't felt before. It had helped him keep the 10-Planner under control long enough to reach a sort of castle lace where the others were hiding.

He'd run into the castle, Clara leading the way to a room where they'd put all the weapons, a bomb that would implode the planet, an Anti-Cyber gun, and quite a number of hand-pulsars that would take out and short circuit a cybernetic component. He'd immediately gone for the pulsar, sonicing it stronger, before he slapped it to his cheek and fell to his knees in pain, groaning and grunting as the metal pieces fell away from his face.

And then he was free!

Oh it had been wonderful, a relief, and it had allowed him to focus, it allowed him to be able to get the relays off the children with ease and a little sonic/pulsar help. He'd even managed to work out how to access the bomb and set it off. Luckily Porridge was actually the Emperor and had a voice override that got them off planet, to his passing ship, just in time to turn to the window as the bomb counted down.

The Doctor smiled in relief, watching the planet (he'd been assured the army was the only one on it at the time, just Cybers down there) explode, so thankful to know it was over…

"You REALLY think I'd give up that easily?" a voice said behind him.

11 froze and turned, seeing that he was still standing on the Emperor's ship…but that no one else was there…save his last self standing before him, "That's not possible."

10 shrugged, rocking back onto the heels of his shoes, "Do you even remember who we used to be?" he asked, "I love the impossible. I'm good with the impossible."

11 swallowed hard, "What do you want now?" he knew there was NO chance that 10 could take him over, not now, now with the Planner destroyed, with the method he'd been about to use gone.

10 eyed him a long while, "You think it's over?" he shook his head, "No. It's not over yet. Because YOU, Mr. Thick Thick Thickity Thick Thick, haven't realized the point of it all."

"I GOT the point of it," he glared, "You want Angel back, you want me out of the way, you…"

"The was the PLAN," 10 rolled his eyes, "Not the POINT."

"And what IS the point then? Why are you doing this? Why make me dream such horrible…"

"Because nothing you dream will ever be worse than reality," 10 cut in, "Because nothing you dream will EVER make it up, to me, for what you did to Angel."

11 was silent, "You don't think I've suffered enough."

"I don't think you'll ever suffer enough."

11 let out a small scoffing laugh, "Do YOU even know who I am? What _I_ am like?" he shook his head, "NO one will ever hate me more than _I_ do. Not even you."

"I wouldn't bet on that," 10 muttered, "I'd watch out Doctor," he mocked the last word, "Everything before now…was just a bit of fun. What's coming for you next…" he let out a whistle, "Run."

11 frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

10 just smirked, "Wouldn't you like to know," he shrugged, "But you're me. YOU work it out."

And with that, 10 snapped his fingers…

~8~

And 11 woke up, his eyes flying open though he made no other move. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he looked around the room. The library. He'd nodded off in the middle of reading apparently. He swallowed, moving the book off his chest and leaning forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and pressing his head to his hands.

He…honestly didn't know what to do anymore. It was one thing when he'd thought his nightmares were his subconscious plaguing him, and in a way it still was. But…it was another to learn one of his past incarnations was actually spurring it on, fanning the flames, making it worse…

Because a past him would have more control, more awareness, it would be able to 'spark' the ones that would truly hurt him. And he knew this wasn't just a dream, this was REAL. This WAS his last self trying to torment him. And so he truly didn't know what to do.

He knew the nightmares were about to get worse…

But how does one fight against himself?

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter was longer but, going through it, a lot of the action ended up being a repeat of the prior episode even with 10 as the Planner. So I moved around most of the change in dialogue to be more condensed and removed the repetitive portions. It's a bit...short, I know, I apologize for it. But I didn't want it to just be a reproduction of Nightmare in Silver all over again :/
> 
> I hope you like this little twist, it IS the Doctor's subconscious making the nightmares happen, but it's also...10! O.O I can say that from here on, the next 2 nightmares will be...very important and we'll see a shift in them. We'll also see a bit more 10 ;)


	59. The Ultimate Guide

The Doctor was pacing around the console of the TARDIS, looking around, rather…alarmed and lost…when the doors opened and two women entered, well a woman and a girl. The woman was dressed in a black dress fit for the beach, with a straw hat on and sunglasses, her brown hair hanging freely and holding quite a few bags under her arms. The girl beside her…didn't look a thing like her so he knew she had to be someone the woman was looking after, the girl was strawberry-blonde, with green eyes, wearing a small white and green sailor's outfit, with a small sailor's hat on, holding a towel in one arm and a beach ball in the other.

"I think we have everything!" Clara smiled down at Ayla, "Angel'll be a moment she's just finishing getting dressed in her suit…" she trailed off, looking at him as he sort of shifted on the other side of the console, almost like he were ducking behind the rotor and peeking out at them.

She knew she'd ordered him to STAY in the TARDIS while she and the others went to get ready for a day in Space Florida. She had insisted that the three girls go out and get a few things, like…a bathing suit for Angel. She'd seen what the TARDIS had to offer and had managed to convince the woman to get something new, to surprise the Doctor. Really she just wanted to help her find something that she KNEW would make the Doctor blush and sputter so that she could tease him. She'd never had a sibling before and she'd found it was quite fun to tease him about how much he loved Angel.

Angel had remarked that she was JUST like her friend Martha and that they'd get along swimmingly…no pun intended. Apparently this Martha woman had constantly dressed Angel up in all manner of clothes to get a reaction out of the Doctor as well. She was quite sure Angel was right about that, they'd most certainly get along rather well. Angel had been a bit hesitant with her outfit though and was taking a moment longer to get ready.

But the Doctor was standing there, eyeing them both cautiously, "We're still doing that yeah?" she called, "We're still gonna have our proper holiday?" it had been something Angel had suggested after the failure that was the amusement park. She'd felt badly that it had gone a bit wrong, a place they'd gone solely to have fun and suggested the beach instead, a little holiday, "Ok...worrying me now. Stop worrying me."

"Are you alright?" Ayla frowned, seeing him shifting still, eyeing HER warily as well, "Daddy?"

The Doctor froze at that, "Daddy?" he breathed, staring at Ayla with wide eyes…before frantically pulling his hair before his eyes, frowning as he saw the brown color of it, before looking between it and Ayla, "The mum…" he murmured, THAT had to be it, the girl's mother had to be strawberry blonde then. But…if the girl beside her wasn't the mother…then where was she? Was she that Angel woman the girl had mentioned?

"Doctor?" Clara stepped closer, seeing Ayla starting to grow concerned at his reaction to her.

"Who am I?" he asked them, "Where am I? And who are you?"

"Oh no…" Ayla breathed, dropping her ball and blanket as she stared at her father in horror, looking for all the world as though this were the WORST thing that could ever happen.

Clara though, didn't quite react the same as she just dropped her bags and blankets and umbrellas and stared at him, "You've actually...done it, haven't you?" she stepped forward, Ayla rushing ahead of her, moving around the TARDIS as the girl looked up at the ceiling, a small pen in her hand, "Last thing you said to me before I went out with your daughter," she emphasized, nodding at Ayla as the girl ran down to the under console, "And your mate, was 'I've got to remember to repair the interface _before_ I repair the Time Circuit or I'll completely wipe my memory.'"

"I don't remember saying that," the Doctor stepped back, frantic, "I don't remember saying anything. And, in fact, here's a theory, don't laugh," he pointed at her, "Promise me you won't laugh...I think, whoever I am, I've lost my memory."

"Oh thank goodness you forgot everything!" Ayla panted as she ran back up from the under-console, "It's not the Silence!" she cheered, rushing to hug the Doctor's legs quickly as he stared down at her awkwardly…before patting her head.

"All 1200 years?" Clara had to wonder, that was a hell of a lot to forget.

"That sounds like a lot," the Doctor grimaced at that, tensing…not sure why he felt so…sad when the little girl let go of him, "Is that a lot? That sounds like a lot. First things first," he shook his head, "What's my name?"

"I dunno," Ayla shrugged when he pointed at her.

He blinked, "You're my daughter and you don't know?"

Ayla just shook her head, "I just call you daddy."

"Nobody knows what your name is," Clara added.

"Well that's a good start…" he muttered.

"But you call yourself the Doctor."

He started to smile at that, "Ooh I like it. Doctor who? Ha!" he pointed at them as something hit him, "Yes! Nobody knows. That's the thing!"

Ayla's smile started to fall at that as Clara noticed, "Don't ask that question daddy," she whispered, "Please don't. Every time someone asks that…something bad happens to mummy."

Clara frowned and looked at her, "What do you mean cutie pie?"

Ayla blinked up at her, "Mummy was poisoned and then shot and then nearly went away in the golden light the last time people asked that, so…so DON'T ask it."

"Alright," Clara nodded, seeing the girl getting upset about it, "I won't."

Ayla nodded, sniffling, "We need to help daddy remember and we need to do it before mummy gets back."

Clara gave her an odd look, "Why? Wouldn't your mum be able to help him more than us?"

Ayla sighed, "She would…but…" she hesitated, glancing at the Doctor as he watched them, and back, "This isn't the first time daddy's forgotten her," she whispered, though the Doctor could still hear her.

"He did?" Clara nearly blanched at that, it was…hard to imagine the Doctor not knowing who Angel was the man was so besotted with her.

Ayla nodded, "He…he remembered who she was, but not who she was TO him, he forgot she was his Mate and…it hurt mummy a lot, an awful lot. It…it nearly killed mummy last time," she admitted quietly, "We got his memory back eventually but…I…I don't want her to find out he's forgotten her again, even if he's forgotten everything."

Clara nodded slowly, now the Planner's words made sense, when he'd mentioned a moment when the Doctor had forgotten who Angel was to him…it made sense. She didn't need the details, she didn't need more than that because…given how little they spoke of it…she could tell it was a truly painful and horrifying experience for the Time Family and she didn't want to cause them more pain. IF they wanted to talk about it, she'd listen, but she wouldn't hound them for information.

"Right then," Clara began, "What should we do to help jog your dad's memory?"

Ayla pouted in thought a moment, before grinning, "I know!" she ran over to the Doctor and tugged him to kneel before her, "This is my locket," she showed him, "It has all our family in it," she told him, before opening it up, knowing that family was the most important thing to her father and mother and it might jog his memory.

But the Doctor just frowned as he watched a sort of hologram pop up where the girl opened her locket, gently sifting through image after image, a lovely black couple, a team of men and women, a ginger woman, a tall brunette woman with four children around her, a ginger and a man with a big nose…

"Oh…" he breathed when it reached a woman with strawberry blonde hair and shining blue eyes, "Who…" he shook his head, feeling himself unable to breathe, feeling his hearts racing at the sight, his mind struggling to form a coherent sentence, "Who's she?"

Ayla smiled and closed the locket, "That's mummy," she watched his face carefully.

"She's beautiful," the Doctor murmured, a soft smile on his face, "And she's…my Mate you said?

Ayla's smile fell at that, he STILL didn't remember.

"Wait a second," Clara snapped her fingers and dashed off beneath the console, Ayla moving over to the side and leaning over the railing to watch as she rooted around in one of the under panels around the base of the console pole, pulling out a thick leather bound tome. She grinned and ran back up to the console, moving the Doctor to sit on a side-chair and placed the book on his lap, '1200 Year Diary' it said, "You showed me this once. Might help. All your life, everything you've ever done, all written in here," she tapped it.

The Doctor nodded, before hesitating opening it, looking up at them, "The Doctor…is he a good person? Is he a good person to be? Who are his friends? Who are his enemies?"

Ayla smiled, "He's the best! SO many people want to be him. And he's got loads of friends, and all his enemies are scared because he's just that cool!" she grinned wider and leaned in, "They're scared of the power of the bowtie," she whispered to him.

He chuckled a bit at that and looked at the book.

"Open it," Clara encouraged, "Find out."

He swallowed and nodded, steeling himself, "Ok, so…Doctor…who are you?"

And with that, he opened the book…

~8~

When the last page had been read, the Doctor gently closed the book, Clara leaning on the console across from him, Ayla nestled on his lap as she read the later entries, the ones after the War, with him, "I remember now..." he whispered, "I remember everything."

He swallowed hard, recalling when the Dream Lord had said much the same, his dreams coming back t him, his nightmares, his…last self trying to punish him (as he rightly deserved) but…actually starting to frighten him with what might be coming and what his last self might do.

"You remember me daddy?" Ayla looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Of course sweetheart," he smiled gently at her, pushing his fears aside to kiss her head. He looked at the book again, "It's like seeing it all for the first time," he remarked, glancing at Clara, "Seeing me... _me_. The Doctor, 11 faces, hundreds, _thousands_ of years of space and time…"

"And now it's all back in there again," Clara walked over and took the book back, tapping him on the forehead. She turned to go put the book back, calling out, "Ready for our proper holiday?" over her shoulder as she went.

"I don't know if I deserve a holiday," he admitted quietly, but loud enough for Clara to hear and turn to him, seeing him lost in thought, seeing Ayla frowning up at him confused, "You know…I don't know if I deserve anything," he looked at Ayla with a sad smile, "Least of all do I deserve you and your mum," he told her, his greatest treasures, the greatest ones the Universe could ever have…and they were HIS? Why? He had done nothing to deserve a gift as great as them, "Not knowing was a relief. So much death, so many friends I've lost...I mean," he looked at Clara, "How do I carry on?"

Clara smiled, knowing he wasn't asking her, Clara the Companion but rather Clara his Sister, "Because...because you've saved billions of lives," she supplied, "Every time you go to a place and there's something wrong you could turn and run but you don't."

"You never ever do," Ayla agreed, "We don't run away," she recited, "We stay and we do everything we can to help."

The Doctor smiled at that, at the lesson he had managed to impart on his daughter, "Wouldn't anyone stay and help?"

"No," Clara laughed, "And because you don't know that and because you'll never understand it, that, my friend, is what makes you the Doctor," she smiled, "And that's why you'll never stop," she tilted her head, seeing him on the cusp of believing her and HAD to add, "And there are two very BIG things that keep you going. One's right there," she nodded at Ayla who beamed at him, taking his hand, "And the other is dressed to kill," she warned him with a wink, "I've packed an emergency defibrillator to be safe."

The Doctor let out a laugh at that, scooping Ayla into his arms as he stood, "You've made me feel better," he told them both, tapping Ayla's nose.

"That's 'cos you make everything better daddy," Ayla told him simply.

His smile softened at that.

"You really do," Clara agreed, "You and Angel, everywhere you go."

"Now listen," he pointed mock-warningly between them, "Don't get soggy. I will not have sogginess in the TARDIS…"

"Who's being soggy?" Angel called as she stepped through the doors.

The Doctor turned to her slowly, thankful to see her for so many reasons as his mind blanked as to what he'd been about to say. She was covered in a rather large tunic that went down to just above her knees, a sort of over dress for her swim suit which he had no idea what it was underneath, but she looked lovely as ever with her hair pulled and clipped back in a pun, a small cooler of snacks in her hands as she set it down.

He walked over to her immediately, reaching out a hand when he neared her to touch her cheek, just…studying her face. How could he ever forget such a lovely sight? He smiled at her, before he leaned in to kiss her gently, deepening the kiss despite Ayla being in his arms and giggling from behind her hands at them. But he didn't care. This was…this was too much like before, worse than before. He had forgotten her again, something he had vowed never to do…

But Ayla and Clara had brought him back just in time and for that he would be eternally grateful to his daughter and his sister. They had given him back his Mate once more…and now…their holiday would be perfect…

If only he could tear his lips away from his magnificent Mate to go operate the controls…

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little mini-sode here for you :) The second I saw the Ultimate Guide clip with the Doctor forgetting everything...how could I NOT put it here? }:) Next chapter though is...the beginning of the end :( The Name of the Doctor...oh boy O.O
> 
> As for the last chapter with 10...all I can say is...there's MUCH more to it and to what 10 is doing and why than 11 realizes :)


	60. The Name of the Doctor: Conference Call

_Madame Vastra stood in the shadows just outside a dark prison cell, staring in at the man with in through her black veil. The man was curled up on his small cot, his knees drawn to his chest and his arms locked around his legs, rocking back and forth, making the chains around his wrists jingle, as he muttered to himself, "Do you hear the Whisper Men? The Whisper Men are near. If you hear the Whisper Men then turn away your ear. Do not hear the Whisper Men, whatever else you do. For once you've heard the Whisper Men, they'll stop and look at you," he turned his head sharply on that line and looked through the bars right at her, "One word from you," he pointed at her, "Could save me from the rope."_

_Vastra let out a hiss at that, at the cowering simpering man having the nerve to ask HER to save him given all he'd done, the heinousness of his crimes, "Then you may rely on my silence."_

_"I have information. Valuable information."_

_"Are you bargaining for your life? You have the blood of 14 women on your hands," she spat that last part, it had nearly been 15, JENNY had nearly been 15, and for that she would show him on mercy at all, "There are no words you can speak that will save your neck."_

_The man merely smirked, even as Vastra turned to go, "The Lonely God and his Angel, their holy child."_

_Vastra stopped dead at that, stiffening as the man laughed._

_"Oh, yes," he laughed harder when he saw her turn and step nearer to the bars of his cell, "I know all about them. Your dangerous friend, his heavenly Mate, their…darling daughter."_

_Vastra let out another hiss at that, sensing a threat on the horizon. The Time Family had spent nearly a century erasing every facet of information about themselves from the pages of history. They had worked tirelessly to protect themselves from their enemies, to protect their daughter from those who would try to harm her. For this man…this man how had NO contact with any higher life forms that she could think of or had evidence of, for HIM to know about them…it was enough to make her pause and make her worry._

_"How?"_

_"In the babble of the world," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "There are whispers, if you know how to listen," he got up and made his way to the bars, "Whispers of the Creator of Light, of what happens when the light…blinks out, poof!" he threw his hands out, his palms out, grinning madly, "Of the storm that rises in its wake, in the darkness that follows…" he leaned in, wrapping his open hands around the bars to look at her, "They have a secret, you know. The Doctor has a secret…"_

_"He has many," Vastra defended, though his words, the titles he'd used to describe Angel and the Doctor set her on edge, "They both do. I shan't imagine their daughter will come to have many as well."_

_"Ah…but the Doctor has one he will take to the grave," he leaned forward more, pressing his face between the bars as he looked at her, "And it is discovered," he grinned, seeing her jaw tense through her veil, knowing he'd won, "Well?"_

~8~

Angel's eyes opened as the dream faded, letting out a breath of air before she turned on her side to see the Doctor lying beside her, asleep. She smiled, reaching out to run her hands through his hair, it had been…so long since he'd been able to sleep. He had had so many nightmares lately, but she'd finally managed to get him to tell her all the ones that had come before. Every so often, once in a while, once in a blue moon the humans would say, he got a single night of peace. It seemed very much like this would be one of them. The nightmares had happened far too often since she'd regenerated, she knew, and with how little they actually needed sleep it often seemed like he had nothing BUT nightmares. There were the odd days, few though they were in the last century, where he managed a peaceful sleep.

She gently got out of bed, not willing to risk him waking, but knowing she needed to get out of the room and to another room very nearby to ensure he remained asleep. She could sense it, that her own little dream was not the only one taking place within the TARDIS. Ayla was dreaming to…no, Ayla was having a nightmare and that would NOT do. The Doctor may be hesitant to share his dreams, but Ayla was not, she was still such a little girl and the nightmares, when she had them, terrified her, had her crying out in the middle of the night for her or the Doctor. And this night…she couldn't risk the shouting waking her Mate. It took quite a lot to get HER awake normally, she slept like the dead the Doctor often told her, but when she could sense him or Ayla in need of her, she was up instantly.

She padded across the room and slipped out the door, moving to the one across the hall just as she heard someone inside gasp awake. She gently pushed the door open, it having already been open a crack, to see Ayla had sat up on her bed, panting, looking around frightfully.

"Mu…" she had just begun to shout when she saw her mother already there.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Angel asked as she stepped into Ayla's room, turning on the lights as she made her way to her daughter's bed, sitting down on the edge of it as Ayla immediately snuggled closer to her.

"I...I had a bad dream," Ayla mumbled, hugging her and her Aslan to her, "It was probably very silly but...I just wanted you mummy."

Angel smiled at that, "And mummy always comes," she nodded, "Do you want to tell me what the dream was about?" she reached out, soothingly running her hand through Ayla's hair.

Ayla sniffled, "The Whisper Men."

"The Whisper Men?" Angel frowned, recalling her own dream.

Ayla nodded, "It…it was…" she frowned, trying to describe it, "It was dark but…there were men in the shadows and someone was saying their rhyme."

Angel sighed, moving her arm around her daughter, "You have nothing to fear of those men, Kitta, I promise you," she crossed her hearts, "The Whisper Men…they will never hurt you."

"They weren't hurting ME mummy," she looked up at her, "They were hurting you and daddy, because you were protecting me."

"They won't hurt us either, because your father and I will protect each other too," she winked at her daughter, "Do you know…I don't think you quite remember the rest of the Whisper Men poem."

Ayla blinked, "I do," she insisted, "It ends with them looking at you," she shivered a bit.

Angel smiled, "Well then, we'll just have to change the ending."

"But we can't," Ayla frowned, "The poem's over?"

"Well, the stanza may be over," Angel agreed, "But perhaps the poem could use one more," she supplied, "Let's see…But if they look the Whisper Men, do you know what they'd see? A girl who'll brave the Whisper Men, a girl right next to me," she squeezed Ayla's shoulders, making her smile, "For if they come, the Whisper men, she won't be on her own. _We'll_ face down the Whisper Men, she won't face them alone."

"I won't, will I?" Ayla looked up at her mother, "You and daddy will be there too."

"Always," she pressed a kiss to her daughter's hair, smiling as she felt Ayla hug her, though a pit formed in her stomach.

Ayla's abilities were developing slowly and naturally, her daughter was SO amazing in how in tuned she was with them already. But…for them BOTH to dream about the Whisper Men…she swallowed hard, it could NOT be good.

~8~

Jenny sighed as she took Vastra's cane when the Lizard woman returned home that evening, "We _can't_ let that terrible man live!"

And it wasn't just that she had nearly been his last victim, no, she had volunteered to be the bait for the trap that caught him. She was FAR more prepared and skilled to deal with a man like that than any of the women Scotland Yard would have selected, she actually knew how to fight! No, it was that…for one brief moment, when he'd grabbed her, when she'd seen the weapon in his hand…for one single moment her mind had gone blank and she'd been truly afraid…before her survival instincts kicked in and she remembered herself and all that Vastra had taught her and attacked him, subduing him as the authorities ran in to help. And for that one moment, she KNEW what those other poor women must have felt, only she knew their fear had lasted FAR longer and that they had been in FAR more pain. And for THEM she refused to see the man saved longer than necessary.

"He lives till I understand what he told me," Vastra threw back her veil, "We're going to need a conference call," she handed Jenny her coat, taking a single moment to squeeze the girl's hand in reassurance before she let go to allow the woman to put the coat away, "I'll send out the invitations, you fetch the candles."

"Yes, ma'am," Jenny nodded, going to hang up the coat in the hall while her mistress went to prepare. She paused though in stepping away from the coat when she caught a glimpse of a shadow passing the front window. Before she could look more though Vastra stepped in front of her.

"Where's Strax got to?" Vastra inquired.

"The usual," Jenny rolled her eyes, "It's his weekend off."

"I wish he had never discovered that place!" Vastra sighed, thinking about the rather…indecent fighting that the potato seemed to get into every other weekend. She was sorely tempted to use Ayla as an excuse for him NOT to go there any longer…not just because his physical appearance would (one day) make other suspicious but, god forbid he actually harmed someone or killed someone, that would be an entirely new mess. No, she was starting to think that she should subtly hint (or state directly as Sontarans were terrible with subtlety) that Ayla would be most disheartened if her favorite chess partner were injured or arrested.

Yes, that might get through to him, despite his harsh nature…he truly loved that little girl (or at least loved trying to outwit her in chess…he hadn't managed yet though).

~8~

"Sontar-ha!" Strax shouted as he tackled a large man through a glass door in a house of Glasgow that night, both of them falling to the ground, "Sontar-ha!" he cried again as they struggled and dealt blows against each other, before rushing to their feet.

"Come here while I kill you!" the man he'd been fighting shouted, holding a rather large hammer in hand, "You filthy wee midden!"

Strax just waved his own shovel at the man, "Prepare to die in agony for the glory of the Sontaran empire!"

Both let out an inhuman roar, about ready to rush at each other and start swinging and battling again…when a young boy entered the room, "Excuse me, Mr. Strax?"

The men froze and looked over at the boy, Strax not bother to straightening, neither men doing that as they faced each other, "What is it, girl? Can't you see I'm trying to crush the brains of this stinking primitive?" he sneered at the man, before offering what might have been a slightly apologetic look, "Sorry about this."

"No problem," the man shrugged it off.

"It's a telegram, sir," the boy held it up, "Very urgent!"

Strax rolled his eyes and reached out, taking the paper to read it, "Conference call!" he huffed, irritated and handed it back to the boy as he turned to leave, "Sorry, Archie. I'm going to have to ask you to render me unconscious," he straightened, waiting for a blow.

The man sighed, realizing their battle had come to an end, "Fine," he lifted his hammer, ready…

"Better use this," Strax offered the shovel, "It might take a while."

Archie shrugged and lifted the shovel, sending it flying down onto Strax's head…knocking him out in one blow.

~8~

Vastra sat in her home, on one side of a multi-sided table, Jenny standing beside her as she lit a single candle sitting in the center of the table. She smiled, reaching out to take Jenny's hand as the girl sat beside her, "Sleep well, my love."

Jenny smiled fondly back at her, twisting her hand so her palm was up and holding Vastra's back, "You too."

They both looked at each other, watching as the other's eyes drifted closed, the two of them falling to sleep at the same time, to the gentle scent of the candle…

And neither noticed a ghostly whisper drifting over to them as a dark figure, clad in black, with a white face that had no eyes but sharp teeth, appeared in the window.

~8~

Vastra and Jenny slowly woke to find themselves in a lovely sort of parlor, at the same multi-sided table, but the room decorated differently. The edges of their vision were soft, hazy almost, the signs of a dream, with the walls having a sort of moving pattern like that of a lava lamp, everything just exquisite though.

"Oh, I like the new desktop," Jenny smiled.

"I was getting a little bored of the Taj Mahal," Vastra remarked, looking at the table as a tray of tea appeared before her. She smiled and reached out, pouring her a cup, and one for Jenny, and then three more, "The tea should be superb, it's drawn from one of my favorite memories…" she was cut off by a soft thud to the side, not even bothering to look up as she continued to pour the tea, knowing who it was, "Strax! Good of you to join us."

"It better be important!" Strax grumbled as he crossed his arms, "I was in the middle of destroying some very pleasant primitives."

"I apologize for the interruption, but there is urgent news concerning the Doctor and his family."

Strax stiffened, "The Little General too?"

"She IS his family Strax," Jenny reminded him.

Strax gave a bodily nod, straightening so that he could focus on the new mission, "Who else is coming?"

"The women," Vastra smiled.

~8~

Clara smiled and hummed as she made her way through the Maitland kitchen, pulling out various items from the cupboard, some ingredients here and there. She picked up a bag of flour and set it on the counter, pulling her mixing bowl closer as she eyed Angie and Artie doing their homework at the table. They were…surprisingly more behaved than before she'd taken them on a trip in the TARDIS. She expected it of Artie, he was always well-behaved, but she hadn't been quite expecting Angie to be so much better. But the girl had calmed down in her attitude that she often gave her, had taken to doing what was asked of her when asked and listening to her. It had…actually surprised her when, one day, Angie came to her and asked if she would tell her a story about her mum. She knew Clara and her mother were good friends and she knew there had to be stories Clara knew that they didn't.

It had warmed her heart to be able to share them with the girl. It seemed Angie had just realized that she was a source of information about a woman she loved dearly. And…she'd actually found her telling Angie stories about her own mother as well, the girl seeming to bond with her more as they both talked about their losses. It was…nice, to know that Angie was starting to cope and that she'd been able to help.

"Oh, no," Angie called, though Clara could sense a teasing quality to it, "You're going to try and make a soufflé again, aren't you?"

"My mum's soufflé, yeah," Clara nodded, whisking away, "This time I'll get it right. This time I will be Soufflé Girl!"

"How can it be your Mum's soufflé, if you're making it?" Artie frowned.

"Because, Artie, like my mum always said…the soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is the recipe!"

"Was your mum deep on puddings?" Angie asked with a smile.

Clara began to smile as well, "She was a great woman," she sighed…before she spotted what seemed like a very old letter, on some sort of yellowing parchment, addressed to her in a handwriting she hadn't seen before lying on the counter before her, "What's this?"

"Oh, it arrived today," Angie told her, getting distracted by her homework, "For you."

Clara frowned and reached out, taking the envelope and turning it around to see it was sealed with wax…which was odd as no one really did that anymore. She squinted, seeing, 'Open When Alone' had been written just above the wax. She glanced at Angie and Artie once more before making her way out of the room and up to her own, pacing around it, hesitating to open it, not quite sure what might be in it…before her curiosity got the better of her and she broke through the wax, unfolding it.

_My dearest Clara,  
The Doctor entrusted me with your contact details, in the event of an emergency, and I fear one has now arisen. Assuming this letter will have reached you, as Angel offered as an acceptable date, April 10th 2013, please find and light the enclosed candle._

Clara looked back at the envelope and reached inside, pulling out a small candle that looked just a bit bigger than a birthday candle before reading on.

_It will release a soporific which will induce a trance state, enabling direct communication across the years…_

Clara immediately dropped the candle at that, not wanting to be drugged at all!

_However, as I realize you have no reason to trust this letter, I have taken the liberty of embedding the same soporific into the fabric of the paper you are now holding._  
_Speak soon!_

Clara's eyes widened as she looked up from the paper…only for her eyes to roll back into her head as she pitched forward onto the floor…

And landed in a chair at a multi-sided table, inside a rather quaint little parlor…Strax, Vastra, and Jenny before her as she stared at them.

"So glad you could make it," Vastra smiled, passing Clara a cup of tea.

"Where am I?" Clara asked, accepting the tea but staring around, hesitant, not quite sure what was going on.

"Exactly where you were," Jenny reassured her with a smile, "But sleeping."

"Time travel has always been possible in dreams," Vastra held a secretive grin, "We are awaiting only one more participant," she gestured to the one empty chair at the table as she sipped her own cup.

"Oh, no," Strax grimaced, "Not the one with the gigantic head?"

"It's hair, Strax," Jenny rolled her eyes again.

"Hair!"

"Who…" Clara began to ask…

When none other than River Song herself, dressed in rather comfortable yet futuristic clothes, appeared in the empty chair with a puff of smoke. She smirked around at them, "Madame Vastra!" she greeted.

Vastra's smile was tense though, "Professor," she greeted.

There was one reason, and one reason alone that River Song had been invited. When a danger arose against the Doctor and his family well…there were two sides to River being included in a call like this. The first was that…she'd do all she could to keep the Doctor safe, come up with plans, offer whatever information she safely could. And the second…of anyone trying to harm a Time Lord (namely Angel in River's experience) River was the one to go to to get a perspective of the enemy's thoughts. River was the one who had come closest to killing a Time Lord (and had succeeded) in the past. She was…psychotic, and that was exactly what one sometimes needed to work out the enemy's plan.

"Would you like some tea?" she offered, trying to be civil, rile River up and she would go silent.

"Why, thank you," River took the teacup that was offered…turning it into a flute of champagne as she lifted it to her lips.

"How did you do that?" Jenny frowned, glancing at Vastra. VASTRA was meant to be the one in control of this dream, of the surroundings and the food/drink provided. The notion that River could control it as well…it was alarming and worrisome, what else would she be able to control?

"Disgracefully," River smirked, sipping it before she glanced at Clara and her expression hardened.

"Ah," Vastra noticed the look, "Perhaps you two haven't met…"

"Oh we have," River replied coolly.

Clara's own expression tightened a bit, seeing that this River, while far more…controlled it seemed, was going to be just as cool to her as the other her had been, "River Song."

"Clara Oswin Oswald," River nodded back.

Clara frowned at that, what was with the Oswin thing? The Doctor had said that too on more than one occasion.

"So you do know his current assistant," Vastra nodded, able to see that now.

"I'm not his assistant," Clara began, about to correct her with 'companion,' when River spoke.

"No, she's his sister," River looked at her a long while before sighing.

Clara eyed her a moment, with that sigh she'd seen…a sort of shift in River's demeanor, more like…resignation. Like there as something about the title that River had striven for and failed to achieve…which DID make sense as the woman had tried (and apparently succeeded) in killing Angel.

"Another member of the family," River murmured, a family she…knew she'd never be a part of, even now, even after all she'd done. She'd been to…one Christmas event with all her siblings and all their children, ONCE, it had been…awkward. Half of them seemed distrustful of her, the other half wary but accepting and…the children barely knew who she was. It had…hurt. She'd tried so hard near the end of her life to make amends, especially with her father, that to go there and see the result of their lives STILL didn't fully accept her…it hurt.

And she could admit, just now she'd been a bit…bitter. Because CLARA, another human, had been able to worm her way into not just the family but the DOCTOR's hearts. Clara was just an average human and SHE had become the Doctor's sister, that was a first for any companion. And there SHE was, one of the most skilled, the most clever, the most…most, and SHE wasn't included at all. Unless Angel guilted them into allowing her around.

"Have you gone a darker green?" Strax broke the tension by asking Vastra that.

Clara looked at River, NEEDING to ask the one thing that had been bothering her, "Why did you do it?" she asked, shaking her head, "Why would you want to kill Angel?"

The room fell silent, rather awkwardly, but Clara kept her gaze on River. Angel seemed to have forgiven the woman for it, but…the Doctor, she knew he never would. Her mother had died and…despite it all, all the circumstances and things, she still blamed the cause of it, she still hated what had taken her mother away even now. That was not a sort of forgiveness easily given and it truly was a testament to Angel that the woman had managed to forgive the person who took her life.

"I wanted the Doctor," River said simply, with a…sorrowful, almost regretful sigh, "And Angel was the only thing in the way."

"But…" Clara shook her head.

"I'm not proud of it," River cut in, looking at her, Clara able to see that…she truly DID seem to regret it, "I'm not…" she swallowed, "I realized too late just how much she DOES mean to him. I thought he was forced to be with her until it was shoved in front of me that he was _choosing_ her," she looked down at the table, "He'll always choose her," she remarked quietly, "It's taken me…a long time, longer than it should have, to realize that, but…" she looked at Clara, "I DO realize it. And…I AM trying to come to terms with it."

Vastra looked at the two women a moment longer, before speaking, "Perhaps we should get down to the business at hand?" she offered, knowing that River Song didn't often speak like that, in a way that was honestly and completely truthful. She had…met various stages of River throughout her time around the Doctor, sometimes on accident, sometimes River would be investigating something she was as well. This River was…far more mature, though she supposed death did do that to a person.

It was quite the explanation for Angel as well. She'd heard tales of how the girl had been in each incarnation, it appeared that, with each death she learned something new about herself that allowed her to grow, much like the Doctor learned to let go of things when he died that allowed him to heal.

"That might be good, dear, yes," Jenny nodded, eager to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand.

Vastra reached out and touched the air above the center of the table, a projection of the man from the prison appeared, the man rocking back and forth, muttering to himself, "Clarence DeMarco," Vastra began, "Murderer, under sentence of death. He offered us this…in exchange for his life," she waved her hand once more and the projection changed to floating circles and lines.

River frowned, eyeing them, "Those are…"

"Space time coordinates, yeah?" Clara asked as they all looked at her, shocked she knew but she just shrugged, "Angel's been teaching me how to help pilot the TARDIS. Said I ought to know where I'm going."

~8~

In Vastra's home, the front door opened, a key in the lock yet it hadn't been turned, allowing easy access…

~8~

"This," Vastra continued, "Mr. DeMarco claims, is the location of the Doctor's greatest secret."

"Which is?" Clara glanced at her.

"We don't know," Jenny told her, "It's a secret."

"The Doctor does not discuss his secrets with anyone, my dear, except his Mate and daughter," Vastra told her, "If you're still entertaining the idea that you are an exception to this rule, ask yourself one question. What is his name? What is Angel's? Or Ayla's?"

Clara rolled her eyes, "I know that's not their real names," she smiled, "I'm just…THAT can't be the secret," she offered as explanation, "If it's so well guarded…" she frowned, recalling something Angel had told her once, "They can only tell their Mate their name, and their Mates don't tell ANYONE…if only the Doctor and Angel know…then that CAN'T be the secret. There would be no way to know it."

River smirked, " _I_ know it."

Jenny flinched and put a hand to her cheek, swearing she'd felt something…

~8~

A faint whispering filled the dark room of Madame Vastra's parlor, a shadow falling on the unconscious Jenny.

~8~

Clara looked at River, scoffing as though she didn't believe her, "What, you know his name?"

"I do," River nodded.

"He told you?"

River's smile tensed, "I figured it out."

"How?" Clara shook her head, clearly not believing her.

"It…took a while, but I'm very clever."

Clara opened her mouth to speak, before River's words registered, "So you know HIS…but NOT Angel's or Ayla's."

"No," River answered.

Clara nodded at that, recalling more of her words, River had said she'd 'figured it out,' NOT that the Doctor had told her. So…if that was the case…how had she worked it out? Why hadn't she been able to work out the others' then too? And…if it was so easy for River to learn that secret…perhaps it WAS the secret that DeMarco was speaking of…

~8~

A dark figure bent over, closer to Jenny's ear, whispering to her…

~8~

Jenny shivered, swallowing hard as she twitched her head to the side, as though expecting someone to be there.

"So," River cleared her throat, "What else did this DeMarco tell you? He didn't buy his life with some coordinates, how did he prove their value?"

"One word, only," Vastra said, serious now.

"Which is?" Clara frowned.

"One I'd heard in connection with the Doctor before. Trenzalore."

River stiffened, "How exactly did he describe what he was giving you?"

Vastra waved her hand and the projection changed back to DeMarco, but to his face as he spoke, "The Doctor has a secret, you know. He has one he will take to the grave. And it is discovered."

River slowly started shaking her head as she stared at it, "You misunderstood…"

"Ma'am," Jenny suddenly gasped, "I'm sorry, I just realized, I forgot to lock the doors…"

"It doesn't matter Jenny," Vastra reassured her before turning to River, "What misunderstanding, tell me?"

"No, ma'am, please," Jenny cut in, more urgently, "I should've locked up before we went into the trance."

"It doesn't matter!" Vastra turned to her, her words dying off when she saw how truly terrified Jenny was.

The girl was sitting there, her back rigid, her eyes wide, face pale, "Someone's broken in," Jenny's voice shook, "Someone's with us…I can hear them."

~8~

A white face with sharp teeth leaned closer to Jenny, hissing…

~8~

"Jenny, are you alright?" Vastra gasped.

But Jenny stared ahead, her fear evident in her voice, "Sorry, ma'am, so sorry, so sorry, so sorry..." she swallowed hard, "I think I've been murdered…" she whispered as a tear fell from her eye.

~8~

Jenny lay on the ground of the parlor, on her back, with three of the dark figures standing before her.

~8~

"Jenny!" Vastra gasped, alarmed as Jenny began to fade away before her very eyes.

"What's happened to her?" Clara stood quickly.

"Jenny, can you hear me?"

"Speak to us, boy!" Strax ordered.

"Jenny!"

"You're under attack," River realized as Jenny disappeared completely, "You must wake up now, just wake up!" she turned and spun Vastra around, slapping her hard, the first thing she could think to do to wake the woman, "Do it!"

~8~

Vastra gasped awake and leapt out of her chair, hissing at the three men standing over her fallen wife, "Who are you?" she demanded, "What have you done to her?!"

The creatures, tall men in suits, with white faces and no eyes, turned to her, hissing.

~8~

"You too, Strax, wake up now!" River threw the champagne at him.

~8~

Strax woke to find himself on the floor of the house, sitting up as the tall men in suits surrounded even him.

~8~

"Oh my God!" Clara gasped as she backed up as the creatures, the tall men in suits with white faces, invaded the dreamscape, surrounding them both.

"Tell the Doctor," they hissed at her, "Tell the Angel. Tell the Time Lords…"

"Tell them what?" Clara shook her head, glaring at them.

The projection, the hologram of DeMarco flickered, changing to a man with a long face, that of Dr. Simeon, "Their friends are lost for evermore, unless they go to Trenzalore."

"No!" River cried, her eyes wide, "You can't say that," she rounded on Clara, "He…THEY _can't_ go there," before she turned to the projection, "You know h…they can't!"

Clara's head snapped to the side as she heard what sounded like the Doctor distantly calling out, "Angie? Artie?"

And then she heard Ayla giggling, "You're very close daddy."

And Angel laughing, "Very good my love…"

"The Doctor can never go to Trenzalore!" River shouted, pulling Clara's attention back, but as soon as the girl turned…

~8~

Clara awoke to find herself on the bed in her room, in a similar fashion to when she'd first met the Time Family, all tucked in with flowers beside her, a plate of Jammie Dodgers and a class of water sitting on her bedside. Given that she clearly remembered passing out on her floor…she was quite certain the Time Lords had moved her.

"Am I getting warm dear?" the Doctor was asking, his voice sounding like he was downstairs.

"Oh that's cheating my love," Angel replied.

"Angie? Artie?" he sighed, "Can you please tell me, sweetheart, am I getting warm?"

Ayla giggled, "Mummy said that's cheating!"

Clara sat up and got out of bed, heading for the stairs as she slowly made her way down them…to see the Doctor wandering around the halls at the foot of the stairs with his hands out, a cloth across his eyes, calling out for the children. Angel and Ayla were standing a few feet away, watching him with amusement.

"Am I getting warm?" the Doctor repeated, huffing, "Look, I'm pretty sure you can tell me if I'm getting warm," he argued to his Mate and child, "I'm-I'm-I'm pretty sure that IS in the rules."

"Doctor?" Clara called as she spotted them, "Angel? Ayla?"

"Ha, Clara!" the Doctor grinned as he spun in her direction.

"Are you feeling better Clara?" Ayla moved over to take her hand.

"ARE you ok?" Angel had to ask, "We found you on the floor…"

It had honestly been a bit TOO much like when they'd first met this version of Clara, on the ground, unconscious, but without the walking basestation beside her. A quick scan of the sonic had revealed she'd just fallen asleep but given her location…it still worried them.

"I'm…fine," she answered quietly, though she could see Angel frowning, sensing the lie.

"Ah, well then don't worry," the Doctor added, "Everything's under control."

"What are you doing?" Clara asked him.

"Oh, um, Mr. Maitland went next door, so I said I'd look after the kids. They wanted to go to the cinema, but I said no, I said no, not until you wake up, I was _very_ firm."

Clara had to smile a bit when she heard Ayla giggle at that, as though her father could be anything close to firm at all, "At which point, they suggested Blind Man's Bluff?"

"Exactly then," Angel nodded.

"Where are they?" the Doctor frowned, reaching out for them again.

Clara stepped down and took the blindfold off his head, "At the cinema."

"The little…Daleks!" he let out a huff at that, at having been tricked.

"Aunt Clara?" Ayla called, making her look over at the little girl, still not quite used to the endearment, "What's wrong?"

The adults looked at her, seeing there WAS something very much bothering her.

Clara just took a breath, "You might want to sit down."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MUCH different River than we've seen eh? ;) We'll see more of just how different she is in the next two chapters :) I know that I usually follow the episode in terms of events, but...I want to keep who steps into the time tunnel and what they see a secret for now ;)
> 
> I hope you liked the little scene with Angel and Ayla, the little tweak to the rhyme :)


	61. The Name of the Doctor: Trenzalore

Clara stood in the small kitchen of the Maitland home, pouring tea into cups on a tray as she glanced over at the small Time Family gathered in the sitting room. They were quiet, TOO quiet, too solemn, something she had never seen from them before. Even little Ayla was completely silent, which didn't suit the small girl. The moment she'd told them what happened…she hated thinking about it, hated recalling how their smiles had faded and they'd grown serious and alarmed. Ayla had gotten tears in her eyes as she had mentioned Trenzalore while Angel had stiffened at the mention of River Song. The Doctor was just…lost in a daze, staring down at the floor, she'd have thought he wasn't paying attention if she hadn't seen him squeezing Angel's hand as she sat beside him on the arm of the small sofachair he'd fallen down on. Ayla was curled up on her father's lap, her head resting on his chest with his arm around her, hugging her tightly to him as Angel sat beside him, her arm behind his shoulders, leaning towards the Doctor as though hugging him as well.

It broke her heart to see them like that.

"So…why was River there?" she asked them, "I mean…the woman's psychotic…"

And she really was.

They'd run into River once or twice after the Rain Gods event, the woman was…scary. They'd met an older version of her, something about a Pandora's box having happened just a short while ago for her, it had been…weird. Because the woman was definitely River but seemed more…mature. She didn't lash out or snip at HER, not like the last River had, but she'd been rather…sly, if that was the right word. She was very careful with her words and her glances, especially at Angel, trying to save them for when the Doctor's back was turned, but he always seemed to notice and Angel just shook her head at the woman most of the time. She was less forward and obvious in her dislike of Angel, but it still was glaringly obvious if one knew how to look.

It really reminded her of a psychopath, which she knew the woman was.

"They must have needed the enemy's perspective," the Doctor murmured, just staring straight ahead, not even noticing Angel playing with his hair, running her fingers through it to soothe him.

"She's not an enemy my love," Angel whispered pressing a kiss to his head.

"She's just a lost little girl," Ayla agreed, "Who didn't find her mummy and daddy as quickly as me."

And it was true, in a way, River had found the younger versions of her parents, had found them as children. That was hardly enough to really create a true parental/child relationship with them. Ayla had found them as adults, with them able to take care of her and be responsible. Amy and Rory had been her age as a child, more her friends than parents even if they took care of 'Mels' quite often.

The Doctor glanced at Ayla and smiled, running a hand through her hair before taking a breath, "River asked Vastra for the exact words…what were they?"

"The Doctor has a secret he will take to the grave," Clara spoke as she stepped over to them with the tray, "It is discov…" she trailed off, stopping short when she saw the Doctor sitting there, near tears, truly looking…frightened, "Doctor?"

He blinked at that, trying to wave it off, "Sorry…" he rubbed his face, trying to cover his eyes, "And it was Trenzalore?" his voice broke, "Definitely Trenzalore?"

"Yeah…" Clara breathed.

"Oh my love," Angel smiled softly at him, sadly, reaching out to touch his cheek, wiping away a single tear before she gently turned his face to look up at her, "Don't be frightened…"

"But it's Trenzalore," he spoke in a whisper.

"I know," she nodded, "Rubbish name," she tried to cheer him, "Rubbish name, for a rubbish event, at a rubbish time. But you know," she leaned in, resting her forehead to his as she looked into his eyes, "You will NEVER be alone my love, not ever," she brushed another tear away, "Come stop your crying, it'll be alright," she gave him a small sly smile, "Just take my hand," she reached out to take his, "Hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you…"

He let out a small laugh at that, cutting her off, "That's Tarzan dear."

"I know," she leaned in, bopping her nose against his, "I thought it was an appropriate message, you know…this bond between us can't be broken and so on, I will be here," she tilted her head, moving her other hand to touch his cheek, just holding, it " So don't you cry, eh?"

He nodded smiling, looking away from her only when Ayla snuggled more into him, "Disney makes everything better."

"That it does," he agreed, dropping a kiss to Ayla's head before he stood suddenly, Ayla in his arm, his other hand still holding Angel's as he rose, "Come on," he turned and pulled her off.

"Come along Clara!" Angel called as she was led away, Clara jogging to follow, having set the tea down, the four of them heading into the TARDIS, the Doctor seemingly revived of his mission at hand.

The Doctor led them down to the underside of the console, quickly moving to try and connect some dangling wires when they sparked and he winced, the TARDIS letting out an annoyed hum, "Sissy says touch her wires again…" Angel let the threat hang.

The Doctor winced again and stepped to the side to let her work on them instead.

"Well?" Clara shook her head, not following, "What's going on?"

The Doctor sighed and looked at her, "Trenzalore…I've heard the name, of course, we all have," he set Ayla down but held her close, his arms encircling her front as he stood behind her, "Dorium mentioned it, Angel, a few others…" he held out the sonic as Angel reached back for it, taking it to flash it along some wires, "Always suspected what it was, never wanted to find out myself."

Clara hesitated before speaking, "River…she seemed to know what it was."

"Well she would," the Doctor muttered bitterly, "She always knew…"

She just never said. Anything, anything at all that would have been a reassurance or comfort to him or Angel. Like the fact that Ayla was alive. Like the fact that he WOULD remember Angel. Like the fact that Angel lived past her illness (well…he supposed he couldn't blame River for THAT one as it truly did seem that the woman genuinely hadn't known about it). But River was so tight-lipped with her 'spoilers' it infuriated him. She always seemed to know but, unlike Angel, who sometimes kept quiet for the sake of timelines, River seemed to do it because it would benefit her.

"Never sees more than mummy," Ayla looked up at him, squeezing his arms.

"Right," he nodded.

"There we are," Angel smiled as she finished the last wire, handing the sonic back to the Doctor before she turned to Clara, "Clara, can I borrow your hand for a moment?"

"Sure?" Clara frowned at the odd request before stepping over with her hand out, "Why?"

"You said there were space/time coordinates yes?" Angel looked at her as she nodded, "They should still be in your head, if it's alright with you, I can link you to the telepathic circuit and get the TARDIS locked onto them," she held up a small wire, "It'll hurt a bit though…"

"It's fine," Clara held out her hand more, vaguely feeling like, if the DOCTOR had been the one to do this (thank GOD that he left most of the TARDIS related things to Angel) he'd have just stabbed her hand with no warning.

"Thank you," Angel said, trying to be as gently as she could be in connecting her, Clara wincing a bit as the wire connected with her hand.

"Ok," Clara nodded, looking at the Doctor as the TARDIS got to work, "What is Trenzalore? Is it your big secret?"

"No," the Doctor sighed.

"Ok, what then?"

The Doctor and Angel exchanged a look before Angel spoke, "Being a time traveler…there's just one place you are never allowed to go, well…not exactly allowed but more…one you should really stay away from."

"What is it?"

"You didn't listen, did you?" the Doctor rolled his eyes, with a mock-long suffering sigh, "You lot never do, that's the problem!"

"Daddy don't be mean to Aunt Clara!" Ayla poked him in the stomach.

"Yes," Angel agreed with a small smile as she took the wire out of Clara again, Ayla jogging over to kiss the girl's hand better as Clara winked her thanks to her, "You're not setting a good example for sibling love are you?"

The Doctor laughed at that, he knew Angel wasn't pregnant, FAR from it. They were both…not in a place where they were ready for another child, he wasn't sure when they would be. But between his nightmares and her struggles with the Vortex and the Silence still out there…they'd rather focus on keeping Ayla safe than worrying about another baby. He would…really quite love it, to be able to experience his Mate pregnant from start to finish, like he'd missed doing with Ayla, but he knew now was just not the right time.

"'The Doctor has a secret he will take to the grave," he recited, "It is discovered.' He wasn't talking about my secret, no, no, no, that's not what's been found," he swallowed and looked at Angel as she nodded, the TARDIS had locked on, "He was talking about my grave," he said quietly, "Trenzalore is where I'm buried…" he reached out and took Angel's hand, "Where we're probably both buried," he couldn't imagine her being anywhere else but beside him even in death.

He was determined to make sure he didn't truly end up there for centuries, millennia if he could help it, not wanting to do that to Ayla. He'd rather…meet his end (if he HAD to) when his daughter was fully grown, but he knew, if that actually happened, where Ayla was safe and older, that Angel WOULD be with him in death, she would choose to forgo the Dampening Bracelet to be with him. He tugged her closer and kissed her hand before he turned and led his girls up the steps to the console.

"How can you have a grave?" Clara asked, it was just…so foreign to her. It was the same thing, she knew, she'd felt with her mother. It was her MOTHER, how could she just NOT be there every day. This was her BROTHER, how could he just…die? It didn't seem possible, every person in a family probably thought that though, were unable to picture a person they cared for just not being there one day.

"Because everyone does," Ayla said wisely as the Doctor strode towards the console.

"Somewhere out there in the future, waiting for us," the Doctor muttered.

"That's the thing with time travel though," Angel sighed, "It's actually possible to go there."

"But you're not going to," Clara frowned at them, "You just said it's the one place you must never go!"

The Doctor shook his head, looking at her, "I…" Angel cleared her throat, "WE have to save Vastra and Strax. Jenny too, if it's still possible."

"Which it is," Angle nodded.

He smiled, pleased to know that, "They cared for me during times where I had…given up, turned my back on things…questioned the hell out of me."

"Doctor," Angel gave him a look, having covered Ayla's ears a moment before he'd cursed.

"Sorry," he smiled apologetically, "But they understood, in the end. They were just...kind," he nodded, looking at another kind person across from him.

"We owe them a lot," Angel agreed.

"We have a duty," he took a breath and looked at Clara, "No point in telling you to take Ayla away, that this is too dangerous?"

"None at all," Clara smirked.

"Where you go, I go daddy," Ayla added, determined, crossing her arms for effect, making him smile at how…much like him she was.

"How can we save them?"

"Apparently..." he looked back at the lever that would send them off, "By breaking into my own tomb…" he swallowed and put his hand on the lever…but didn't move.

Angel smiled, making her way over to his side and laying her hand on top of his, much like in Pompeii. She leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss before he looked back at it…and pulled it…

And everything went tonto! The TARDIS jerked and shook and shuddered, throwing them around easily, Clara landing on the side-chair and quickly pulling Ayla to her to protect her as the girl's parents rushed around, trying to get everything fixed.

"What's that?" Clara gasped, seeing Ayla wince and cover her ears.

"Sissy knows where we're going," Angel murmured, wincing a bit herself at the rather loud, rather angry, rather…colorful words the TARDIS was using at the moment to express her displeasure, "And she's very much against it!"

"Of course she is!" the Doctor struggled to pull a lever, "We're about to cross my own time line in the biggest way possible…the TARDIS doesn't like it."

"Sissy please stop it!" Angel called, stroking the rotor, but the TARDIS just seemed to get angrier, "She's not listening!"

"Hang on!" the Doctor pulled down hard on the lever, "Hang on!" and managed to send it down, sparks flying from the console as it threw him and Angel back against the rails…before the ship went dark.

"Now what?" Clara swallowed, her arms around Ayla as the girl looked at the rotor in concern.

Angel sighed and rubbed her head, "Sissy's trying to keep us from landing by shutting down," she reached out to try a few controls, but the TARDIS flipped them back whenever she touched them.

"Are we there?" Ayla asked.

"We must be close," the Doctor thought, before he headed over to the doors, opening them and falling quite silent at the sight below, "Ok…" he whispered, solemn, resigned, "So that's where I end up."

Angel, Ayla, and Clara walked over to join him, the Doctor winding an arm around Angel's waist as he put another around Ayla's shoulders, Clara leaning beside them to look down at the planet below. It was a rather sickly sort of planet, covered in ash and fire and smoke, with angry red cracks scattered throughout its surface.

Angel let out a breath at the sight...

... _a large, dark TARDIS stood in the distance, tall and imposing, a ruin_...

'... _welcome to the tomb of the Doctor_...'

... _Dr. Simeon stood before a row of men in black suits, with white faces and no eyes, their teeth sharp_...

Angel swallowed hard at that, the tomb of the Doctor.

"Always thought maybe I'd retire," he murmured, "Take up watercolors, or bee-keeping, or something. Apparently not."

"I actually rather pictured you working as just a doctor," Angel remarked, leaning into him, "Hard to give that up."

He smiled at her, kissing her temple.

"So," Clara took a breath, "How do we get down there? Jump?"

"Clara that's silly!" Ayla told her.

"We fall," the Doctor agreed, rushing back to the console as Angel closed the doors, "The old girl's turned off practically everything, except the anti-gravs."

"Brace yourself Clara," Angel whispered to her quickly as she grabbed a railing and Ayla close.

"Guess what I'm turning off?" the Doctor grinned and flashed the sonic at the controls…before stumbling to the railing, towards his girls as Clara screamed and holding onto them as the TARDIS suddenly fell from the sky, through space…right to the planet's surface, starting to burn up a bit in the atmosphere…

And landing with a terrible crash that sent them all to the ground.

"Next time, my love," Angel groaned as she sat up, "Next time, let's see if I can teleport us down there first before we do that again."

"Sorry," the Doctor winced.

"Daddy…" Ayla began.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Aunt Idris is muttering death threats."

His eyes widened, "Time to go!" he jumped to his feet and took Ayla's hand, helping Angel up before tugging them both out of the box, stepping out into a dark, gloomy graveyard of sorts. He frowned, looking around…and noticed the crash had been so hard that the TARDIS's windows had started to crack, "Oops!"

Angel sighed, "I'll fix that later," she reassured him.

Clara squinted as she looked around, seeing that the hallowed ground was crammed full of nothing but gravestones, different in shape and size, but…so many! It was like the entire planet was just one big graveyard. She winced when lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance, "You ok?" she looked at the Time Family, at the Doctor, "Visiting your own grave…anyone would be scared."

"Scared?" the Doctor scoffed, "No…I'm not scared Clara, not for ME."

"Then for what?" she frowned.

He looked back at her, "I'm a time traveler. I've probably time-travelled more than anyone else…"

"Meaning?" she shook her head, not following.

"Sometimes…there's an event that happens with time travel," Angel picked up, knowing this was HER area of expertise, "The more a time traveler changes events, the more of an effect it'll have on the timelines in general. That all sort of bundle sup over time, bunches and bunches until it just…rips a hole in time, often…" she swallowed, "Often when the traveler in question dies and the changes come to a head."

"Which means…" the Doctor took a breath, "My grave is potentially the most dangerous place in the universe," he looked at his girls, "Shall we?" he took Ayla's hand as Angel shook her head gently, nodding to Clara, that she'd walk with her. The Doctor smiled and kissed her forehead for her consideration and started off.

"Gravestones are a bit basic," Clara remarked as she shut the TARDIS doors and followed them, Angel walking beside her.

"It's a battlefield graveyard," the Doctor shrugged, "My final battle."

"Daddy why are some of the stones bigger?" Ayla asked.

"They're soldiers sweetheart, the bigger the gravestone, the higher the rank."

"So yours must be…" she trailed off as she saw something in the distance, "…big…"

They all came to a stop, staring ahead at what looked like a giant TARDIS in the distance, sitting on a hill, looking tall and ominous and dark, quite unlike how small and comforting and bright it usually was.

"Well," Clara tried to smile, "Bright side…it's a helluva monument."

"Oh no…" Angel let out a breath as she stared at it, feeling tears in her eyes as she looked at what had become of the last TARDIS, "The TARDIS…"

"I can see that," Clara eyed her oddly, seeing how upset she was getting, "What is that like, against Time Lord rules?"

"No, it's not that," the Doctor closed his eyes and shook his head, "It's…well it's…"

"When a TARDIS dies," Angel began quietly, "It's possible for the dimension dams to break down, which lets the bigger-on-the-inside start leaking to the outside, a size leak. That's not a monument Clara," she looked at her, "That IS the TARDIS."

"Our TARDIS from the future," the Doctor squeezed Ayla's hand and continued on, "What else would they bury me in?"

Ayla tugged on his arm till he looked at her, "At least Aunt Idris was there for you till the very end," she reminded him.

He smiled at that, nodding, it was…very much like what Idris had said when they'd met her on House, that she had been there for Angel as she had laid dying in the TARDIS in the Crucible. No matter what, at least he wouldn't be alone, just like Angel had said.

"Come along Clara," Angel started to walk after them, Clara moving to follow…when she stopped, hearing someone behind her.

"Clara," a voice called, and she looked back to see River Song standing there, but the River she recalled from the conference call, "Don't speak, don't say my name," she warned, "H…they can't see or hear me, only you can."

"Clara?" Angel turned to see her not following.

Her call must have reached the Doctor as he turned too, stopping to shout, "Well, come on then!"

River looked past Clara a moment, first at the Doctor and Ayla, then at Angel who seemed to be…frowning at her, but she was sure she was just looking in Clara's direction, the girl WAS right in front of her, "We're mentally linked," she explained quickly, "It's the conference call. I kept the line open…"

"Clara…" Angel stepped to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder, "We don't have time to chat."

"Yes!" the Doctor agreed as he strode over with Ayla, "We need to get..." and then he stopped short, frowning, "River?!" he glared.

River stared at him, wide eyed, believing for a moment that he was seeing her…but he stepped right through her on a quest across the small patch of land to a grave stone that had her name on it.

"That can't be right," Clara shook her head, frowning at it as Angel and Ayla walked over to him.

"It isn't," Angel agreed, frowning before she looked around.

"She's not dead."

"Oh, she's dead," the Doctor nodded, River looking down when she heard not a trace of remorse about it, "She's been dead for a very long time."

"Yeah," River offered Clara an apologetic smile as she looked over at her, "Should probably have mentioned that, never the right time."

Clara spun back to them, "But I met her!"

"She pops up in the wrong order, remember?" Angel turned to look at her.

"But that's not the point," the Doctor shook his head, "The point is…her grave can't be here."

"Mummy…" Ayla reached out to take her mother's hand, hearing faint whispers on the wind, hissing whispers.

"Doctor!" Angel called as wall of gold flew up around them, Clara stumbling back closer to them as tall men in black suits, with no eyes and sharp teeth, appeared, flowing out from the shadows, making their way towards the group…thankfully seeming to be held back by the Vortex.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic, taking Ayla's hand as the girl clung to her mother, scared, Clara backing up more to them as he flashed the sonic around.

"This man must fall as all men must," they hissed, pointing at him, "The fate of all is always dust. Everything, all things must die. See the widows weep and cry."

Angel stiffened at that, hearing her own words reflected back at her in their rhyme. She KNEW that what she'd often said was NOT a vision of this, it wasn't a glimpse of this moment, no…this was THEM trying to use her words as a weapon. The Doctor spun around and bashed the sonic on his hands, trying to get it to work, trying to get it to vanish the Whisper Men, but it wasn't working. He blew on the end of it but still…nothing.

"If it's not my gravestone, then what is it?" River asked Clara.

"What do you think the gravestone really is?" she asked the Doctor in turn.

"The gravestone?" the Doctor stared at her as though she'd gone mad.

"Maybe it's a false grave!" River suggested.

"Maybe it's a false grave!" Clara repeated.

"Yeah…" the Doctor nodded slowly, not quite sure what Clara was getting at, "Maybe."

River rolled her eyes, he was SO thick sometimes, "Maybe it's a secret entrance to the tomb!"

"Maybe it's a secret entrance to the tomb!" Clara shouted.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he smacked the sonic to his forehead, "Yes, of course, makes sense!" he gently led Angel and Ayla back so they were all standing on top of the tomb, before he flashed it…making the trapdoor beneath them open up, the four of them falling through as the Whisper Men drew near the hole to look down at them, seeing them rushing off.

"The man who lies will lie no more. When this man lies at Trenzalore. The light will fall, the dark will rise. The blood red moon will paint the skies."

~8~

Vastra gasped as she woke to find herself on a dirt floor. She jerked up, hurriedly looking around to see Strax was propped against a square column. There was a window high above her, the bottom row of three, the skies dark, as though a storm were gathering. She gasped when she saw the letters 'Police' on the top of it…she knew exactly what it was.

Strax suddenly woke and jumped to his feet, ready for battle, "This base is surrounded! Lay down your weapons and your deaths will be merciful!"

Vastra rolled her eyes at him, the motion allowing her to catch sight of Jenny lying on the ground a few feet away, "Jenny!" she scrambled over to her, "Jenny!" and knelt beside her.

"This planet is now property of the Sontaran Empire! Surrender your women and intellectuals!"

"Strax, please!" Vastra begged, "She's dead."

Strax glanced over before hurrying to Vastra's side, scanning the young girl with his Sontaran device, "No heartbeat, complete cardio-collapse, shock-induced."

"Get her back for me!" Vastra turned and suddenly grabbed his shoulder, "Get her back for me, or I will cut you into pieces!"

"Unhand me, ridiculous reptile!" Strax shoved Vastra away as she fell to the ground, near tears. Strax sighed before he turned and held the device over Jenny's chest, activating it. He knew there was a chance, since it was shock-induced, that another shock ought to set her right again. And, luckily, it seemed it was, "There we go!" he cheered as Jenny began to cough, waking, Vastra at her side, stroking her face, "Just applied an electro-cardio-restart, she'll be fine."

"Are you alright, my love," Vastra breathed, checking on her, "Can you hear me?" she murmured as Jenny nodded.

"The heart is a relatively simple thing."

"I have not found it so," Vastra whispered, helping Jenny to stand…before pulling her behind her as the Whisper Men appeared, the man…Dr. Simeon (or was it the Great Intelligence now?) stepped out of the shadows.

"I see you have repaired your pet," the man remarked, his face blank and long, "No matter, I was only attracting your attention. I presume I have it."

"Dr. Simeon," Vastra hissed at him, "This is not possible."

"And yet here we are, meeting again, so very far from home."

"But he died..." Jenny frowned, shaking her head, "You told me…"

"Simeon died," Vastra nodded, "But the creature that possessed him lived on. I take it I am now talking to the Great Intelligence?" she eyed the man.

He gave her the smallest of smirks for it, "Welcome to the final resting place of the cruel tyrant. Of the slaughterer of the ten billion and the vessel of the final darkness. Welcome to the tomb of the Doctor."

~8~

Angel led the way through the dark tunnels, a small glowing ball of light drifting above them as she sensed the direction they had to go to get to the TARDIS-tomb. The walls were stone, with vines and roots sticking out through the cracks.

"Where are we?" Clara asked from behind, the Doctor and Ayla in the middle, Ayla in the Doctor's arms.

"Catacombs," Ayla answered promptly.

"I hate catacombs," River's voice said behind Clara.

Angel looked back when she heard Clara gasp to see her glancing over her shoulder before she turned back to them, ignoring whatever it was.

"So how did I meet River Song…if she's dead?" Clara frowned, they'd vaguely mentioned as they'd started walking that, given the clothes she'd described River in, that the woman had been from the Library, whatever that was, and that it was the place she died.

"We um, apparently, in the future, make a backup version of her," the Doctor stumbled on his words, clearly at a loss for why that was, Angel had been insistent though that they do it. According to her, no one deserved to die that way, even though River had been quite willing to let HER die in a number of other ways. In the end, he hadn't been able to argue with her and had given in, making a backup for River in the sonic he'd given her after Darillium.

Clara glanced back to see River was STILL there, but flickering as she spoke, "I died saving him, saving Angel," River offered, knowing the Doctor wouldn't say more than that, "In return for saving his Mate…he saved me to a database in the biggest library in the universe. Left me like a book on a shelf. Didn't even say goodbye," she sighed, "Not that I expected him to. He doesn't like endings. And he doesn't like me."

Suddenly Clara was pulled back by Angel with a shout of, "Run!" and yanked off a moment before one of the Whisper Men stepped through the image of River and chased after them.

"Come on!" the Doctor called, "Run! Run!"

~8~

The Intelligence stood on the edge of the small cliff, looking out at the cemetery planet below, "It was a minor skirmish, by the Doctor's blood-soaked standards, not exactly the Time War, but enough to finish him. In the end, it was too much for the old man," he turned to face the others, "Not even his beloved Mate could save him."

Vastra stiffened at that, though Jenny was focused on another aspect of Simeon's speech, "Blood-soaked?"

"The Doctor has been many things, but never blood-soaked," Vastra glared, agreeing with the woman.

"Tell that to the leader of the Sycorax," the Intelligence sneered, "Or Solomon the trader, or the Cybermen, or the Daleks. The Doctor lives his life in darker hues, day upon day, and there is only so much light his Mate can cast upon that darkness. He will have other names before the end," his sneer turned into a malicious smirk, "As will she. The Storm. The Beast. The Valeyard. The…"

"Even if any of this were true," Vastra cut in, not wanting to know what sickening names the man would come up with for Angel, "Which I take the liberty of doubting, how did you come by this information?"

"I AM information."

"You were a mind without a body, last time we met," Jenny remarked.

"And you were supposed to stay that way," Vastra's eyes narrowed at him.

"Alas..." the man sighed, "I did," before he reached up and literally peeled his face away to reveal nothing behind it. He pulled his top hat off and his clothes fell to the ground, empty. A Whisper Man stepped up and they watched in horror as its face turned into that of Simeon once more.

"As you can see," he smirked.

~8~

The Doctor ran through a door, Ayla in his arms, as he gasped, seeing the walls of the TARDIS before them, they were at the base of it, and turned, ushering Angel and Clara through, "Come on, quickly, we're in!" he slammed the door shut as soon as they were through, locking it, just as the Whisper men reached them, thankful that Angel had grabbed Clara when she had. The girl could have gotten pulled back if she'd been even a moment later.

"This way," Angel called, turning to lead them up a set of stairs beside the TARDIS walls.

"Bit of a climb," the Doctor remarked.

Ayla squirmed, "I can make it dad," she wiggled her way out of his arms and followed her mother, she knew she wasn't small anymore, she was heavy and it would be easier for her father if she walked herself. And she WAS old enough to do things, she was over a century old! How many humans older than 100 still had a bed time?! Honestly.

They had made it up a few flights when the Doctor glanced back to see Clara lagging behind, stumbling a bit, seeming quite disoriented, "Clara?" he frowned, but she staggered into a wall, "Clara!" he rushed over to her, steadying her as Angel and Ayla turned back, "It's ok…"

Angel moved to put a hand on Clara's shoulder, "It's just the dimensioning forces," she reassured the girl, "They tend to collect this deep in, it can make you a bit disoriented."

"I know," Clara nodded as they helped her walk on, "I know…" before her eyes widened and she pulled away from them, "How do I know?" she looked at them, frightened, "How do I know that?"

"It's ok Clara," Ayla tried to help her parents, "You're ok…"

"Have we…" Clara shook her head, trying to focus, "Have we done this before?" she winced, feeling like she HAD done it before, that here was a broken TARDIS and they were trying to find Angel and…monsters made of ash, "We have!" she gasped, looking at them, "We _have_ done this before, climbing through a wrecked TARDIS…you said things," she frowned again, trying to remember what it as, "Things I'm not supposed to remember."

"We can't do this now," the Doctor looked at Angel pleadingly.

But Angel could only shake her head, "The TARDIS is too badly damaged," she told him quietly, "The telepathic circuits will just wake up everything from that moment…"

'… _why do we keep meeting you?_...'

Clara winced, hearing the Doctor shouting in her mind.

"Clara…" Angel turned to her, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

'… _in the Dalek Asylum. There was a girl in a shipwreck, and she died saving our lives, saving Ayla and our companions, and she was you_ …'

"Clara?" Angel frowned, seeing the look of pain on Clara's face.

'… _Victorian London, there was a governess who was a barmaid…and she was you…'_

"Clara, what's wrong?" Ayla asked, taking her hand.

But Clara stumbled back into the wall, turning her back on them, curling her fingers around the metal of a fence like material, "What did you mean, you keep meeting me? You said I died! How could I die?"

"That's not a conversation you should even remember..." the Doctor said softly.

Clara turned back to them, tears in her eyes, scared, "What do you mean I died?"

"The girl who died they tried to save," they looked over, hearing the hissing of the Whisper Men getting nearer, "She'll die again inside their grave."

The Doctor took Clara's hand this time as Angel took Ayla's and led her daughter off, the Doctor following with a shout of, "Run! Run!"

~8~

The Intelligence stood before the doors of the TARDIS, eyeing them intently as the trio glared behind him, "The doors require a key. The key is a word. And the word...is the Doctor's."

Vastra stiffened as the Doctor, Clara, Angel, and Ayla appeared before them, Ayla rushing over to hug the three of them as Angel cast a glance back at her. Vastra nodded, moving to hold Ayla closer, protecting her.

"Here I am," the Doctor spoke as the Intelligence turned to face him, flanked on either side by Angel and Clara, "Late to my own funeral. Glad to see you could make it, Jenny," he glanced back at her as she nodded.

"Open the door, Doctor," the Intelligence ordered, "Speak, and open your tomb."

"No," he stood straighter, refusing.

"Because you know what's in there?"

"I will not open those doors."

"The key is a word lost to time. A secret hidden in the deepest shadow and known to you alone. The answer to a question!"

The Doctor grabbed Angel's hand, seeing her about to step forward out of the corner of his eyes, knowing she was about to tell Simeon or the Intelligence or whoever he was now that it was SHE that had the answer, and only SHE could say the word that would open the door. He was NOT about to let her do that, to become a target of Simeon, he wasn't going to let that man know that she was the one who could say it. He could refuse all he liked, HE couldn't speak it, and that made it easier to resist.

He strode forward and came face to face with the man, their noses nearly touching, "I will not open my tomb," he nearly spat, knowing what was inside it, knowing that was not something he wanted anyone, especially Ayla to know about. Angle knew, of course she knew, she'd always known, she had to have with the Mating, but everyone else…he had to protect them from that secret.

"Doctor," the Intelligence tilted his head, "What is your name?" but when the Doctor didn't answer, he reached up and grabbed the man's face in his hand, squeezing it. The Doctor merely grabbed the Intelligence's wrist and pulled it away. He glared at the Time Lord before…suddenly disappearing.

The Doctor spun around when he heard a shout, his hearts freezing when he saw Angel in the Intelligence's grip, his arm around her neck, the man's hand in her back, "NO!" he shouted, leaping for the man, but Clara held him back when the Intelligence twisted his hand, making Angel cry out in more pain.

The Intelligence smirked at the reaction, seeing the little girl being restrained by the Lizard and potato as well, "I will stop her hearts Doctor," the Intelligence threatened, making her gasp as he squeezed one of them.

"Stop!" he struggled in Clara's hold, "Leave her alone!"

"Your name, Doctor. Answer me! Doctor who?"

Angel fell to her knees as the man squeezed her heart more.

"Please, stop it!" he fell to his knees as well, Clara still holding onto his arm to keep him from attacking, she knew, she just KNEW that the moment he did the Intelligence would truly stop Angel's hearts.

"Doctor who?"

"Please!" the Doctor felt tears in his eyes…

When Angel's eyes snapped open and a flair of gold lashed out of her, sending the Intelligence and the Whisper Men flying back, before she fell to the ground on her hands and knees panting, a hand to her chest, tears in her eyes…

Right as the doors to the TARDIS opened.

The Doctor scrambled to her side, checking on her as Ayla rushed over to them as well, hugging her mother tighter as the Doctor gathered both of them in his arms. And so…none of them saw the Intelligence rise, smirking in satisfaction, no…not at the open doors…but at the small Time Family.

' _How did you do that?_ ' the Doctor whispered to Angel in her mind.

She took a few gasping breaths, resting her forehead to his as she cradled her daughter in her arms, ' _The telepathic circuits were still online, weren't they?_ '

He let out a small laughing breath at that, ' _My Mate is bloody brilliant,_ ' he murmured, kissing her deeply, because no matter how weak the circuits might have been after all that time…the TARDIS would still always hear her.

' _Come, my love,_ ' Angel touched his face as she pulled away, ' _We have matters to attend to._ '

He swallowed hard and nodded, standing and helping her and Ayla to their feet, looking at the doors in trepidation before he looked over at the Intelligence, standing there before his Whisper Men, "Now then, Dr. Simeon. Or Mr. G. Intelligence, whatever I call you...do you know what's in there?" he nodded at the doors.

"For me, peace at last," the Intelligence remarked, "For you, pain everlasting. Won't you invite us in?" he stepped aside, away from the doors, gesturing the Doctor on.

The Doctor glanced at Angel, who offered him an encouraging nod as he set his jaw, taking a breath, and striding up to the doors, pushing them open with a groan, ready to let them all in…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! We're getting close to the end :) 
> 
> Ironically, as I was writing this chapter out I was actually listening to the Tarzan soundtrack and THAT started playing when I got to Angel...it was too good to pass up lol ;)


	62. The Name of the Doctor: Time Tunnel

The small group slowly entered the room within, to find that it was the console room…still the same size within despite how big the TARDIS had grown.

"Oh no," Angel let out a breath as they stepped into the room further, looking around at the state of it all. She swallowed hard, the room was completely…abandoned. There were vines growing through the walls, the lights were all out except for one glow up the steps. The windows were shattered, there was debris everywhere, the room looked on the verge of falling apart.

And it broke her hearts.

Ayla looked at her mother and took her hand, squeezing it, "It'll be ok mummy," she whispered, not believing it at all, knowing it wasn't a feeling, but wanting her mother to feel better.

Angel couldn't even bring herself to agree to that as she looked around, it was just…such a terrible fate. Of all that she imagined for the last TARDIS…this wasn't it. No, she'd…she'd actually quite pictured two situations, one that had one of the companions taking the old girl after she appeared on Earth (as she'd programmed her upon the event of their death) and the girl being a sanctuary for them if every they needed one. A place to gather perhaps, host holidays, just…be loved and cared for even as she sat there and faded away. Because really…the TARDIS wasn't just HER sister, no, by association she was the sister of Jack, Gray, Donna, Rory, and Rose as well, she should be surrounded by family.

And then there was the second future, the one she had prayed for…that Ayla would take up the position of a Pilot and bond to the TARDIS when her parents were unable to keep going. That SHE would become the next Time Lord in charge of the Universe, keep the old girl going strong. Ayla with her Aunt Idris, next stop…everywhere.

And the fact that the TARDIS was ON Trenzalore, it terrified her that it meant Ayla…that she'd died there as well that the box was STILL there and not flying about space and time with her niece. She tried to keep hopeful though…because the box WAS programmed to go to Earth upon the event of all their deaths…and yet…it WAS still there. She could only hope it meant what she thought it did.

"Oh my stars…" Clara whispered from beside her as they stepped up the stairs to the console room.

The cloister bell was tolling distantly as they stared at the rotor…or what should be the rotor…it was gone, so was the console itself. In its place was a column of light, it flowed around in a swirl of white yet…the light shifted. It looked as though it were falling in a wave of light, shifting and shimmering back and forth from white…to golden, blending so into itself that it was hard to determine where one color ended and the next began until the entire column was that color and then, before their eyes it just…drifted down, dropping the next color in, repeating over and over.

"What's that?"

Ayla looked up at her father and mother, she knew what it was, the colors…it reminded her of her parents, the white light, burning so intensely, it was her father, it felt…warm and comforting and protective, strong, just like her father was. And the golden light, well, that HAD to be her mother, it was just shining and soft and gentle, encompassing, like her mother.

"What were you expecting?" the Doctor said quietly, "Bodies? Bodies are boring, we've had loads of 'em, eh?" he looked at Angel and she could see he was trying to be brave in the face of this but that he truly was frightened. She was too, she knew what it meant for them to be there, "That's not what our tomb is for."

Vastra hissed as the Intelligence and his Whisper Men stepped past them, Angel drawing Ayla closer to her, recalling her daughter's nightmare, to move in front of them, "But what is the light?" Vastra turned to the Doctor, unable to pull her gaze away from it though.

"It's beautiful," Jenny remarked, and it was, the white actually had a sort of a greyish hue to it, making it more silver. Fitting, silver and gold.

"Should I destroy it?" Strax demanded.

"Don't Mr. Strax," Ayla shook her head, but turned her gaze back to the lights.

"Doctor, Angel," Clara shook her head and looked at it, "Explain. What is that?"

"The tracks of our tears," the Doctor murmured, already hearing the whispers in his mind of the different points in his timeline, the most…painful memories he held. It wasn't a surprise that most of them came through in Angel's voice, listening to her talking and admitting how hurt she'd been by what he'd done to her in forgetting.

"Less poetry, Doctor," the Intelligence sneered, "Just tell them."

Angel squeezed his hand, seeing him looking at the lights forlornly, growing more so when he saw the gold. They'd both worked out which color was which, who was who, the fact that there were two…it meant they'd both died, they were BOTH there. Angel shook her head at that though. She knew that there would be a third color if Ayla had died with them. And if Ayla HADN'T…then why was the TARDIS still there? It would make sense why the TARDIS hadn't left for Earth, if Ayla was still alive, the box would wait for her, it would be tied to her. But..it was THERE…and Ayla wasn't. And she felt her hearts stop at what that could mean.

She…she couldn't see that far ahead, she had no idea what the fate of her daughter would be, why the box was there and why Ayla wasn't, what happened to her. And…

She shook her head, she couldn't think of that right now. The Doctor…he needed her to be strong, her daughter needed her to be strong, and so she'd be strong, "I told you Clara…sometimes all the changes in time can bunch up and…rip a hole in time. That's it," she nodded at the light, "A tear in the fabric of reality."

"That is the scar tissue of my journey through the universe," the Doctor sighed, "My journey with Angel. The path that took us through time and space, from Gallifrey to Trenzalore," he reached into his pocket and flashed the sonic up, and suddenly the room was full of different voices, and not just the Doctor's…

" _Have you ever thought what it's like to be wanderers in the fourth dimension?_ " the first Doctor spoke.

" _Jumping time tracks will do that to you…_ " the ninth Angel came in.

" _…Cybermen, they're still in the nursery compared to us..._ " and the sixth Doctor.

" _There are corners of the universe that have bred the most dangerous things..._ " the second Doctor remarked.

" _The TARDIS can usually soak up the energy of the Universe for power,_ " the tenth Angel added.

" _Do I have the right?_ " the fourth Doctor wondered.

" _You were fantastic, absolutely fantastic!_ " Angel smiled softly, hearing the ninth Doctor speaking.

" _This is where I die,_ " Angel's smile fell, hearing her last self pick up, " _This is where you kill me._ "

" _I'm the Doctor and this is my Mate, the Angel. We're from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous..._ " the Doctor swallowed at his last self's voice.

" _Hello, Stonehenge!_ " the current Doctor called.

" _I know you can hear me,_ " Angel glanced at the Intelligence, hearing her present self speaking, seeing the man's lips purse at the words, clearly…he'd heard her when she'd spoken them last, " _And I want you to know, you won't win. Whatever you're planning. We'll stop you._ "

And the third Doctor finished, " _It was the daisiest daisy I'd ever seen._ "

"There are…quite a few names for it," Angel murmured, "Most call it a Time Tunnel though."

"Our own personal time tunnel," the Doctor nodded, squeezing her hand, "All the days, even the ones that..." he blinked a bit, feeling…weak, "I, er, even the ones that we haven't lived yet…" he fell to his knees, his free hand pressed to his chest as Angel collapsed beside him, seeming to endure better than him. The Time Tunnel was a result of their travels in time, but HER travelling had only begun when she'd met the Doctor, there would be more of an affect on him than her.

"Doctor!" Angel gasped, moving to put her arms around him.

"Daddy!" Ayla cried, her eyes wide as Clara ran over to hold the little girl back just slightly so she wouldn't unbalance her parents as she ran to them.

"Doctor…" Clara crouched down, her arm around Ayla's shoulder, holding the girl close, "Angel what's wrong?" she could see a strain in Angel's eyes as well, and knew that she was being affected too but not as much as the Doctor.

"No," the Doctor groaned, leaning into Angel's embrace, his eye squeezed tight as she held him, "No…"

"We're not supposed to be here," Angel looked at Clara over his shoulder, tears in her eyes, "The paradoxes are…" she shook her head.

"Not a paradox," Ayla gasped, her eyes wide in fear.

"What's wrong with paradoxes?" Clara looked at her, alarmed.

"Mummy…paradoxes and mummy don't mix well," Ayla told her, "Mummy dies a lot when they happen," she looked at her mother, truly terrified.

"It's worse for him this time," Angel took a breath, trying to keep the Doctor strong as he hunched over more, pain rippling through him.

"NO!" the Doctor let out a groan as the Intelligence started to walk towards the light, standing before it, "What are you doing?!"

"The Doctor's life is an open wound," the Intelligence remarked as he looked at the light, watching as it flashed between silver and gold, "And an open wound can be entered."

"You can't," Angel shook her head, "It'll tear you to pieces!"

"I'm quite sure it will," the Intelligence turned to them, looking down at them, eyeing how the Doctor clung to his Mate, "It will kill me," he tilted his head, "And in doing so…it will _destroy_ you, Doctor," he spat, "I can rewrite your every living moment. I can turn every one of your victories into defeats. Poison every friendship. Deliver pain to your every breath," he smirked, thinking about the display between the Doctor and his family outside the TARDIS, "And I know exactly how to do it."

"It would burn you up!" the Doctor shouted, "Once you go through, you can't come back, you'll be scattered along my timeline, like confetti."

"No," the man shook his head, "Not YOUR timeline Doctor, I have no intentions of tampering with your past."

"What?" the Doctor breathed, looking up at him, not understanding at all, that was the point wasn't it?

"You thwarted me at every turn," the Intelligence continued, "Now, you will give me peace, as I take my revenge on every second of your life!"

"But you just said you _weren't_ going to tamper with his past!" Clara shook her head.

The Intelligence just laughed and turned back to the light, waiting…till it turned _gold_ before stepping through…

Angel screamed and fell to the ground, convulsing as the golden light flared darkening to a sickly brown.

"ANGEL!" the Doctor scrambled to her side, feeling the pain in him lessening as the one in her increased. He saw her muscles seizing, her back arching, as her hands curled into fists, struggling to breath, tears in her eyes, "No…" he shook his head, pulling her into his arms, not sure what to do, "No…"

"Mummy!" Ayla broke away from Clara and ran to her mother's side, dropping to her knees and trying to take her hand, "Daddy what happened?!"

"What's going on?" Clara cried as she joined the little girl, "Doctor…what's wrong with her?"

The Doctor just shook his head, the breath leaving him as he realized what was happening, "She's being rewritten," he swallowed hard, the Whisper Men disappearing.

THAT was the Intelligence's plan, he had no intention of rewriting HIS life…of cheapening his victories or of destroying friendships. No, he realized now, his reaction outside, it had proven to the Intelligence exactly what could be used to hurt him _the most_ …

Angel.

She was his Mate, his love, his life, and the Intelligence was targeting HER life. Everything she'd done, all those people she'd saved…she'd saved HIM. He felt his hearts seize painfully as he realized what that meant. Every planet that she'd saved would be destroyed, all the people, all his companions and all those other innocents she'd saved would die, and…if the Intelligence made it back far enough…if she never unlocked the TARDIS, if she never left it unlocked…everything HE'D done would be gone as well.

He looked up, hearing a sniffling sob to see Ayla crying as she clutched her mother's hand and he felt his hearts shatter.

And their daughter would cease to exist…

Angel closed her eyes, letting out a scream as she saw it in her mind…

… _the Intelligence tossed a small bomb towards a fox hole, watching as the Time Lords scrambled out, her among them_ …

… _she walked down a dark hall, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear, passing a Bad Wolf Logo on the wall, the Intelligence stepping out behind her as she passed_ …

… _she ran forward as two young Time Lords hacked away at the roots of an unharvested TARDIS, not seeing the severe older man watching from down the row of crops_ …

… _the Intelligence stood above her as she laid in a glass box, the smoke and gas pouring in turning red with poison_ …

… _she ran over to her sister, helping her up as a small explosion went off near her, looking around frantically to try and lead her away, looking through the man in Victorian garb as he smirked_ …

… _smoke was filling the tent as she and the other Time Lords of the platoon struggled to get out, not seeing the vague outline of a man through the smoke_ …

… _she hung limply, her wrists bound, a Mental Dampener on her head, her head bowed, as the Intelligence smirked at her from across the room_ …

… _the Intelligence stood on a hill, watching a platoon below fighting against the Daleks during an aerial attack_ …

… _she struggled to walk across the harsh environment of a planet, Martha and Pek before her, not seeing the man with the long face standing there, unaffected, watching her near a hill_ …

… _she fell to her knees as a Dalek laser flew past her, the Intelligence smirking from the shadows as he watched her scramble for her gun_ …

… _the Intelligence stood across from a console as she worked, unseeing of him, twisting a knob and looking up as gas started to pour into the room_ …

"Simeon is attacking her entire timeline!" Vastra gasped, looking at a scanner in her hand, tracking the Intelligence through the Time Tunnel, "She's…" she swallowed, tears in her eyes, "Dying all at once."

The Doctor closed his eyes tightly, seeing such…horrible images in his mind. It wasn't just Angel's timeline changing…it was his as well. He could see it now. He could see having to erase Donna's memory, Jenny being shot, Jack dying and not coming back, Sarah Jane being taken by the Trickster, Mickey and Rose being killed by the Daleks in the Sphere Room, Martha dying in the Macra attack, Amy and Rory dying when the Earth was erased without the TARDIS there to maintain the explosion…so many friends, so many people…more and more. All those people she'd saved, Sir Robert, Dr. Ryder, even that snooty woman in Lazarus Labs, all of them, every single member of Angel's Amry...dying, because SHE wasn't there to save them and HE had failed them.

"The Dalek Asylum…Androzani."

"What did you say?" Clara's head snapped up at that, the Doctor and Ayla too lost in their grief as they looked at Angel in fear and concern, "Did you say the Dalek Asylum?"

"Now she's dying in London," Vastra gasped, remembering how Angel had stopped the Intelligence then, "With us."

The Doctor's head snapped over as he heard the Intelligence speak, "It is done."

"No…" the Doctor let out a breath.

"Daddy…" Ayla gasped, looking at him with tears in her eyes, "I…feel funny…"

He looked at her seeing her starting to go pale, paler than normal, her breath coming in shorter, starting to sweat. And he realized…this wouldn't be easy, this wouldn't be calm or quick or gentle…the Intelligence, in attacking Angel…it was causing their daughter not to have been born. And yet…she wouldn't just fade out of existence, no…she was dying too.

"I know sweetheart," he reached out and took her hand, tugging her over to him, holding her close as Angel's screaming faded, the girl left unconscious on the ground, panting, looking like death had warmed over. His hearts were breaking, everything that meant anything in his life was being taken away…and there wasn't anything he could do about it…the Time Tunnel…it was a TIME LORD's Time Tunnel, it was resistant to them, it wouldn't let him in, not now, it was Angel's Time Stream that had been entered this time. Only Angel would be able to enter it, and she was in no shape…

"Oh, dear Goddess!" Vastra gasped, as though just realizing what the Doctor had so long ago.

"What's wrong?" Jenny looked at her, Strax beside Ayla as he scanned her with his own scanner.

"A Universe without Angel," she shook her head and looked at the Doctor, "Without her guiding and helping you Doctor…" she swallowed already able to see the devastation, how broken and pained he was…the Intelligence was right…Angel was the way to hurt him the most. Because doing what he had…the Intelligence made it impossible for the Doctor to stop him, to fight him, "There will be consequences," she breathed, "Jenny. With me," she turned and ran out, Jenny and Strax after her.

Clara looked at the Doctor, her heart breaking when she saw him cradling Ayla, the girl's eyes having fallen closed, her breath coming in short gasps as he held Angel in his gaze, "The Dalek Asylum. You said it was me that saved you. How? Victorian London. How, how could I have been in Victorian London?"

The Doctor just squeezed his eyes shut, starting to see his own timeline changing, every adventure he'd never had because he'd taken the wrong TARDIS, a TARDIS who had taken him where he wanted to go, a TARDIS who hadn't cared about seeing him better, a TARDIS that didn't bother to try and stop him or help him grow. He felt sick, felt his mind twisting into a different man's. He WOULD be a different man without the TARDIS's adventures, all of them having happened because Angel had left the door unlocked…

All those adventures that would lead to finding her in Van Stattens…never happened. Finding her…never happened. Everything, their Mating, their entire relationship, all they'd done together and survived and endured…burning in his mind, "Please," he begged, praying to a deity he wasn't sure which, "Please make it stop…my life...my hearts…my whole world is burning…"

Clara looked between him and Angel, between Ayla and…the Time Tunnel…the Intelligence had entered it, hadn't he? He wasn't a Time Lord…so…maybe someone else not a Time Lord could go in and fix it?

~8~

"What are you scanning for?" Jenny asked as she saw Vastra hold her device up to the sky.

"Local star systems," Vastra muttered.

"Why?" Strax asked.

But Vastra gasped, staring in horror, "Because they're disappearing."

"Disappearing?" Jenny breathed, "How?"

"Angel's timeline has been corrupt," she murmured, "She's told us how the TARDIS had a hand in bringing her and the Doctor together. HIS timeline has been defiled as well. His every victory reversed from Angel never having lived. Think how many lives that man and his Mate have saved, how many worlds. They saved your life when we met," she turned to Jenny…but the woman was gone, "Jenny? Please, Jenny! No! Oh, God, oh, please, no!" she quickly tapped the buttons on her device, trying to find a way to get her back, to get it all fixed…when Strax spoke.

"Reptile scum!" he cried, glaring at her as she looked up, seeing him pick up a pipe and swing at her, forcing her to jump away, "You are an affront to Sontaran purity! Prepare to perish!"

"We're friends!" she cried, "Strax, your past is changing, but I swear, we are comrades!"

"Die, reptile!"

He swung at her again, forcing her to pull a gun, firing at him just as he too disappeared, "Strax! Strax!"

~8~

"Doctor," Clara reached out to touch his arm, feeling him tensing, trembling under her hold, in pain no doubt, "Is there a way in there?"

"I can't," he shook his head, "It won't let another Time Lord into her timeline…"

"But I'M NOT a Time Lord, am I?" she asked, "Will it work, if _I_ go?" but the pain got to be too much and the Doctor fell back onto his legs, holding Ayla close, starting to…to cry, "It will, won't it?" she realized, "Because this is what I've already done. You both saw me do it," she looked at Angel, the woman hardly moving, FAR too pale, hardly breathing, "I'm the Impossible Girl, and this is why…"

"Whatever you're thinking of doing..." a voice called from behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see River standing there, "Don't."

"I have to," Clara shook her head, the Doctor in too much pain to even realize she was talking. She swallowed, "If I step in there... what happens?"

"The time winds will tear you into a million pieces. A million versions of you, living and dying all over time and space. Like... echoes."

"But the echoes could save Angel right? Save the Doctor and Ayla and…and everyone else?"

"But they won't be you, the real you will die. They'll just be copies."

"But they'll be real enough to save everyone," she nodded, looking back at the Time Tunnel, "Like my mum said, the soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is the recipe," she looked down at Angel, at her…her sister-in-law, and took her hand, squeezing it, before she looked at the Doctor, "I'll save you all," she promised him, just as Vastra ran in.

"The stars are going out," the Lizard Woman called, "And Jenny and Strax are dead. There must be something we can do?"

Clara swallowed and stood, "Well, how about that? I'm Soufflé Girl after all."

"Clara…" she looked over, hearing Ayla weakly whisper to her, "Don't…"

"Shh," Clara smiled at her, winking, "Doctor?" she called, walking towards the light, but stopping to look at him, making sure he could hear her, "If this works, get out of here as fast as you can. You get Angel and Ayla out, and…spare me a thought now and then," she swallowed and looked at River, "What do you know," she tried to joke, "The woman who kills the Angel…and I'm the woman who saves her."

"Clara…" the Doctor grunted as she glanced at him, "Thank you…"

She nodded, "Run," she whispered to him, "Run, you clever boy, you golden girl. And remember me."

And with that, she ran right into the brown light…which flared a brilliant gold as she entered…

~8~

Clara opened her eyes as she drifted through a river of warm gold, a fire reflected in her eyes, as she just…drifted…

~8~

" _I don't know where I am. I just know I'm running._ "

~8~

A mother stood by a window in a house in the 1800s, smiling as she rocked a baby in her arm, a baby which would grow into a young girl…

~8~

" _Sometimes it's like I've lived a thousand lives in a thousand places._ "

~8~

And that young girl grew into a lovely barmaid in a red dress, Clara Oswin Oswald, tending tables at the Rose and Crown.

~8~

A young woman in red, stood looking out at a futuristic landscape, smiling, ready to leave for her first trip on the Starship Alaska.

~8~

" _I'm born, I live, I die._ "

~8~

Clara gasped as she found herself in the middle of a field, seeing the Intelligence standing there before a foxhole that the fourth Angel was peeking out of and running for him…

~8~

" _It's like I'm breaking into a million pieces._ "

~8~

Clara winced as she crossed her arms against the chill, looking out through the rain and harsh conditions at the tenth Angel as she followed two others along a muddy ledge. She tried to take a step forward…

~8~

" _And there's only one thing I remember._ "

~8~

But she fell to her knees, ducking as a laser flew over her, seeing the seventh Angel in much the same predicament across from her in a city…

~8~

" _I have to save Angel, I have to save the Doctor, save everyone._ "

~8~

She looked up as she found herself in a console room, quickly lifting the neck of her red shirt to her nose to cover the smell of gas, calling out to the second Angel, trying to warn her…

~8~

" _And always, there's Angel, and the Doctor, the Lonely God and his Angel, never one without the other…_ "

~8~

She ran down a hall, passing a Bad Wolf Logo, a flashlight in hand, spotting a blonde girl ahead of her. She ran after the ninth Angel, around a corner…only to find herself stepping outside, seeing a young woman with red hair, the first Angel, rushing for two figures hacking at something and ran to sound the alarms…

~8~

" _Always, I'm running to save Angel and the Doctor, their daughter, their family, MY Family…everyone in the Universe…_ "

~8~

She looked around at the dark, cavernous room she'd found herself in, seeing the eleventh Angel in a glass box with smoke in it and ran to try and find something to break it, turning around…to duck, now in the middle of a battle, explosions going off.

"Angel!" she shouted, seeing the third incarnation of the girl trying to lead a young woman away, but the girl didn't hear her.

~8~

" _Again._ "

~8~

Clara pushed her way through a mess of Time Lords in military garb, a sort of extinguisher in hand as she ran for the burning tent, knowing the fifth Angel was inside.

~8~

" _And again…_ "

~8~

Clara stopped short as she ran into a room, seeing the eighth Angel hanging there, her wrists bound in chains, the Intelligence before her and glared, heading for him.

~8~

" _And again…_ "

~8~

Clara squinted against the sun, standing on top of a hill, watching the sixth Angel duck down from an aerial attack…

~8~

" _And they hardly ever hear me…_ "

~8~

"Oi!" she called, dressed in a red barmaids uniform, following the Doctor, the twelth Angel, and Ayla down an alley in the snow as they stopped and turned.

~8~

" _But I've always been there…_ "

~8~

A long time ago, on Gallifrey, a planet that was just…shining, truly a gleaming diamond in their system, a citadel stood. Deep within the citadel, in a small workshop, two men were working away at various gadgets and gizmos, when a small blinking alarm went off, sending a small beeping throughout the room. The men stopped and looked back, confused as to what it could be. The man closest to a small monitor walked over and frowned at it, lifting the goggles off his eyes and to his head to frown at the sight he was witnessing.

"Something wrong?" the second man called from the back.

The first man shook his head, still trying to work out what he was seeing on the reports, "It's the repair shop," he scoffed, seeing where in the shop it was coming from, "What kind of idiot would try and steal a faulty TARDIS?"

"Weren't they all fixed?" the second man frowned, "I thought that girl was there before," before he scoffed, "I actually never see her leave."

The first man laughed, "I know, you'd think she lived there she spends so long working on the TARDISes."

"Getting them all ready and fixed, especially that old museum piece," the man nodded, "Kept insisting it would be fine. Not even her dad seemed to believe it could be saved and he's the one in charge of the farms and..."

"She _did_ work a miracle though," the first man shrugged, "Heard that she got that old Type 40 good as new, just had a bit of the navigation system left to tinker with and it would be perfect for the museum," he shook his head and headed back to his work, the guards would be alerted soon enough, besides it wasn't like the TARDISes were left unlocked.

~8~

" _Right from the very beginning._ "

~8~

Oh if only the men had known that there was indeed only ONE TARDIS left unlocked down in the repair shop. Unfortunately, as they did not know, neither, it seemed, did the man trying to break into them. A small row of TARDISes sat against a wall in the repair shop, all uncamouflaged, looking more like tall cylinders with doors in them.

An old man in a black suit, his hair slicked back, was leading a young woman towards one, flashing a small metal wand at the lock…but it held tight shut. He frowned, looking at the metal wand before bashing it on his hand and trying it again. But still the door remained locked. He moved to the next, trying that as well but it kept closed. He started to look around nervously, knowing that, at any moment he would be caught and that would be…rather bad.

"Doctor?" a young girl called, making him spin around, nudging the girl that had come with him behind him as though to keep her hidden.

The first Doctor frowned, eyeing the brown haired girl that stood before him, dressed in a Gallifreyan guard's uniform and knew he'd been caught, "Yes, what is it?" he asked, trying to play innocent, despite the fact he'd just been caught trying to break into a TARDIS, "What do you want?"

"Sorry," Clara began, making him frown at how she wasn't trying to arrest him, "But you're about to make a very big mistake…" she smiled and leaned against the TARDIS next to her, "Don't steal that one, steal this one. The navigation system's knackered, but you'll have much more fun," she nodded at it, "AND…it's unlocked."

The Doctor eyed her a moment, before stepping closer, testing the door to see it WAS unlocked. Clara winked at him and he hurried in, her stepping back, a key she'd nicked off of a lovely ginger girl in her hand…

~8~

" _Right from the day Angel helped him start running._ "

~8~

Oswin sat in her chair, locked away in her mind, smiling as she watched the Doctor and Angel run away from the Dalek's point of view, "Run, you clever boy, you golden girl…"

~8~

" _And remember me._ "

~8~

The golden light faded, Vastra wincing against the intensity of it, to see the Doctor, Angel, and Ayla standing before the Time Tunnel, now back as it should be, fading between gold and silver, everything back in place, even Jenny and Strax had been restored.

"It was an unprovoked and violent attack, but that's no excuse…" Strax turned to her, about to apologize, but she cut him off.

"We are all restored, that is all that matters now."

"That's not true at all," Angel breathed, blinking at the light.

She…it felt so…she couldn't describe how painful that had been, to have her entire life torn apart piece by piece. She knew that the Intelligence had attacked FAR more than what she had glimpsed. The moments before she met the Doctor…those were the fewer moments where he appeared, he'd had to go to them when she'd been at her weakest, when she'd been about to regenerate. But after she'd met the Doctor…he'd had ample opportunity to destroy her life, to destroy the Doctor's as well, to hurt her daughter…and Clara, their sweet Clara, had done the impossible, had gone after him, had saved her, saved THEM, saved them all.

"We are not all restored," the Doctor agreed.

"We need to help Aunt Clara!" Ayla cried, gripping her parents' hands tighter.

"You can't go in there," River called to them, but they didn't even look over, "It's your own time streams, for God's sake! You don't even know which one she'll end up in!"

The Doctor nodded, "We have to get her back."

"Of course! But not like this!"

"But how?" Jenny breathed.

"Is she still alive?" Vastra asked, "It killed Dr Simeon."

"Clara's got one advantage over the Great Intelligence," the Doctor stated, starting to smile.

"Which is?"

"Me," Angel nodded, "It's MY timeline he entered, I can let someone into it without damaging it…" she looked at the Doctor, "I can keep it open for someone to come out."

"Brilliant," he smiled.

"No," River shook her head, fully convinced that even with Angel keeping one end open…he'd still be torn apart, "Doctor, please listen to me," she winced knowing he'd never do THAT, "At least _hear_ me."

"Will you be ok daddy?" Ayla looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Doctor!"

"Of course sweetheart," he turned to her, "You know me, I'm the king of ok."

River shook her head once more, striding forward, "There has to be another way. Use the TARDIS, use something. Save her, yes, but for God's sake, be sensible!" she lifted her hand to slap some sense into him when…

"Don't you dare," Angel spoke, pausing a moment before looking over her shoulder at her, "Lay a hand on him River."

River stared at her, wide-eyed, shocked, "How are you…how can you see me?" she breathed, "I'm not really here."

The Doctor through, frowned, "River?" he looked at Angel, confused, "What are you talking about? What's River got to do with anything."

River closed her eyes, her heart breaking at that, she…had a vague hope that, because of the telepathic circuits that she'd be visible to them…but she knew that the Time Lords could equally block it out. And it seemed the Doctor truly didn't want to have anything to do with her so much that he couldn't even see her standing there.

But Angel could. Always Angel right? It would always be her.

"The TARDIS is my sister," Angel answered River, squeezing the Doctor's hand to tell him not to speak, "I see what she sees."

"And the Doctor?" she didn't know why she was asking, why she seemed to need confirmation. But Angel could only shake her head sadly, "He hates me that much, doesn't he?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry River," Angel continued, "But…you need to let go. Everything, all things, must die…" she looked at the woman gently, "And…it's your time River. You're an echo, like Clara is. It's time to fade."

River swallowed, "I know," she admitted, "I just…" she took a breath, "I wanted to…help, one last time," she looked at Angel so she'd know she spoke the truth, "I wanted you to see that…I AM sorry."

"I know," Angel repeated her, "And I thank you for it."

River nodded, "Before I go…you should know that I was mentally linked with Clara."

Angel frowned at that, "Then how can you be here without her?"

"Spoilers," River said but with a small laugh, "Will you…" she glanced at the Doctor.

Angel nodded, "I'll tell him goodbye for you."

"Thank you," River whispered, a tear falling from her eye as she slowly faded away.

"Um…Doctor very confused," the Doctor spoke, both be and Ayla looking exactly as he said, confused, "Doctor not following. River was here?"

Angel turned back to him, nodding, "And now she's not," she reached out to take his hand, "She says goodbye," she smiled sadly when she saw his eyes narrow at the space she'd been talking to, "She came to help, my love. And now another girl needs help."

She turned to the Time Tunnel, reaching out a hand as it turned golden, gently touching it and freezing it in place, "Be careful, and be quick," she whispered.

He nodded, looking at her, before he leaned in to kiss her quickly, and again, (and two more times) before he pulled away. He dropped a kiss onto Ayla's hair, before he took a breath and jumped into the Time Tunnel.

~8~

" _I don't know where I am. I don't know where I'm going, or where I've been. I was the born to save Angel and the Doctor, but they're safe now. I'm the Impossible Girl and my story is done._ "

~8~

Clara fell down onto the ground, a mist and fog around her as she sat up, seeing she seemed to be in the graveyard of Trenzalore, a…warped version of it, "Angel?" she called, looking around, when a thud made her turn, "Doctor?" she winced, covering her ears as the thud got louder and worse, she curled up, lowering her head as she cried, "Please! Please, I don't know where I am…"

"Clara!" the Doctor shouted from somewhere above her, making her look up, "You can hear me, I know you can."

"I can't see you," she frowned, trying to spot him.

"I'm everywhere. You're inside Angel's time stream, inside MY time stream as well. Our lives were intertwined the moment we met…you've fallen to the bottom of it. Everything around you is us."

Clara gasped as she saw the old man, the first Doctor rush past, his hand in that of a ginger girl.

"I can see you," she breathed, and then another man in a rainbow jacket ran by with a brunette girl beside him, and then a young blonde couple followed, and then a man in a leather jacket with another blonde woman in a blue duster, "All your different faces, they're here…" she laughed as a man in a dreadfully long scarf passed, the edges of the scarf shared with another ginger woman.

"Those are our memories," the Doctor explained, "Our past. Every good day, every bad day…"

Clara gasped and fell down when there was a cry of pain and thunder, "What's wrong, what's happening?"

"I'm inside our time stream, it's collapsing in on itself."

"Well, get out, then!"

"Not until I've got you."

"I don't even know who I am," she started to tear up.

"You're my sister," he told her, his voice soft, "Ayla's Auntie. Angel's Impossible Girl. I'm sending you something, not from our past, from yours. Look up. Look," and Clara did, seeing a leaf, HER leaf, falling down to her, "This is you, Clara. Everything you were or will be. Take it," and she grabbed it, "You blew into the world on this leaf. Hold tight. It will take you home…"

Clara winced, staggering.

"Clara!" the Doctor called, sounding FAR closer than before, "Clara! Come on!" she spun around to see him standing there, stepping out of a swirling golden portal, gesturing her to come to him, "Come on, to me, now. You can do it, I know you can."

"How?"

"Because it's impossible. And Angel will do anything to save her Impossible Girl," he smiled at her, tears in his eyes, "I will do anything to save my family."

Clara sniffled at that, and struggled to make her way to him.

"How many times have you saved us, Clara? Hmm? How many times have you saved Angel from the Mr. GI? How many ways have you saved ME tonight? You've given me back my Mate, my daughter, my life…just this once, just for the hell of it, let me save you! You have to trust me, Clara, I'm real. Just one more step."

He held out his arms and Clara stumbled into them, clinging to him tightly, crying as he held her tight.

"Clara. My little sister," he dropped a kiss to the top of her head…only to tense when he spotted something over her shoulder, a man, an older man, in well-worn clothes.

Clara frowned, feeling him tense, and turned to see the man, frowning, "Who's that?"

"Never mind," he swallowed, taking her hand to pull her back, "Let's go back."

"But who is he?"

"He's me. There's only me and Angel here, that's the point. Now let's get back."

"But I never saw that one. I saw all of Angel, all of you. 11 faces, all of them you, 12 of Angel's…" she looked at him, " _You're_ the 11th Doctor."

"I said he was me. I never said he was the Doctor."

"I don't understand."

"Look, my name, my real name, Angel's real name, that is not the point. The name we chose is the Angel and the Doctor. The name you choose, it's like a promise you make," he frowned at the man, "He's the one who broke the promise," he barely got the word out before Clara collapsed into his arms, "Clara? Clara! Clara!" he quickly picked her up, holding her close, "He is my secret."

"What I did, I did without choice," the man spoke, his voice old and deep.

"I know."

"In the name of peace and sanity."

"But not in the name of the Doctor," the glared at the man, turning to walk away as the older man moved to turn around, watching him go…his face grave and tired, but with a look in his eyes that could only belong to one man…the Doctor.

~8~

Clara slowly woke to find herself lying down, whispers above her, "Do you think she'll be alright daddy?" Ayla was asking the Doctor.

"I think so," he agreed, "But you must be quiet sweetheart, you'll wake her…"

"She's already awake," Angel's voice cut in gently, "Hello Clara, how are you?"

Clara's eyes fluttered open and she saw she was lying in her room on the TARDIS, Ayla sitting on the bed beside her while Angel sat on a chair beside the bed, the Doctor standing behind that, "What happened?" she winced, trying to sit up, rubbing her head.

"You don't remember?" the Doctor asked cautiously.

Clara frowned, concentrating, "I…there was a light I…" her hands flew up to her temples as a blinding pain struck her head, the events of just before coming back to her…but, more than that, there were…other things as well. She gasped, her eyes flying open, "I died…"

"For a moment," the Doctor tried to reassure her, "But we got you out before it could be permanent and…"

"No," Clara shook her head, looking up at them with alarm in her eyes, "I…died. I lived and I died."

Angel eyed her a moment, slowly working out what Clara meant, before even the Doctor (which was something), "Clara…do you remember? Do you remember all of your lives?"

Clara let out a breath, "Yeah…" she nodded, blinking rapidly as she realized she DID. She…she remembered all of the other hers, all their lives, everything they did, everything about them.

"Clara I'm so sorry," the Doctor looked at her, sorrow in his eyes, "We…" he put a hand on Angel's shoulders, "We understand what it's like, having other lives in your head. We had no idea…" he sighed, rubbing his face, "And now you've got hundreds and…"

"Not…not quite so many," Clara murmured, frowning as she concentrated, "I…I didn't always die…" she let out a breath trying to focus on them, to see which ones she survived in. She knew that she hadn't always died in all her lives, "I was a Time Lady," she looked at Angel and Ayla, "Like you, once," she nodded, closing her eyes, "I survived nearly the entire war…"

So all the times she'd seen Angel then had been just her, her alive and trying to help her, finding her over and over again through the chaos.

"I was a governess, and…Victorian London," she murmured, piecing it together, "There are a few more, there were…" she blinked, "9, 9 lives," she whispered that. There were 11 lives total that she was born somewhere else and lived and died, "And there's THIS life, this me, the REAL me but…" she shook her head, "I…there was another life that was a long one."

"What was it?" Ayla reached out to take her hand.

"I was a Time Agent," she whispered, looking up at the Doctor and Angel, "I was a Time Agent assigned to tracking the Great Intelligence, it's why I was so many other places that I shouldn't have been able to get to…" she blinked, "I've lived…" she stiffened, "13 lives."

She'd lived the life of a Time Lord. She'd been a Time Lady for 1 life, 1 as a Governess, 9 more that she could recall that were fairly short, her real life for another, that was 12…and then her life as a Time Agent…13, 13 lives.

The Doctor let out a breath, feeling a bit better that Clara only lived 13 lives even if two of them were longer, or at least ones where she encountered Angel more often than not. It was a relief to know she hadn't lived and died hundreds of thousands of times over and over but only…13 like him and Angel.

"But I don't…" Clara rubbed her head, "How do I…"

Angel smiled and reached out, taking Clara's hand, "Don't worry," she reassured her, "We'll help you sort through them, get them straight," she nodded at the Doctor, "We've quite a bit of experience in living other lives."

"Thanks," Clara gave them a strained smile, feeling like it might be a bit harder for her to sort through the memories. With THEM, they were completely different people, different faces and personalities, for HER…it was still her by and large, her with different memories.

"No," Angel shook her head, getting off the chair to go hug Clara, "Thank you, Clara, SO much," she whispered, hugging her tightly…Ayla joining in, and then the Doctor a moment later.

Clara smiled as she closed her eyes, no matter what had just happened to her or what a mess and jumble her head was…the hug was REALLY nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Clara knows everything, remembers all her past lives? Interesting... :) I felt so bad that Clara had lived and died so much (or what I interpreted to be each life we saw was a new one). And since they'd didn't specifically say how many just what she felt, I made it 13 :) Sort of fitting she was both a Time Lady and a Time Agent among other things ;) We'll find out more about what her 9 other lives were later in the saga :)
> 
> I hope that the little twist of Angel being the one the Intelligence targeted made sense. The worst way to hurt someone isn't to physically hurt THEM, but to hurt them through the people they love, I think :( Poor Angel, poor Ayla. I also sort of wanted to use that as a way to show how Angel regenerated before she found the Doctor :) And...it could also be argued that all the things the Doctor did was because of the TARDIS taking him there to better him, and that wouldn't happen if it wasn't THAT TARDIS that ANGEL left open. So by attacking her...the Intelligence undid the Doctor's life as well. Two birds with one stone...well, he IS Intelligent lol ;) I hope you liked it :)


	63. To Die a Thousand Deaths

The Doctor opened his eyes, taking a breath, to find himself in the TARDIS console room, but…not. It wasn't the normal room, not at all. It was the room of the TARDIS on Trenzalore. It was the one that was torn apart, the one with…with the silver and gold beam of light down where the rotor should have been. He swallowed hard, trying to relax, trying to calm himself, trying to remind himself…

This was just a dream.

He could see it now. There was no reason for him to be back on Trenzalore…alone. There was no reason for him to be standing before the Time Tunnel…and there was no reason for it to be entirely gold. The entire room was dead silent, not even the light crackling was making a sound, there was no other light at all save for the Tunnel. Vastra, Strax, Jenny, even Angel and Ayla and Clara were missing, and so he knew…he knew it had to be a dream.

Though, even knowing that, he DID have to leap back when his last self stepped through the light…not from it, but THROUGH it. Which did make sense, it was a dream after all.

10 shook his head at him, "A human? Really? Is THAT how far we've fallen, that we can't even protect our own Mate any longer? We need to rely on the stupid apes to do OUR job for us?"

11's jaw tensed at that, at hearing 10 call Clara a stupid ape, at how he was cheapening what that girl had done for THEM, she had saved Angel, she had saved their entire lives. Everything that they had done, from the moment the left Gallifrey had been the result of Angel just leaving a single door unlocked. Without Angel making even that smallest of gestures…NONE of their adventures would have happened. All the people they met, the worlds they saved, the places they'd gone, the ones they'd helped…all of it would have been destroyed, erased, would have never happened. And Angel was their MATE! He should just be glad that she was alive and well once more!

"You KNOW we couldn't enter the Time Tunnel with the Intelligence inside it, it would reject another Time Lord unless Angel opened it and she was in NO state!" he snapped.

"We should have found a way," 10 glared at him.

11 shook his head, he should know better than to argue with himself, he was a stubborn mule more than half the time and a terrible listener the other half, "What do you want?"

10 sighed and stepped back moving to walk around what was left of the console, absently flicking a control here and there as 11 followed, eyeing him carefully to make sure he wouldn't try anything funny. Well, THAT was funny, him not trusting himself. Oh he had often not trusted himself in the past, around Angel, she was far too lovely a woman, both inside and out, for him to be able to stay away from her very long. But this…was on another level.

"I want you to prove it to me."

11 frowned, "Prove what?"

Honestly, was he always that hard to understand when he spoke? No…better not to answer that one.

"Prove to me that you CAN protect her," 10 turned to him, a hard look in his eyes.

"I have done," 11's eyes narrowed at that, at the implication that he couldn't protect his Mate.

"Really?" 10 scoffed, "Let's see…shall we talk about the TARDIS exploding _6 billion_ times? Or perhaps you'd rather bring up how River SHOT her at the lake and forced a regeneration? Or, maybe, instead, you want to talk about how River poisoned her? No!" he shouted, pointing up, "I know! Let's talk about how she wanted to KILL herself!" he snarled.

11 felt like he'd been punched in the gut at that, the breath leaving him as he felt his hearts stop at what his last self was saying. He didn't know why he'd been hoping that 10 might not know about all that, that perhaps he'd kept him behind a door sealed tight enough where that hadn't reached him. But he should have known better.

"I didn't…"

"Don't you DARE say you didn't remember her," 10 glared, "That's no excuse to let ANYONE hurt Angel."

"I know," 11 murmured.

10 eyed him for a long while, "So I want you to prove it to me, I've shown you enough of your mistakes haven't I? You've learned from them? You've learned what could have happened if you'd been off even a little bit?"

11's head snapped up at that, his eyes wide. THAT had been 10's reasons for forcing those dreams on him? He'd honestly thought it had just been for torture's sake, his own guilty conscience showing him the worst of events if things went a bit differently, if he'd been too slow, if he'd not remembered in time, if he'd let Angel walk away…and then he realized…that HAD been a quality of the dreams. He'd either let her go or not fought hard enough for her and…and he'd lost her. He'd lost everything for it. And the dreams where he got her back…he made mistakes in, he hadn't been able to make up for them, ANGEL wouldn't let him make up for them in the dreams…because he wasn't meant to. He was meant to see what the result of his mistakes could be.

He knew it was probably also a bit of torture too though, 10 seemed…furious with him and when Time Lords were furious they lashed out in the way that would hurt the most painfully…who knew him better than himself? 10 had the one thing all his enemies never would…his mind. He could see into his heart, his soul, his memories…because they were HIS as well.

And…seeing the man standing there before him, doing all this just…to protect Angel, to know that his last self still loved her so much (most certainly NOT as much as HE loved Angel) it…it made him want to prove himself. Prove it to himself, so to speak, that he COULD protect his Mate. That was what the nightmares were about weren't they? Showing him the times he'd failed, the horrible consequences, so that later he wouldn't make those mistakes again, that he'd learn. And he wanted to learn, he wanted to move past this.

This wasn't just his own guilty mind, this was his last self's as well, this was the only way to earn the forgiveness he needed, to learn to forgive himself. Literally, his last self needed to forgive THIS self, so that he could move on.

"What do I need to do?" he asked.

10 had a hint of a smile (or was it a smirk?) before it was gone and his face was hard once more, "DON'T rely on the human," was all 10 said, giving a nod to the Time Tunnel.

11 looked at it, it should be safe enough what with this being a dream he should be able to enter it without Angel there to keep one end open. He looked at his last self for only a moment before he stepped right in, not even hesitating…

~8~

The Doctor stumbled as he half-fell out of the Time Tunnel, looking around with wide eyes as he recognized where he was. He'd only ever been there once, on a school trip when he was younger. The TARDIS farms. They were one of the most secure areas on Gallifrey, the TARDISes being essential to their way of life and their titles and roles as Time Lords. Every resource that was needed by the TARDIS farmers was given to them, yet they always kept things minimal. They were truly one of the simplest, most modest peoples on the planet. They took pride in growing and raising the TARDISes and wanted for little else in life…just like Angel.

He started smiling at that though, when an idea struck him, he could go see her! He could go see which incarnation she was on, watch her work on the TARDISes in her natural environment. Oh that would be fantastic! He hurried along the row of newly growing TARDISes, each 'crop' getting steadily bigger and bigger as he went…till he frowned, hearing a shout.

He looked to the side, hearing it again, a girl shouting at someone to stop. He dashed off, fearing the worst because he recognize that voice, he'd heard it in his mind…it was Angel, it was her first self. He ran down the row of unharvested TARDISes, skidding to a stop when he saw a ginger girl, Angel, rushing towards two young men that were hacking away at the TARDISes with some sort of hatchet.

"Stop it!" Angel cried, "What do you think you are doing?!" she rushed at them, grabbing the arm of one of the men to pull him back, "Leave that alone!"

But the man shoved her back, causing her to stumble.

He bolted out of the row, running for her, needing to help her, a feeling of dread creeping up in him as he realized what this was…what moment this was in Angel's life. This was the first time she regenerated. He ran faster when he saw her stand and bolt after the two men as they turned to flee, having been caught. She grabbed the one man, the man with the hatchet and…

"NO!" he screamed, seeing the man turn and swipe at her, managing to…to cut her stomach very deeply. The ma looked horrified, dropping the hatchet before he ran off, the other man dragging him on as Angel fell backwards…right into his arms.

"Angel," he breathed, cradling her seeing that the wound was too deep, there was no way he'd be able to get her to someone for help or get help to her in time…and the TARDISes around them were all unharvested, they didn't have medbays yet, "I'm sorry…" he whispered, reaching out to stroke her rapidly paling face, "I'm so sorry…"

Angel blinked blearily up at him, frowning in confusion, "Who are you?"

He swallowed hard at that, reminding himself that this was an Angel BEFORE she'd met him, not a her that had forgotten him. Even her eyes were different than the last time she'd been ginger, a light shade of grey.

"I'm a doctor," he whisper, feeling tears in his eyes as he moved to press a hand to her wound, wincing as he heard her give a muffled scream, but he was just trying to stop the bleeding, "A rubbish one," he admitted, knowing it was too late…there was nothing HE would be able to do…

He turned suddenly when he heard a cracking noise, hoping it might be the girl's father or sister come to help…only to see that he wasn't in the TARDIS farm anymore…

~8~

He was IN a TARDIS now, a rather…badly damaged one. It actually looked ten times worse than HIS TARDIS had when the Van Baalen brothers had tried to salvage it. It was truly in such horrendous condition. The console was half fallen off, the windows were smashed, the walls were dented in, wires were exposed everywhere and the stairs that led to the upper and lower levels were destroyed. The rotor was cracked, barely moving, and the lights looked sickly.

It was truly…what the brothers would have thought was exactly a salvage…and then he saw her. There was Angel, his Angel, but…her second self he knew. There was a woman with blonde hair, dark brown eyes from what he could gleam as she looked up at the rotor smiling.

He watched with a soft smile as she reached out, placing a hand on it to stroke it, "It'll be alright," she told the TARDIS, "I'll get you fixed up just like new. Don't you dare listen to father, he says that about all the wrecked TARDISes and I've proven him wrong every time."

He shook his head as he watched her nod to herself before she picked up a tool kit and headed to the back walkway, carefully and nimbly climbing over pieces of debris on her way. He moved to follow her, not quite sure where she'd encounter the poison that killed her in her memories…when he saw something blinking on the monitor. He paused, blinking red light…probably bad. He frowned, moving over to it and read it, his eyes flying open wide before he turned and ran.

"Angel!" he shouted, rushing through the debris, nearly tripping, not bothering to cover his mouth with his arm or jacket as HE was dreaming…this was Angel's reality. The poison had already been leaking from the rotor all the while he'd stood there grinning like an idiot, not even realizing that Angel was in danger! He tripped over a piece of debris and nearly stumbled into the wall…when a coughing noise reached him, "Angel!"

He ran down the hall and around a corner, stopping dead when he saw Angel braced against the wall by an arm, sinking down to the floor as she struggled to breath, coughed more than she could gasp, her other hand having dropped her tools to clutch at her throat. He ran around before her, "Angel," he breathed, kneeling before her and taking her head in his hands, seeing tears in her eyes as her face turned red trying to get air, "Angel, breathe," he tried to get her to do that the poison was contained in the console room, there was chance….

He pulled out the sonic and scanned her as her eyes started to lull closed and bowed his head in shame…the poison was too potent, it was too fast spreading. He held her hand tightly as he saw it start to glow orange just as she fell completely against the wall. He winced as the energy picked up, trying to hold on as long as he could…till he was forced back by the heat of it, lifting an arm to his eyes to block out the bright light, before he lowered it to see…

~8~

Dirt flying into the air as an explosion went off beside him, a young Time Lord taken out with the blast…it was a mine field, a pressure sensitive mine field. It was a favored trap of the Daleks, create a mine field, lure Time Lords there, and then, when they were too far in, their combined weight would activate all of them…it was infinitely dangerous to navigate out of.

He flinched at the dirt hitting him and spun around, trying to see Angel in the fray…and then he saw her, she was walking with a young girl's arms draped around her shoulders. She had black hair this time, blue eyes that he could see even through the flying dirt and smoke. She wasn't even looking at the ground as she led the girl off…it wasn't her sister, he knew that much, he could see another woman off to the side where most of the other platoon had managed to escape to, a woman watching Angel with a hawkeye and shouting at her to look down, to watch her step.

He pulled out his sonic, determined now, he HAD to get to her. He knew what was going to happen now…the girl, she'd stumble, she'd be scared by an explosion that was far too close and stumble, taking Angel with her right onto a mine…the girl wouldn't survive…but Angel would. He flashed the sonic around, trying to disable any mines that came up before him, using the sonic to avoid the others as he rushed after her.

"Angel!" he shouted though the fray, but his words were covered by the sounds of screaming and crying and moaning and explosions all around, "Angel stop!"

And then he saw it happen…the explosion went off, just by the girl. Another soldier had seen Angel expertly navigating through, not even needing to look down, too focused on the end goal and (he believed) using her abilities without even realizing it. He'd run for her, seeing a safe path back to the others…and stepped on a mine. The girl flinched, unbalanced, and fell back, twisting as she fell onto the ground, right onto a mine…sending Angel flying back with a groan.

He fell to his knees before her, not again…please he couldn't have failed her three times already, not again…

"Angel," he took her hand, but this time she didn't even have the strength to open her eyes as her head just lulled to the side, her entire front burned…but with the orange energy starting to spread through her before suddenly blasting out, sending him falling back onto his hands…

~8~

And keep falling as he landed in a foxhole, on his back, seeing lasers flying over him. He popped himself back up quickly, looking around at the other Time Lords gathered within…but he didn't see Angel, any incarnation of her. He let out a breath, hearing return fire from either side of the hole and scrambled to his feet. He ran to the edge, pulling himself up enough to look around, able to stop the tops of other soldiers in similar fox holes on either side of them…

"Angel!" he shouted when he saw her, a ginger girl, with hazel eyes, wincing as she was forced to fire back on the Daleks, "NO!" he cried, seeing what appeared to be a grenade soar through the air and land in HER foxhole, "Get out of there!" he tried to warn the hole, trying to scramble out.

"What are you doing?!" one of the soldiers in his foxhole yelled, grabbing him and pulling him down, "Stay down soldier!"

But he struggled to get up, struggled to get out, and so more soldiers came to help restrain him. He could hear screaming and shoved two men away, lunging at the edge of the foxhole, just barely managing to get his head up over it to see one of the other soldiers reaching down to pull Angel out of the hole…right as the bomb went off, sending them both flying to the ground, both rolling to the side and curling up as regeneration started…

Before he was pulled back down into the hole by the soldiers…

~8~

He fell to the ground and rolled onto his side, looking up as there was a mess of shouting. For once there wasn't any sort of attack going on, there were no Daleks, there were no soldiers to hold him back…there couldn't be, they were all rushing past him towards…smoke!

He leapt to his feet and bolted towards it, hearing men and women screaming for water, that they needed water. He pushed and shoved his way through the crowds of people, right to the edge of a rather large tent…that was engulfed in flames. There were STILL people trying to get out, coughing from the smoke, falling to their knees and crawling the rest of the way.

"No…" he shook his head, no…this time he could do it! He dashed forward, but someone grabbed his arm, holding him back. WHY were people constantly holding him back!? Didn't they realize his MATE was in there! "ANGEL!" he shouted, hoping he would get something as his hearts thudded away inside his chest, him struggling to get out of the grips of the two men holding him, but they were too strong, "Please…" he begged, his hearts breaking all over again.

Why was he failing to save her!? It shouldn't be like this! he should be right there with her…but…he HADN'T been with her during the War. If he had been he WOULD have saved her…but…he hadn't…

He looked up as Angel stumbled out of the tent, blonde once more, but this time with green eyes, falling to her knees as she coughed terribly. He yanked out of the hold that held him and ran to her side, skidding to his knees before her, "Angel," he flashed her with the sonic, not even really needing to to know what was wrong…

Smoke inhalation…she'd inhaled too much smoke, she was choking. He felt tears gather in his eyes as he saw her struggle to breathe once more, the orange swirl of regeneration already setting in around her as she continued to cough, falling to her hands. He took a single step back…

~8~

…and fell, right down a hill.

Well more like rolled right down a hill, landing right on his face…and in the middle of an aerial attack by the Daleks it seemed. He pushed himself up on his hands and knees and took off. He didn't care anymore, he didn't care, he just…he wanted to find Angel, he HAD to find her. He refused to fail her again, he couldn't let her DIE again, it broke his hearts every time and this…he had to save her. At least once, just once, he prayed.

He ran through the swarm of soldiers, calling out her name, trying to find her, "Angel!" he cried, "Angel!"

"What?" a voice called back behind him.

He turned around, letting out a breath at seeing her turn to him, she had brown hair now, tied back, darker blue eyes…and then his eyes widened in horror, "LOOK OUT!" he warned.

But it was too late, his prior shout of her name had distracted her. She'd turned around to see who was calling her…and a Dalek that was soaring past took advantage of that and fired at her. She let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground, luckily her turn had made it so the Dalek's blast only skimmed her, but it was enough, it was more than enough, it always was. She fell, gasping and twitching in pain as the orange light started to surround her.

"NO!" he ran for her….

~8~

…right out of an alley and into a city...a very familiar city.

Arcadia.

He spun around for a single moment, trying to get his bearings before he was forced to duck down, flinching as a blast flew past him. Knowing where he was now…he knew exactly what was about to happen. He ran out of the alley and down a small street, not daring to call out Angel's name again…he would NOT be the cause of her regenerating again.

He smacked himself in the forehead and pulled the sonic out, using it to help lead him to her, following the beeping as it got faster, till he rounded a corner, into an open firefight in the middle of the ruined city.

"Angel!" he breathed to himself, seeing her fall to her knees as a blast flew past her, the poor strawberry-blonde girl with gray eyes. She'd dropped her gun and was scrambling for it, leaving her a sitting duck…when a woman beside her blasted an approaching Dalek to pieces.

He smiled, thinking he might just have a chance to save her this time…when another Dalek shot the young woman beside her. The devastation and shock on Angels' face nearly killed him to see as the girl got up and ran for the Dalek as it tried to teleport away.

"Angel don't!" he cried, reaching them…only a moment after they'd disappeared, the girl latching onto the Dalek as it initiated an Emergency Temporal Shift, sending him falling to the ground from the force of him throwing himself at the Dalek and it disappearing…

~8~

He crashed into the wall of a staircase, wincing as the wind was knocked out of him, before he turned to rest against it, trying to see where he was…when he heard it.

Rose was talking.

Her voice was distant, up a floor or two, he couldn't make out what she was saying but he knew she was shouting, and he knew his last last self was there before her, with Angel, with her eighth self, him holding a gun at the Dalek that was going to shoot her.

"No," he muttered, pushing off the wall and running up the stairs two at a time…but still he was too late, it was like he was always too late. He'd just reached the top when the Dalek fired at Angel, sending her flying back.

He nearly fell to his knees at that. It was one thing when HE hadn't been there during her battles on Gallifrey, he could rationalize them, how could he save her if he'd never been there? But this? THIS he WAS there for, he was standing right there, firing back at the Dalek, destroying it…

But Angel was on the ground, already in pain, already so weak from Van Statten's treatment of her…the orange swirl barely began slowly, it just sort of filled her and blasted out.

As he watched her, his hearts breaking he had to wonder…why had he been placed so far away? Why put him on a different floor? Why be on a different floor when it would have taken exactly that amount of time to get to the Dalek, to get there too late?

~8~

And for once the scene didn't change as he took a step but just…stood there. It was almost like it was trying to distract him from his question….instead though his placement emphasized it even more. He was standing in a cavern, but he knew he was far too away and far too lost to be able to find Angel and save her ninth self…

Until he noticed the TARDIS right behind him. He turned and ran over, getting into the time machine and running to the console, not about to let Angel take in the power of the Vortex and die once more. But it seemed the TARDIS had other plans, the lights were out, the box was completely dim…it was as though something had already taken out the heart of the TARDIS and he knew what it meant. Angel had already absorbed the Vortex…he'd failed before he'd even been able to try…

He closed his eyes a moment and shook his head, before rubbing his eyes and looking over…his eyes widening as he noticed…

~8~

Angel, the ginger her, the one with the hot chocolate eyes, was lying on the console floor, her head lulling to the side as the Paradox Machine's effects took their last toll on her. He frowned, staring at her…why were the dreams getting shorter? Why was his time to save her being cut? Why was everything changing so suddenly like…

~8~

How he was now standing at a lakeside, with no warning, the black-haired, grey eyed Angel was across the area from him, before River as she lifted her arm to fire at her. He ran, he ran as fast as he could, trying to tackle her like he had the first time. He lunged at her just as River fired and…

~8~

Fell through the 10th Doctor, now back in the TARDIS, in the broken console room of Trenzalore.

"You failed," 10 looked down at him, "One thing, just one thing to do…save Angel. And you couldn't even manage it once out of 11 times."

11 pushed himself to his feet and stormed over to 10, no longer in the mood for games. It was one thing to know how Angel died, it was another to have seen it. It was QUITE another to have had the chance to save her and fail.

"Enough!" he snapped, "You know that wasn't fair!"

"LIFE isn't fair," 10 glared at him.

"You can't send me to the points where she regenerates and expect me to be able to stop it," he argued, "Every single event in her life, every regeneration at the exact moment it happened, made Angel who she is today. Every single one. If I stop that, if I save her, I change who Angel is and I wouldn't do that for anything. I love her, just the way she is, whichever way she is."

10 looked at him long and hard, "Fine, you get ONE more chance."

11's jaw tensed, not liking this, not liking this at all, HE was the one in charge, it was HIS body now, 10 should have no say in it or his mind and yet he kept forcing his way to the front, "What do I do this time?"

10 just smirked, "Oh no Doctor," he mocked the name, "I have a far better test for you coming. I think I shall say it would be best to wait till next time."

11 stood there watching as 10 snapped his fingers and disappeared, the golden light of the Tunnel growing dimmer and dimmer, till it blinked out, leaving him in darkness…

~8~

The Doctor covered his face with a hand, groaning silently, thankful that Angel and Ayla were already awake, he could hear them puttering around in the kitchen, taking care to make extra noise so he'd know where they were.

He didn't know what to make of this all. He would have one more chance, to do what? Save Angel? Beat 10 at his own game? Tell her he loved her? He did that all the time. No…he…he truly didn't know what his past self was planning…

And that utterly terrified him.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more here about why 10 is doing all this ;) I can say we only have 1 more nightmare left! I can't believe we'll be on the 50th! O.O that means there's only 2 real 'episodes' left! Oh wow! Time really does fly lol.


	64. The Day of the Doctor: Stories

_A long time ago..._

A young woman sat at the pilot's chair of a shuttle as it flew through space, more like crashed through space as it was heavily damaged and in the process of crashing. The woman tried to throw her brown braided hair over her shoulder, but only succeeded in shifting it as she frantically tried to gain control of the craft. It was just her there, the only one left and...it was enough for her. The teleport controls couldn't be operated vocally, it had to be done manually, it needed someone to push the button and she had decided it would be HER. The others...the others all had families to get back to, it was just HER there. She had no siblings, her parents were long gone, it was just her...and that was alright. It had given her cause and justification to be the one to save the others. She would be saving their families from the grief of losing the ones they loved most.

But that didn't mean she wanted to just die!

So she tried to get as much control as she could, tried to fix something, send out some sort of distress signal. She had saved the others, now it was time to save herself, "Help me, please. Can anybody hear me?"

She nearly rolled her eyes when the computerized voice she SWORE she'd turned off spoke, "Please state the nature of your ailment or injury."

"I'm not injured," she repeated to it for what must have been the hundredth time in two minutes, "I'm crashing. I don't need a doctor."

But, of course, the computer ignored her, "A clear statement of your symptoms will help us provide the medical practitioner appropriate to your individual needs."

"I'm trying to send a _distress signal_. Stop talking about doctors!"

"I'm a doctor," a voice said behind her, a deep voice, a man's voice. She spun around in her chair, staring in shock as the older man that was just casually leaning against the wall, perfectly calm, as though the ship weren't falling apart around them, "But probably not the one you were expecting," she had to give him a look at that. His brown hair was short and he was wearing what looked like old, worn Victorian style clothes, yes...most definitely NOT what she expected in a doctor, "Where are the rest of the crew?" he asked, rushing to her side and pulling out what looked like a small metal wand with a light on the end of it, flashing it along the controls as it made a soft whirring noise.

"Teleported off," she answered, watching him warily, not quite sure what he was doing but knowing that he wasn't making it worse at least.

"But _you're_ still here," he remarked, not bothering to look at her.

"I teleported them."

"Why you?"

"Everyone else was screaming?" she shrugged.

He paused in his work and looked at her properly, seeing her sitting there, calmer than she probably felt, clearly having a good head on her shoulders. He grinned, she'd be perfect, "Welcome aboard!"

"Aboard what?" she frowned.

He just reached out and took her hand, "I'll show you," before he pulled her off, out of her chair and down the corridors towards the back of the ship.

"Where are we going?"

"Back of the ship."

"Why?"

He laughed, it had been SO long since anyone had asked him questions, even the stupid kind, "Because the front crashes first, think it through," he jumped back though when a door slid shut before him, cutting him off from his final destination, "Oh! Why do you do that?!"

"Emergency protocols," the woman panted, still a bit out of breath from being pulled through the ship.

He nodded, that made sense, and started to flash the door with the metal wand, "What's your name?"

"Cass."

"You're young to be crewing a gunship Cass."

"I wanted to see the universe," she shrugged, taking her final breath, "Is it always like this?"

He turned to her, "If you're lucky," he felt himself starting to smile when he saw her doing the same, and then the door opened again and he full out beamed, seeing the old blue police telephone box sitting within the small storage room, "Don't worry," he took her hand to pull her on, "It's bigger on the inside."

"What did you say?" Cass stopped dead, a note of terror in her voice, "'Bigger on the inside?' Is that what you said?"

"Yes, come on," he pulled her on, "You'll love it."

But Cass refused to budge, staring at the blue box with tears of fear in her eyes that he was only JUST starting to notice, "Is this a TARDIS?"

"Yes," he swallowed, realizing what had happened, what she had realized about who...WHAT he was, "But you'll be perfectly safe, I promise you."

"Don't touch me!" Cass cried, pulling her arm out of his hold with such force that she stumbled back past the door once more.

"I'm not part of the War," he crossed his hearts, confirming he was in fact a Time Lord as she feared, "I swear to you, I never was…"

"You're a Time Lord!" she spat, shaking her head, realizing how close she'd just come to being sucked in by his charm.

"Yes," he nodded, seeing no point to lie.

He knew what her opinion of him was, it was already awful, she saw him just as the rest of the Universe did, a monster. And why shouldn't she? The Time War raged on, carried out by HIS people and the Daleks. The effects were far reaching, spreading far and wide throughout space and time, affecting species after species, planet after planet, and in just its earliest days. The devastation was enormous already. To see them, the Time Lords, the oldest and most mighty race, the wisest and most revered species, reduced to monsters...it broke his hearts. The Universe was screaming as a result of HIS people and the Daleks, of their never-ending battle through time.

"I'm a Time Lord, but I'm one of the nice ones," it was a weak argument and they both knew it.

Cass shook her head at him, stepping even further away, pointing a warning finger at him to stay back, "Get away from me!"

"Well, look on the bright side," he tried to laugh but it came out hollow, "I'm not a Dalek."

"Who can tell the difference anymore?" she jerked to the side and pushed a button as he moved to reach out to her, shutting the door in his face, blocking his path to her.

"Cass!" he ran up, staring at her through the window of the door.

"It's deadlocked. Don't even try!"

"Cass just open the door. I'm trying to help!"

"Go back to your battlefield. You haven't finished yet," she was crying now, "Some of the universe is still standing!"

"I'm not leaving this ship without you," he told her firmly.

"Well you're going to die, right here," she smiled, actually sounding pleased about it, and why wouldn't she be? She was ridding the Universe of at least one monster, "Best news all day!"

"Cass!" he tried to pull the door open, but it wouldn't budge, "Cass!" so he tried to hit it, tried to break through the glass...still, nothing, "Cass! Cass!" he stared at her through the window, the girl just...smiling even as explosions went off around her as the roof and walls began to collapse, "Cass!"

~8~

An older woman with long dark hair that was lighter at the ends stumbled out of a small crevice in a mountain, staring across the land as a ship fell from the sky and crashed into the ground with a terrifying blast. She smiled, glancing back at a small group of young girls, dressed in red robes similar to her own, before she returned her gaze to the smoking wreck, the fires already starting, "And here he is at last, the man to end it all. My sisters…the Doctor has returned to Karn. We have always known in our bones that one day he would return here. Such a pity," she let out a breath, "He's dead."

No ne could survive that crash, not even the Doctor.

~8~

The Doctor's body had been removed from the crash, it having been found propped up against the blue TARDIS, unmoving, unbreathing, his hearts unbeating. He'd been removed and brought to the cavern within the mountain, left to rest against a long stone that was more like an altar than anything, hunched over...

When he suddenly gasped awake, "Cass!"

"If you refer to your companion," he looked up to see the plump woman with dark/light hair standing before him, "We are still attempting to extract her from the wreckage."

"She wasn't my companion," he winced, rubbing his chest, she hadn't gotten the chance to be, nor would she ever accept that title.

"She's almost certainly dead. No one could survive that crash."

He gave her a charming grin, " _I_ did."

"No," the woman smirked as she shook her head, "We restored you to life," she told him, seeing his smile fall as he realized the implications of her words, "But it's a temporary measure. You have a little under four minutes."

"Four minutes?" he swallowed hard, "That's ages. What if I get bored or need a television, couple of books? Anyone for chess? Bring me knitting."

The woman crouched down before him, "You have so little breath left, spend it wisely."

"Hang on…" he frowned, eyeing her robes, the robes of the girls around him, "Is it you? Am I back on Karn?" he slowly stood, using the altar as a crutch, "You're the Sisterhood of Karn, Keepers of the Flame…of utter boredom."

"Eternal Life," she corrected with a hiss.

"That's the one."

"You should not be so quick to mock us," she narrowed her eyes at him, "Your Mate shale bear a flame even greater and far more dangerous."

He frowned at that, "I don't have a Mate."

She smiled, "Not yet."

"Not ever," he shook his head, "The Time Lords are at war, I will NOT be a part of it. I will not take for a Mate anyone who is."

She tilted her head at him, "Is that so? Not even one who fights unwillingly? Who fights to protect a loved one? Who will one day end the Time War in a way you could not?"

He was silent, "Who is she?"

"An angel incarnate," the woman replied softly and he eyed her expression she seemed...to respect this woman, who ever she was that was supposedly meant to be his Mate, "A light in the dark, a warmth in the bleakest winter, a sun in a stormy sky..."

"Less poetry if you could," he rolled his eyes,"Who is she?"

He honestly...could do with someone like that right now, someone...good. He needed just one person to not have been corrupted by the War, to prove to him that there was still hope for their people.

"Your Mate."

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, I've got that, thank you, but WHO is she? Where is she?"

"On Gallifrey, fighting to protect the last of her family," she tilted her head at him, "Can you say the same Doctor?"

"My family is gone," he shook his head, his brothers, sisters, parents, children, all of them had been lost to the War, to the battles or the death it brought or the drive to fight, all of them ripped away from me.

"SHE will become your family," the woman prophesized, "She will return family to you as well."

"Well that's all well and good, but quite impossible if you won't help me find her," he argued.

"How could you find her, when you yourself shall be dead in mere minutes?" the woman smirked, "Four minutes is not enough time to find your Mate. But..." she took a step closer, "Our elixir can trigger your regeneration, bring you back. Time Lord science is elevated here on Karn, the change doesn't have to be random," she gestured beside her, on either side, where all the other sisters were standing, holding smoking goblets in their hands, "Fat or thin, young or old, wise or foolish?"

"Why would you do this for me?" the Doctor frowned at her, he knew why she had brought up the idea of a Mate to him, to tempt him, to charm him into saying yes and agreeing to take the potion. But WHY were they so adamant that he do so?

"You have helped us in the past," she shrugged.

But he shook his head, no that wasn't it, "You were never big on gratitude."

The woman sighed, "The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords threatens all reality. You are the only hope left. You and your Mate."

"It's not my war."

"It is not HERS either."

"I will have no part of it."

"Yet you will leave her to fight alone?"

"I don't know her!" he snapped, "I have no idea who you are talking about!" he was getting angry now, he just wanted an answer, he didn't...he didn't want the hope of a Mate to be dangled in front of him only for it to be a ploy all along by them to get his agreement.

"But you will," the woman continued, calm, far too calm and sure of herself, "You will not be able to ignore her, you will not be able to refuse her. Nor will you refuse us and what we offer you. You can't ignore the War forever."

"I help where I can," he defended, "But I will not fight."

"Not even for your Mate?"

"You could be lying to me," he reminded her.

"Are we?" she tilted her head, smiling when she saw him unable to answer, unable to deny that they WERE telling the truth, "You ARE the 'good man,' as you call yourself..."

"I call myself the Doctor," he cut in.

"It's the same thing in your mind."

"I'd like to think so."

"In that case, Doctor, attend your patient," she moved to the side as the other sisters brought Cass in, lying her on the altar. The woman watched as the Doctor rushed to Cass's side and began to sonic her, immediately tending to her, "You are as kind as your Mate," she remarked, seeing him stiffen at that, at the repeated mention of a Mate he'd never met.

She knew that it was what was needed, the Doctor...he was well known throughout space and time, as a compassionate and caring man who wanted to help...he was so...GOOD...but so alone. Companions came and went, even Time Ladies, who should have stayed with him forever left him in the end. The Doctor was so alone and for a man like him to be alone...it wasn't good. He needed someone with him and, for a man like him, the prospect of love, of a true and unending, unbreakable, love that a Mate represented was his greatest desire. It was understandable he'd be so defensive about it, that he would fear they were using his deepest desire to manipulate him.

"You're wasting your time," she said after a moment, seeing him still focused on the girl, as though there would be a change in death, "She is beyond even our help."

"She wanted to see the Universe," he whispered.

"She didn't miss much. It's very nearly over."

"I could have saved her, I could have got her off, but she wouldn't listen."

"Then she was wiser than you. She understood there was NO escaping the Time War," she stepped over to him as he slowly straightened, "You are a part of this Doctor, whether you like it or not."

"I would rather die."

The woman smiled sadly, "Everything, all things, must die Doctor, your Mate will tell you that one day," she sighed, "But you...you're dead already. How many more will you let join you?" she looked at him a long while, "You and your Mate, your fates are entwined. Neither of you can exist without the other. And SHE is in the War, would you allow HER to die? Would you allow the chance for BOTH of you to be happy to fade?" she glanced at Cass, "If she could speak, what would she say?"

"To me?" he let out a breath, "Nothing. I'm a Time Lord, everything she despised."

"Your Mate will wash that from you, that blemish," she watched him closely, "She will make a man of the monster," he flinched at that and she knew she had won. Even though he wasn't participating in the War, he still felt equally like a monster as his people were, "This girl," she moved across from him, placing her hand on Cass's hand, "She would beg your help, as we beg your help now. The Universe stands on the brink, will you let it fall? Fast or strong, wise or angry, what do you need now?"

The Doctor swallowed and looked down at Cass's weapons' belt, picking it up, "Warrior."

"Warrior?"

"If my Mate is truly in the middle of the war...I must protect her," he whispered, swearing to himself that he would. He could hear it in the woman's words, how she spoke of his future Mate, she was...kind. She was good and bright and just...shining. She was pure. She didn't belong in such a place, surrounded by death and destruction, HE would protect her, he would, he'd do anything to protect her, to protect the hope of happiness in the future, "And I don't suppose there's any need for a doctor anymore," he nodded, looking up at her, firm, "Make me a warrior now."

The woman smirked, holding up a goblet herself, "I took the liberty of preparing this one myself."

He didn't bother to ask how she knew he'd pick that, if she had seen his future Mate, surely she always knew that he'd give in eventually. He swallowed hard and took the goblet from her, "Get out," he whispered, before snapping, "Get out! All of you," he shot the woman a look, she nodded at him and stepped past him, "Will she forgive me?" he had to ask her.

She'd said that the girl would 'make a man of a monster' and he knew he wasn't one yet, he needed to know she'd forgive him for becoming one in the first place, for entering into the War, knowing how it would twist him and blacken his soul.

"She will forgive you...everything," the woman stated.

He nodded, "Will it hurt?"

"Yes."

"Good," he wallowed hard, holding the goblet up before himself, "Charley, C'rizz, Lucie, Tamsin, Molly…friends, companions I've known, I salute you. And Cass…I apologize. And my Mate, whoever you are...I'm so sorry," he whispered, before looking at the goblet once more, "Physician, heal thyself," he murmured before drinking...

He dropped the empty goblet to the floor, stumbling back as a pain shot through him, like a flame...he felt himself burning from the inside out and looked at his hands, seeing an orange energy, like a fire, flaring out of them, building and building and building. He screamed, throwing his arms out, his head back, as the flames engulfed him, and his world went black...

~8~

He awoke a short while later to see the woman crouched beside him, "Is it done?" she whispered.

He stood, looking down at himself, turning to catch sight of his reflection, "Doctor no more," he muttered, grabbing the weapons' belt and fastening it to him before turning on his heel and striding out a man on a mission.

~8~

The Doctor gently shut his diary, the one that contained all 1200 years of his life, held open near the middle where he'd been sitting, reading to his daughter on the steps of the TARDIS as Angel puttered about the console, piloting the box to London to go pick up Clara for a small trip. Ayla had wanted to hear more about his adventures, about how he'd fought giant spiders and faced down Zygons...she was especially focused on the Zygons for some reason, before she'd grown bored and asked him to tell a story about her mother too. She wanted to hear the story about when he'd first known in his hearts that Angel was meant to be his Mate. He had honestly forgotten about that tale, how he'd encountered the Sisters of Karn once more, how they'd hinted at Angel, even then she had given him hope, before he'd even met her. He really had forgotten till he'd, ironically, lost his memory and really gave his journal a read through with Clara and Ayla looking on. That passage now...it struck him more than it had on Karn.

He remembered after the War, being in the TARDIS, starting to regenerate, feeling like he'd been tricked and lied to, that the Sisters had been manipulating him for how could anyone have survived that? No, he'd fully believed whatever Mate the Sisters believed him to have had died. It was why he hadn't thought of Angel, hadn't made the connection till just recently really. An angel incarnate? A light in the dark? The warmth in the winter? The sun in the storm? If that wasn't Angel, then he wasn't the Doctor. He really was Mr. Thick wasn't he? To have not noticed. To have not made the connection between her name and the Vortex and her kindness to what he'd been told.

But it was alright, all's well that ends well so they said. And he had Angel now, he had her and Ayla and he wasn't going to let them go.

"There we go," Angel smiled as the box set down gently, not even a thump, "Now that's how you do a REAL textbook landing," she winked at him.

But he just looked at her softly, before standing and heading over to her, leaving his journal with Ayla to look through. There were...things in there he didn't want her to see, but...she had taken to trying to steal it, to read the parts he didn't want to her to glimpse. His little Thief. Oh! Would THAT be her name? The Thief? No...that wasn't a good title. Though he did think Jack would love her being the Con Artist or something. She was growing up so quickly, and yet was still so much like both him and Angel. She'd stolen his journal, like he'd stolen the TARDIS, and when he'd asked her why she as so adamant to read the things he didn't want her to know, she'd just looked up at him with her big green eyes (HIS eyes) and told him that he didn't talk about the bad things and that if he didn't talk about them...how would she be able to know how bad they were and how tight a hug to give him for them? He'd felt like crying at that, at how much like Angel she was, wanting to comfort him and give him a hug for all the terrible things that had happened in his past. He'd let her take the journal now whenever she wanted. And he got the biggest, tightest, warmest hugs out of it from his special girl.

He smiled at Angel as he approached her, winding his arms around her waist from behind to rest his chin on her shoulder, "You know...I think I might just read that textbook."

"Really?" she laughed turning her head to look up at him.

"Well," he took it back a bit, "I'd listen to you read it to me. I love listening to YOU talk," he winked at her.

She smiled and leaned in kissing him for a moment, "Will you call Clara my love?" she asked "It seems the emergency brake needs tending to _again_...I wonder why," she shot him a playful look.

"Aunt Clara's coming?!" Ayla looked at them, she'd been so caught up in reading her father's story that she hadn't heard a word they'd said when they'd been discussing their plans to get their wayward family member, the girl having gotten a new job as a teacher.

"If we can lure her away from the other children," the Doctor smiled, pointing at Ayla, "I might need your help sweetheart, she likes your hugs better than mine."

Ayla beamed and leapt to her feet, rushing to her father's side to help make a call to Clara.

~8~

Outside the Coal Hill Secondary School a lone policeman strolled past a sign to the I.M. Foreman scrapyard at 76 Totter's Lane, rapping on the sign lightly, all too aware that class was still in session.

"'Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be," Clara recited from within the school where she was teaching a lesson, "Be one.' Marcus Aurelius," she smiled when the bell rang and the children began to leave.

She had been trying new things recently, trying her hand at a few odd jobs trying to find her niche. She was actually going through some of her 'echo selves' lives, THEIR jobs and professions. She'd already done the nanny bit, but that left quite a few open. She was going to save Time Agent for last though, after having travelled with the Doctor and Angel in the TARDIS...she doubted she'd ever be able to give up the time travel. Right now she was trying the more typical jobs, she'd been a seamstress during the summer and now she was trying her hand at teaching. She really did love it...though she couldn't help but feel like it was just a temporary move till she could actually get her hands on a Vortex Manipulator once more.

It was also something the Doctor and Angel had suggested she do, to try and cope and sort through her memories, to do at least one thing that was unique to each life. It was a way to 'settle' them, Angel had said, to sort of show them that she respected and honored their memories. Experiencing even a little bit of what the other hers had gave her a sense of closure when the time came to move on. It was...surprisingly helpful and she'd felt her memories settling as she worked those different jobs. It was like, in that moment, she could feel that version of her peeking through her mind, seeing her doing what they did. It was as though, in that moment, in the back of her mind, the memories of that particular her would play out and once it had run its course, it settled down in the back of her mind. She knew that travelling in the TARDIS would help her deal with her Time Lady life, that she'd have to travel a while longer before that was completely done with, she'd been a Time Lady for about 600 years, give or take a decade. And she knew that her life as a Time Agent would also take a while, mostly because she'd gone on FAR more adventures and been able to help protect the Doctor and Angel much more in that life than the other ones. But...for the moment...she was doing alright coping with it all.

And she loved being around children, even if they were currently trying to flee from her class at the moment. She smiled, shaking her head and turned to erase the board…when she heard someone shouting behind her, "Miss Oswald!"

She turned to see one of the other young teachers, a young man, rush in past the students, "Have you been running?"

"Are you ok?" the man asked instead, concern evident in his eyes as he looked at her, "There was a call for you at the office, from your doctor."

Clara laughed, "That's just my brother, Tom, I'm just fine," she turned to him, "Did he leave an address? I'm supposed to meet him and his…wife and daughter for lunch. I haven't seen my niece in ages!"

Well that wasn't entirely, true, she'd seen Ayla only a week ago, still on Wednesdays though the Doctor and Angel tended to pick her up on the weekends too, something about Saturdays being the 'unmissible weekday' according to the Doctor.

Tom let out a breath, "So…you're alright?"

She nodded, "Just fine," she reassured him, "Now…that address?"

"Right yes," he handed her a piece of appear as she grinned and grabbed her coat and a small helmet, running for the doors. She rushed outside to the teachers lot, over to her small motorbike, a gift from the Doctor, HIS motorbike actually…or a gift if he'd known about it. She'd merely…borrowed it…in much the same fashion that he'd borrowed the TARDIS. Oh she loved it when things like that happened, where bits of their 'sibling bond' popped up. She found it rather amusing just how similar she and the Doctor actually were.

She hopped on the bike and took off, following the address to the middle of a long, lonely, country road where the bright blue box was just waiting for her. She grinned and honked her horn, the doors opening as she drove right in, stopping the bike with a small squeal and jerk of the steering, making it sort of skid to the side in the process. She pulled off her helmet, able to see the Doctor sitting off to the side once more, Ayla in his lap as he read out loud from his journal to his daughter, something about pigmen in New York and showgirls.

"You're letting a draft in Clara," Angel called, pulling Clara's attention over to the woman, on the other side of the console as she soldered something.

"Right, sorry," she smiled apologetically and snapped her fingers, the doors closing on her as the TARDIS hummed loudly in what sounded like thanks.

They'd finally worked out why the TARDIS loved her so much, it wasn't just that she wasn't River Song or that she was the Doctor's sister no…it was what she'd done in the Time Tunnel. Apparently the TARDIS had seen that far ahead, had seen what she would do for the Doctor and Angel, for her Pilots, her Thief and Sister and was SO thankful to her for being there for them. She loved Clara, according to Angel, even more because of that, because of how much Clara loved the Time Family.

"Aunt Clara!" Ayla cheered, hopping off her father's lap and rushing to her side as she got off the motorbike, "Guess where we're going!"

Clara laughed, taking both of Ayla's hands and leaning down, "Where?"

"We're going to spend a week in ancient Mes…Meso…" Ayla pouted.

"Mesopotamia?" Clara guessed.

"Correctamundo!" Ayla beamed, making Angel and the Doctor laugh heartily at hearing her say the 'dreaded' word, "And then we're going to future Mars!"

"That sounds wonderful," she winked at the girl before looking at her parents, "Will there be cocktails?"

"On the Moon," the Doctor nodded, getting up to move to Angel's side, draping an arm around her shoulders.

"The Moon'll do," Clara agreed, all of them looking at each other a moment before rushing to pull Clara into a group hug, Ayla giggling as she was half-crushed between them all, but a good sort of crushed.

"How's the new job?" the Doctor smiled at Clara as they pulled away.

"It's brilliant, thank you for helping me," Clara smiled. The Doctor had gone to meet the head of the school a Mr. Chesterton, flashed the psychic paper to read John Smith and before she knew it, she'd been hired on the spot.

"Are you enjoying the lessons?"

"Oh they're great," Clara smiled, "I like coming up with interesting ways to get the children to pay attention. How about you cutie pie?" she looked at Ayla, "Your parents start any new lessons lately? Intergalactic politics? Gallifreyan literature? Universal ethics?"

Angel smiled at that, Clara, it seemed, remembered quite a bit from her days as a Time Lady. She didn't quite remember how to speak Gallifreyan though, but she could read it well enough if she really tried and she wasn't quite set in how to pilot the TARDIS still. But beyond that she really had quite the remarkable memory about those lessons. That, coupled with her knowledge as a Time Agent meant quite a few interesting debates between her and the Doctor about when he should get involved in events and how much he could change them. It was SO amusing to her to see them bicker back and forth, like true siblings, but actually talking about a subject she herself could understand and follow. And she was starting to pick up on the TARDIS so she still got to give her lessons on it with Ayla.

"We just started a cooking course!" Ayla smiled.

"Really?" Clara laughed, "Well remind me later and I'll have to teach you how to make a soufflé," she winked at her and Ayla had just started laughing at that as well…when the TARDIS suddenly shook, "What's happening?"

The Doctor and Angel ran to the console as Clara held Ayla close, keeping her balanced while her parents worked to find out what was happening, "Whoa, whoa," the Doctor grabbed a lever, "We're taking off, but the engines aren't going!"

Angel looked up as the rotor groaned, frowning, "Sissy says we're being moved…" she turned and rushed to the doors with the Doctor, looking out and up to see a UNIT helicopter above them, a giant claw gripping the top of the TARDIS, "OI!" she tried to shout up at the pilot, waving her arm, but the pilot didn't see her.

"Windmill Eleven to Greyhouse Leader," they could hear him call out though, a bit of static to his words as though speaking through a radio, "Blue Eagle is airborne. Ready to receive. We're on our way."

"On our way where?!" the Doctor scoffed, before gently moving Angel back into the TARDIS, reaching out to take the phone from behind the instruction panel to call a young woman who was going to get quite the scolding for this.

~8~

A young woman with brown hair, thick black glasses, and a warm multicolored scarf stood outside the Tower of London, in a white lab coat as she paced, looking around, waiting for her 'commanding officer' to finish her lunch break over by the benches. She looked down when the phone in her hand began to ring…a funny wheezing noise starting. Her eyes widened and she quickly answered, "Hello?" she called tentatively, not sure if it would really be THEM, "Kate Stewart's phone," she held her breath listening, her eyes growing even wider as she heard the voice on the other end, "Oh, hold on," she pressed the phone to her shoulder a moment, before taking off through the crowd, pushing her way past, shouting, "Excuse me!" to those she shoved, "Ma'am. Ma'am!" she gasped, reaching the bench where none other than Kate Stewart sat.

"The ravens are looking a bit sluggish," she remarked, "Tell Malcolm they need new batteries."

"It's him," the girl breathed, holding out the phone, "Sorry, it's your personal phone, but, well, I recognized the ring tone. It's them, isn't it?" she wheezed a bit at that, getting just a tad too breathless.

"Inhaler," Kate ordered as the girl pulled one out and took a large gasp of air, "Doctor?" Kate took the phone, smiling, "Hello. We found the TARDIS in a field. I'm having it brought in."

"No kidding!" his voice shouted over to her, a faint sort of whirring in the back, like an odd rotating noise, a hum.

"Where are you?" she frowned, putting a finger in her other ear to try and make out what he was saying…but then that hum got louder and she could recognize the chopper noise on the other end. Her eyes widened, "Oh, my god!" she gasped, "Oh, Doctor, I'm so sorry. We had no idea you were still in there. Come on," she called the girl as she turned to rush off.

She pulled out a radio, "Windmill Eleven," she called, "Change of course, head to the National Gallery."

"Roger," a voice called back, "New heading two zero seven. Changing course."

Kate looked at the phone, hearing a shout, "Doctor, can you hear me?" she waited but there was no answer, "I don't think he can hear me."

"Hello?" a child's voice came on the phone, "Aunt Kate?"

"Ayla?" Kate smiled, "Where's your father sweetheart? Can you put him on the line again?"

"I can't, daddy's fallen out of the TARDIS, but mummy caught him just in time. She and Aunt Clara are trying to pull him back in."

Kate blinked at that, the girl was speaking as though she were just commenting on the weather though…with a father like the Doctor…she supposed the girl was used to him getting into all sorts of impossible situations.

"Mummy wants me to ask if, next time, you could try knocking on the door first," Ayla continued, "Aunt Idris is very cross with you right now."

"Sorry," Kate laughed, "I promise to knock first. But listen, Ayla, tell your parents that I'm having you all taken directly to the scene. Ok?"

"Mhmm," Ayla spoke and she could just imagine the girl nodding her head as well, "Ok! See you soon Aunt Kate!"

And then there was a click, "She just hung up on me," Kate muttered.

Well, Ayla was most certainly the Doctor's daughter.

~8~

Angel couldn't stop laughing as she stepped out of the TARDIS, the Doctor's arm around her shoulder instantly despite his pout, knowing she was laughing at him, at how he'd fallen out of the TARDIS and ended up dangling from the bottom of it till the helicopter had lowered him enough to hop down to the ground.

"At least it wasn't my sister trying to kill you this time my love," Angel joked.

"Ayla!" he called to his daughter as she walked hand in hand with Clara behind them, "You're mummy's making fun of me!"

"You're a very funny person daddy," Ayla just shrugged.

The Doctor let out a small mock-offended noise, about to counter when all the UNIT soldiers that had gathered in a semicircle before them, with Kate and a young girl beside her in front of them, suddenly saluted with a cry of, "Attention!"

The Doctor immediately saluted back, before turning to Angel, "Why am I saluting?"

"Because you are proving our daughter right," she gave him a peck, "You are very funny."

"Always with the funny," he sighed rolling his eyes, "Never hot though."

Angel smiled softly at him and leaned in, kissing his cheek, "VERY hot to me," she winked at him, pulling back to see him grinning smugly at that.

"Doctor, Angel, Ayla," Kate greeted, "Miss Oswald, as Chief Scientific Officer, may I extend the official apologies of UNIT…"

"Kate Lethbridge Stewart," the Doctor interrupted, stepping up to her, his arm sliding from around Angel to her hand, not willing to let go of her, "A word to the wise. As I'm sure your father would have told you, I don't like being picked up..."

"That probably sounded better in his head," Clara muttered to Ayla.

The Doctor just turned and stuck his tongue out at her, "I prefer to be carried," he informed her, "Carried off by an Angel," he winked at Angel making her laugh.

"I'm acting on instructions direct from the throne," Kate informed him, handing him a small faded parchment envelope that the girl beside her hand handed her, "Sealed orders from her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the First."

The Doctor took the envelope, looking at it, seeing 'To my Dearest Doctor and his Blessed Angel.'

"The Queen?" Clara gaped, looking between them all, "The First? Sorry, Elizabeth the First?"

"Her credentials are inside," Kate remarked.

"I don't think she meant inside the envelope," Angel cut in as the Doctor moved to open it.

"She's right, as always," Kate nodded, pointing over her shoulder at the national Gallery, "Inside."

"A museum!" Ayla cheered, she LOVED museums…well…museums that weren't full of alien parts and things.

Angel had to laugh at her daughter's excitement, taking her hand to lead her towards the Gallery. Ayla was very much an interactive, hands-on learner. She absorbed so much if she was able to really get into it, museums and galleries were her favorites to visit. She enjoyed seeing history play out before her, but there was something about being in a museum and seeing all of history on display at once that her daughter just cherished. She was definitely the Doctor's daughter in that regard, loved museums.

"Nice scarf," the Doctor pointed at the young girl beside Kate, nodding at her long scarf before he extended an arm to Clara who rolled her eyes but took it, the two of them heading after Angel and the overexcited Ayla.

Kate waited till they'd gotten far enough away before turning to her assistant, "What's our cover story for this?"

"Er, Derren Brown," the girl answered.

"Again?"

"Oh, we've sent him flowers."

Kate sighed and shook her head, heading after the Time Family and Clara, the soldiers moving to attention as they passed, "Attention!"

~8~

Kate had taken the lead once they actually reached the Gallery, a soldier walking beside her, delegating what needed to be done to the man, "Right, I want a secure perimeter around the gallery…"

"Did you know her?" Clara asked the Doctor and Angel as they walked ahead of her, Ayla skipping ahead of them, the Doctor swinging their entwined hands between them, "Elizabeth the First?"

"Unified Intelligence Task Force," the Doctor answered instead.

"Sorry?"

"This lot. UNIT. They investigate alien stuff. Love anything alien."

"What, like you?" she laughed.

"Oh we're exhibit A," Angel smiled, tugging the Doctor closer to wind her arm through his, "They adore us. Keep turning down the Doctor every time he hands in his resignation papers."

"What?" Clara blinked.

"I work for them," he told her.

"You have a job?"

"Why shouldn't I have a job? I'd be brilliant at having a job."

"Just…not at a call center," Angel reminded him, "Or a department store, or as a caretaker, or…"

"Yes," the Doctor laughed, kissing her hand as he tucked it into his arm, "I'd much rather just be the Doctor, Mate of the Angel," he winked at her.

"Funny," she smiled, "I was about to say the same my love, the Angel, Mate of the Doctor."

"You don't have a job," Clara shook her head at him, "Look at you! You're FAR too distracted."

"I do," the Doctor insisted, "This is my job. I'm doing it now."

"You never have a job."

"I do. I do."

"Daddy's been working for them for decades!" Ayla vouched for him, "I got to meet Great Uncle Aly, he was daddy's partner/companion for a while."

The Doctor smiled, "Well maybe when we're done here we can go s…" he trailed off quite suddenly when a drape was pulled off a rather large painting they had moved to stand before, making them all, all four of them stop in their tracks.

"Elizabeth's credentials," Kate whispered, seeing their reaction, knowing it was NOT going to be easy for them to see.

It was a portrait, an oil painting really, but one that appeared to be 3D in nature. But that wasn't what got to them, no…it was the scene it depicted. It was a grand citadel, enclosed in a glass dome that was broken and shattered. Fires were springing up around it as ships flew past, lasers firing, there were small people falling to the ground, the entire city appearing as though it were on the brink of being utterly destroyed.

Angel gasped, a hand moving to her mouth as she stared in horror at the painting, "Arcadia," she breathed, tears in her eyes as they were confronted with what was likely the WORST moment of the War for both her and the Doctor.

"But…" Clara shook her head, recognizing the city as well from her memories, "But that's not possible."

The Doctor pulled Angel closer to him, reaching out to tug Ayla nearer as well, moving his left arm around his daughter's front, needing to keep her close as though he could protect her from just the memory the painting stirred. She knew what it was, they had…studied major battles of the Last Great Time War. They had wanted her to retain a sense of purpose, a sense of how…no matter how mighty or how long-lived, all dynasties fell…but also…to understand what had happened to her home, how war was NEVER an option, how peace had to be brokered at any cost. He wanted his daughter to be a woman of peace, like her mother, and the only way to do it, as terrible as it was, was to look at the utter horror and nightmare that was war.

"No more," he whispered.

"That's the title," Kate nodded.

"We know," Angel murmured, pulling her hand away from her mouth to rest it against her heart, her other hand locked onto the Doctor's, holding it tightly as they stared at the reminder of the War, the last reminder of it.

"Also known as Gallifrey Falls."

"Why is it here?" Ayla frowned at it, sinking back more against her father, not liking it. She hadn't seen any images of the War, none at all, she could only imagine it in her mind and this…was worse than anything she'd pictured and she knew it was a painting, a representation of it…the war was much MUCH worse.

"She's right," the Doctor nodded, "This painting doesn't belong here, not in this time or place."

"Obviously," Clara remarked, "It's the fall of Arcadia!" she added as though it explained everything.

"And Arcadia is…" Kate frowned, a bit confused as to how Clara knew that.

"Gallifrey's second city," Angel answered.

"We've tried to study the portrait," Kate added, "To try and understand how it's able to do that, appear in 3D but all our test concluded it was a simple oil painting…"

"It's Time Lord art Aunt Kate," Ayla told her, "It's just bigger on the inside."

"A slice of real time, frozen," the Doctor whispered.

Kate nodded, able to follow along surprisingly well, "Elizabeth told us where to find it, and its significance."

The Doctor looked at Angel, seeing the tears in her eyes and tugged her closer still, "Are you alright dear?"

She took a shaky breath and looked at him, offering him a wry sort of smile, "Are you?" she countered.

He nodded, understanding no…she was not alright, "No," he admitted, turning to look at the painting again, " _He_ was there."

"Who was?" Clara finally managed to pull her gaze away to turn to him.

"Me. The other me. The one I don't talk about."

"The…the one from the Time Tunnel?"

He nodded, "I've had many faces, many lives. I don't admit to all of them. There's one life I've tried _very_ hard to forget. He was the Doctor who fought in the Time War, and that was the day he did it. The day I did it. The day he killed them all. The last day of the Time War. The war to end all wars between our people and the Daleks. And in that battle there was a man with more blood on his hands than any other, a man who would commit a crime that would silence the universe. And that man…was me."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO excited for this episode! I can't believe it'll be over so soon though! And then we get a nightmare and then the Christmas special! O.O 
> 
> But I hope you enjoy this chapter ;) I wanted to incorporate Night of the Doctor without making it a separate chapter (Night and Day of the Doctor lol) so I made it a story he was telling Ayla :) Hope you like the little hints of Angel in there :)


	65. The Day of the Doctor: Portals

Gallifrey was nearing her end.

It wasn't a fear, it wasn't an expectation, it was a fact, it was happening at that very moment. The Last Great Time War had devastated everything that Gallifrey held dear. Her resources had been dried, pushed into the war effort, her people transformed into soldiers, her beautiful cities lying in ruin. Families were torn apart, sons and daughters fell in battle, mothers and fathers didn't come home, and all the while the land burned. The sky was constantly dark, full of Dalek fire, the sky trenches managing to keep most out but everyone knew they wouldn't hold for long. The Daleks didn't appear to need any rest, they attacked constantly and consistently, leaving the Time Lords little if any time to recover.

It was sheer and utter chaos that rained down on the planet. Million, no, billions were suffering, dying in the heart of the war only for time travel to bring them back, just to die again. Both sides were utilizing every single advantage but it wasn't enough. They were too evenly matched…until now. Until the Time Lords finally began to tire. Worse yet, until the Time Lords had become as brutal and corrupt as the Daleks themselves. They attacked with a single minded need to exterminate the enemy, no matter the cost. In a way, the planets nearby, the ones that had been affected by the war but had not participated in it, the ones that had been destroyed, were FAR luckier than Gallifrey was. They were gone, Gallifrey was forced to continue on, to struggle, to fight to survive…only to fail.

Gallifrey was falling.

As was Arcadia, the last strong hold of the Time Lords, their second city, falling to the Daleks, and with it, the last hope the Time Lords had of winning the war. Yet still they refused to stop fighting. The battle waged on, destruction and death following in its wake. The Daleks were attacking from above, launching an aerial attack on the last remaining Time Lords of the city below. So many families, so many children, had gathered there in what was meant to be a safe haven…only for their worst enemies to arrive and attack. Families tried to flee as soldiers attempted helping, but it was clear that no one would escape this attack alive. The soldiers did their best to hold the Daleks off, trying to give the civilians their best chance to make it out…but it was too much. Explosions went off all around them, bombs dropping, Daleks firing relentlessly…they just couldn't keep up.

**"** Exterminate!" the Daleks cried as they descended to the ground, starting to fire at the people running about, "Exterminate! Exterminate."

One lone soldier fired at a Dalek, managing to take out its eyestalk, before ducking back behind an alley, not wanting to risk the other Daleks spotting him, they tended to gather around the fallen ones until its power could be restored. It was hard to take out a Dalek, not because the target, the eyestalk, was so small but because the Daleks attacked in such large numbers that it was nearly impossible to kill one before another attacked you.

He panted, pulling a comm. out, shouting into it, "Message for the High Council, Priority Omega. Arcadia has fallen. I repeat, Arcadia has fallen!" he winced as a blast shot past him, making him duck further back, hoping he hadn't been seen…when he spotted something else, something…rather out of place in the field of battle…a bright blue police telephone box…from Earth.

What in the world was it doing there?!

But he got his answer soon enough when a man stepped out of it, an older man in what seemed to be a cross between Victorian attire and leather jackets, a hint of a beard to him, his eyes sad and tired, "Soldier," the man called, his voice deep and a bit raspy, "I'm going to need your gun."

The soldier frowned and shook his head, "Who are you?" he held his gun close to him, not about to just hand it over and leave himself defenseless.

But the man just strode forward and pulled it out of his grip, eyeing the man…no, the boy. He couldn't be sure if this was truly a boy, if he was just under his 600s or if he was on another incarnation that appeared younger, but he LOOKED like a boy, barely old enough to fight, and that was enough for him. That was even more reason to do this. Because he could hear it, the men and women screaming in the middle of the attack, the children crying, and it was too much…it was all just…to much.

No more.

He turned to the wall beside them and began to fire at it, ignoring the young man's cries of 'what are you doing! The Daleks are over THERE!' to focus on the message he needed to leave. He closed his eyes for only a brief moment when he heard screaming closer to the alley, a man pleading with the Daleks.

"Exterminate! Exterminate. Exterminate!"

"Please," the man was calling, and he could hear a child whimpering, a little girl, a scared little girl and his hearts broke even more, this needed to end, HE needed to end it, "Please, just don't!"

He opened his eyes and send out a final blast, louder than the others, more power to it, needing to draw the Daleks' attention to him so that they would back away from the family. He turned, handing the soldier back his gun, knowing he would need it, as he rushed to the TARDIS, able to hear the Daleks coming, relieved to know he'd given the family the chance to sneak away.

"Alert!" a Dalek cried, "Alert! The Doctor is detected!"

The Daleks turned as one and converged against the alley, rolling down it, ready to fight, "The Doctor is surrounded!" they cheered, seeing only the young man standing there, but with the police box in the back.

"Inform High Command we have the Doctor," one of the Daleks ordered, "Seek, locate, destroy!"

"Seek, locate, destroy!" the Daleks repeated the order, rolling in, paying no mind to the young man as he ducked back, hiding behind a fallen piece of a building, "Seek…"

Their change was cut off when the TARDIS suddenly took off and flew right at them, not even trying to turn as it plowed into them, sending them flying backwards, tearing them to pieces, demolishing them.

"The Doctor is escaping," one Dalek managed to report to the others even as it began to power down, the damage from the TARDIS too substantial to deal with, though its vision was still working and directed at the wall the Doctor had fired at, "What are these words? Explain. Ex…plain…"

The solider waited a moment, listening to the Dalek's words start to slur, before the light on its head went off. He crept out from where he was hiding, staring up at the message the old man…the Doctor apparently…had left for them all. He hadn't really been paying attention to what the man was doing so much as he was terrified of the war raging just beside them, the Daleks within hearing distance. He looked up at the message and frowned, at it, utterly confused as to why the man had written that before thinking he'd best report it to the War Council. He would probably be reprimanded for sending them this, a mere two words, but he could tell…there was something dangerous in them.

Just two little words.

No More.

~8~

Within the cracked and nearly broken Citadel of Arcadia, the War Council was gathering, well…what was left of them…all two of them. The head of this particular council, The General, walked briskly down a corridor, heading for the war room, needing to be in the central location of information and reports about the Daleks so as to make a decision about their next move. A young man was following him, Androgar or something, names weren't important right at that moment. The Daleks were literally an otter's toenail away from breaking through the sky trenches, the High Council's plan that should have led to their salvation had failed, their people were dying everywhere and everywhen on the planet, and there was little hope…no…there was NO hope at all that they would make it through the night.

"The High Council is in emergency session," Androgar gave a report as he rushed after the General, "They have plans of their own…"

The General scoffed though, "To hell with the High Council. Their plans have already failed. Gallifrey's still in the line of fire," he strode right into the war room, barely taking a microsecond to process the fact that there was no one else there but the two of them, no one actually ON the war council. There were a few odd Time Lords and Ladies rushing about, but none of them were on the council, merely there to gather information and report it. He looked at Androgar, recalling the reason for his immediately hastening to the war room, "So, he was there then?"

Androgar nodded, "He left a message, a written warning for the Daleks," he leaned over and activated a holographic screen to appear above the table that had their military plans on it, 'No More' flickered before their eyes, an image reported to them by a soldier in the field, "He's a fool."

"No, he's a madman," the General muttered, glaring at the image, there were so many things that could mean but…given the Doctor was involved…the chances of it being anything good were slim.

Androgar changed the image to a map of Arcadia, small blinking lights in the sky over it, "As you can see, sir, all Dalek fleets surrounding the planet now converging on the capital," he continued to speak about what HE had come to the war room for, "But the Sky Trenches are holding."

The General nearly fell onto the table as the building shook, struck by some sort of attack from the outside, "And the girl?" he glanced at Androgar, "What of her?"

"She's accounted for," Androgar nodded, knowing exactly which 'girl' the General was speaking of, "Her platoon is stationed in Arcadia as we speak."

The General nodded, that had been a command given down from the President himself, one of the soldiers in the platoons, according to the President, was a potential Visionary. POTENTIAL. It had been requested that they keep an eye on her status, listen in on any reports made from her platoon that might indicate she was coming into her abilities, but so far there was nothing except an odd report that she had been an asset in a mine field, but had regenerated. They disregarded that, clearly if she had been a Visionary, she would not have failed in that 'test.' HE was the only one who knew about it though, about why they were watching that particular girl. Everyone else on the council believed that she was merely a relative of Rassilon's, that he was concerned for his family.

Shame on them if they hadn't realized that Rassilon wasn't anything close to caring…which honestly disturbed him, how they hadn't realized, not…not how unfeeling Rassilon was. If the council couldn't see that lie, if they weren't clever enough to realize it WAS a lie…how could they be expected to call themselves the brightest minds of Gallifrey? How could they be expected to think and inspect every possibility if they hadn't been able to determine a single simple lie?

"Where did he go next?" he looked at Androgar.

"What does it matter?" the man nearly snapped, only catching his tone at the last second, "This is their biggest ever attack, sir. They're throwing everything at us…"

"Sir," a Time Lady gasped, spinning around as a report hit her screen and rushing over, "We have a security breach to the Time Vaults!"

The General frowned and turned to the side of the room, to a small terminal and brought up a small hologram of the vaults, the blinking originating from one area, one area that brought dread to his harts, "The Omega Arsenal," he murmured, staring at the blinking light, "Where all the forbidden weapons are locked away."

"They're not forbidden anymore," Androgar remarked, "We've used them all against the Daleks."

But the General swallowed, "No. No we haven't."

~8~

The General led the way through the Vaults, his destination clear as they entered the Omega Arsenal, to find it entirely empty, which was alarming…because there had been only ONE object in there before. The General quickly made his way to a plinth in the back of the room, staring at the empty space that it now was in horror, of all the things he'd imagined the blasted Doctor doing…this had never been one of them. This…was something far worse than any nightmare he could possibly imagine.

"The Moment is gone," he breathed, shaking his head as though he couldn't believe it.

Androgar frowned at the General's reaction, not understanding the cause of it, "I don't understand. What is the Moment? I've never heard of it."

"The Galaxy Eater. The final work of the ancients of Gallifrey. A weapon so powerful, the operating system became sentient. According to legend, it developed a conscience."

"And we've never used it," Androgar questioned, wouldn't it have been beneficial to do so? If they set it against the Daleks then the entire War would have been over ages ago! Why hadn't anyone thought to use it?!

The General answered his question with one of his own, "How do you use a weapon of ultimate mass destruction when it can stand in judgment on you?" he turned to Androgar, stepping up to him, "There is only one man who would even try."

The maddest of them all.

The bravest as well.

~8~

The old man, the Doctor…no…he wasn't that any longer yet he couldn't quite seem to give up the title entirely. He had been going by 'the War Doctor' since he'd regenerated, he still tried to help where he could, he tended to the injured when there was a moment's rest between battles, but he fought, brutally, he fought as hard as he could and still…it wasn't enough. The Sisters of Karn had believed HE would be the salvation of the Universe, the one to end the War…that he and his Mate would save them all…

They lied.

He was not the hero of this story and his Mate…he was fairly certain she didn't exist. He had gone…everywhere, to every platoon, trying to find her, find some girl that had matched what he'd been told of her. But all he'd found each and every time were women who were just as hardened as the men, just as bitter, just as bloodthirsty. It…disheartened him greatly to see the women of Gallifrey like that, the ones who were so nurturing and compassionate…turned into monsters. He had given up all hope of finding her, of finding someone, the one woman in millions that hadn't been corrupted by the War.

And so he knew…it had to be a lie.

Everything the Sisters had told him had been a ploy to get him to agree to regenerate into a warrior, it had to have been. And now he knew why. They wanted him to become a man who would see the War ended at any cost, a true warrior. They wanted a version of him that would be willing to do what he was planning to do. They wanted a man as clever and experienced as him to think to use the Moment. Everything he was, everything he was about to do, was because of the Sisters of Karn, of their empty promises of finding a single comfort in a Mate in all the chaos, and of their promise he would be a savior.

He would never be, because to do what he was planning, to use the Moment as it was intended…he would be the farthest thing from a savior, he would be a murderer.

'Time Lords of Gallifrey,' he thought to himself, the only person he could trust to talk to about what he was about to do, the only person that wouldn't try to talk him out of it…himself, 'Daleks of Skaro, I serve notice on you all. Too long I have stayed my hand. No more. Today you leave me no choice. Today, this war will end. No more. No more.'

He looked up, shifting a sack that was slung over his shoulder as he stared at a small cabin-like structure in the middle of the desert planet he'd set the TARDIS down on. He looked behind him, to see the old box was nowhere insight. He hadn't even realized he'd walked away from it till now. Well…that was just as well then, the box had been with him through it all, had seen him at his best and worst and…this was worse than the worst. He…didn't want the TARDIS to have to see this.

He sighed, moving over to the cabin and pushing the door open, stepping inside. It was fairly bare within, a few crates here and there, cracks in the walls from the wood, some odds and ends here and there and that a was just fine. He wasn't going to be staying there, he had no need for most things like that. The War had left him always on the move, always prepared. He swung the sack off his shoulder and set it down with the greatest of care, kneeling before it to open the cloth.

With a grim expression he pulled out a box with quite a number of clockwork designs and probably quite a few locking mechanisms. He placed it down and fiddled with the box, trying to work out a way to open it, " How…how do you work?" he mock-whined as he sat back on his legs, "Why is there never a big red button?" he muttered as he stared forlornly at the box.

Perhaps he should have looked around for a manual or something.

He stiffened, hearing a noise behind him, and got up, making his way to the door where a scuffling noise had sounded. He opened it and looked out at the barren landscape, "Hello? Is somebody there?"

"There's nothing there," a voice said behind him, making him spin around to see a young woman was there with him, smiling, "Hello my love."

She had short, wavy, strawberry-blonde hair that appeared to be almost like it was from the 1950s Earth in style, in the way it was on her head. She was wearing what appeared to be a white, halter-style gown but with golden hemlines and on the edge of her skirt along with a golden belt. Her hands were folded delicately on her lap, her legs together but slightly to the side as she smiled at him, her gray eyes sparkling as she gazed upon him, an air of warmth and kindness to her, a warmth and kindness he had not seen since…ages before the War had begun. But her sudden appearance wasn't what startled him, it was the fact that she was sitting there, right on top of the Moment…no…actually it was what she'd called him.

"My what?" he stared at her.

"Oh…" she nodded, "Yes, sorry, not yet."

He shook his head, realizing once more that no, THAT wasn't the big issue, the big issue should ALWAYS be the Moment. He dashed forward, "Don't sit on that!" he cried, taking her arm and pulling her up.

"Why not?" she frowned at him, seeming genuinely confused as to why she couldn't sit on the box and he was momentarily startled by the pure…innocence in her eyes.

But he managed to shake himself out of that and lead her to the door, "Because it's not a chair, it's the most dangerous weapon in the universe!" and push her out of it, closing and locking it behind her. He sighed, closing his eyes to rest his forehead against the wood…

"It's actually both," her voice spooked him.

He jumped up and looked over to see her sitting there on the box once more. He looked between her and the door, frowning, glancing around the cabin to see there was NO other way in so…how had she done that?

"That's for me to know and you to work out," she winked at him.

"What is?"

"How I did this," she smiled.

"How did you…"

"Know that's what you were thinking?" she finished for him, surprising him once more, "I'm psychic," she gave him a smile as though imparting a small secret or a joke, but it was lost on him, "It's how I know that you left my sister so dreadfully far away because you couldn't bear for her to see this. I'm a bit disappointed, I would have loved to meet her."

"Meet who?"

She blinked, "The TARDIS."

He frowned at her, "The TARDIS is…your sister?"

Well clearly the girl was completely batty. The TARDIS was a ship! It was a machine!

"The TARDISes are sisters to each other," she shrugged, "Why can't they be my sisters as well?"

"Because YOU are a person."

"Am I?" she gave him a smile, "You walked for miles and miles and didn't see a hint of me. You took my arm and threw me out and yet," she held up her hands, "Here I am. How? Go on," she encouraged, "Think. Think of something other than 'No More' and I know you'll figure it out," her smile turned soft, fond, "You always do and you always will."

"No More?" he stiffened at the words that had been echoing in his head on his long walk.

She nodded, her smile turning sad now, "I heard you think it. So many times, for so many things. And I'm so sorry my love," she whispered, tears in her eyes, "It breaks my hearts the things you've endured, the things you will endure."

He looked at her for a long while, truly surprised and slightly touched by the genuine concern she was displaying for him. It was…an odd thing to see after so long at war, to see someone look at you and actually CARE, that was…not what he was expecting from whatever she was. Which reminded him, "Who are you?"

She smiled, "Everything."

"Everything?" he gave her a bit of a disbelieving look.

"I AM everything, no…" she frowned suddenly, "I WAS everything? No…" and smiled again, "I WILL be everything. Oh tenses are difficult aren't they? But yes, that's right, I will be everything to…" she blinked.

"To?" he shook his head, starting to get more confused than alarmed or startled or touched.

She looked at him, her eyes sparkling, the small golden flecks in them catching the light and making them almost glow, "To YOU," she let out a little laugh at that, "That IS a strange thought isn't it? To be everything to someone else? Strange but…lovely."

He had just opened his mouth to speak when he heard a sort of mechanical winding noise, like clockwork being wound up. His eyes widened and he rushed for her, taking her arm once more and pulling her up, but for an entirely different reason, "It's activating!" he cried, trying to usher her to the door of the cabin, "Get out of here."

The woman smiled as she heard the concern in his voice, no longer angry with her there and wanting her to leave but more…wanting her to leave to protect her. She glanced at the box he was moving to kneel before, and tilted her head, her eyes flashing gold.

"Ow!" the War Doctor snapped his hand away as a small spark of gold stuck his hand, stopping him.

"Something the matter?" she asked innocently.

"The interface is hot…" he muttered, rubbing his finger.

"Why thank you," she smiled at him, "You're rather dashing as well, perhaps even a bit foxy."

The War Doctor stopped his ministrations at those words and blinked, looking over his shoulder at her, "You're the interface?"

"They DID warn you the Moment had a conscience," she remarked with a little shrug, "Just call me your Jeremy Cricket."

He stared at her a moment before he gave the smallest of laughs, something he hadn't done in what felt like centuries, "That's JIMINY Cricket."

"Is it?" she smiled, seeming pleased she'd gotten him to brighten a bit, "Well then, that's me. Hello Doctor."

"You know me?" he turned to her, standing up now as he eyed her.

"I do," she nodded, "Very well, or…I WILL know you. But not this me," she gestured at herself, "This me doesn't exist but the other me does. She'll know you better than anyone."

"I'm afraid I'm not quite following…" he frowned at her, completely lost and THAT was saying something when HE couldn't follow someone, usually it was the other way around.

"This," she gestured at herself once more, "Is merely an image. I peeked through time and selected an image that will come to be very important to you but…I don't like spoilers, so I've chose her…but not quite the her YOU will know," she laughed a bit, seeing he looked even more confused, "You'll understand by the end my love."

He frowned at that again, why did she keep calling him that, her love?

But before he could ask, she continued, "While SHE will know you, _I_ can hear you. All of you, all the other yous, your ghosts, all knocking around in that head that's too small for your mind," she smiled, "I even hear the future yous."

"I don't have a future," he shook his head, solemn, sounding FAR too sure of himself, so sure that she started frowning and…he felt…a small sort of pang in his hearts to see it, to see this woman that had made him laugh go so sad.

"You do," she murmured gently, "I can see it. I can see the other me there in it, watching over you like…" she smiled, nodding to herself as the perfect word came to her, "A guardian angel. A light in the darkness shining just for YOU, Doctor."

He winced at that, both at the subtle reminder of what eth Sisters of Karn had told him of his non-existent Mate, and also at the title she insisted on using, "Stop calling me Doctor."

"That is the name you picked," she reminded him, "The promise you made."

"And I've broken it," he sighed, closing his eyes, hating that he had to admit that, "I WILL break it," he whispered, before looking at her, "I've been fighting this war for a long time. I've lost the right to be the Doctor."

"Once a doctor always a doctor," she countered, "Like riding a bike or falling off of Arthur…"

"Who?" he stared at her as though she'd gone made, half the time he had absolutely NO idea what she was talking about.

"Arthur," she said, looking at him as though he should know who or what that was, before she sighed, "The horse. Isn't that how it goes? When you fall off one, you must get back on?"

"Yes, but they tend to just say horse, not name it."

"Well I like Arthur," she crossed her arms, "We should keep him in the future."

He shook his head, "You're not making a lick of sense."

She smiled apologetically, "Sorry, not quite used to talking to people," she had to admit, "I've been locked away for quite a while," her expression turned thoughtful, "So will she actually, the other me."

He nodded, understanding that, he as sure if he'd spent so much time alone he'd be a bit confusing to others as well. He looked at her a long while, before he asked the question that was lingering in his head for a while now, ever since he'd seen that…kindness and compassion in her, the same emotions he'd been searching for in the other soldiers, SHE still retained it and…maybe she could tell him if what he was feeling was truly him being kind and compassionate to the rest of the Universe or just…remarkably cruel to his own people.

"If you have been inside my head, then you know what I've seen," he began, "The suffering. Every moment in time and space is burning. It must end, and I intend to end it the only way I can."

"That is not what my power is meant for," she shook her head, "Everything, all things, must die, but it is NOT up to you or anyone to determine when that happens, when someone should die," she turned solemn once more, "I could do as you request, yes, I could end the War by killing everyone, Daleks, Time Lords…but I don't believe I can do it knowing what the consequences would be for YOU my love."

"I have no desire to survive this," he told her, honest.

She looked at him with a devastated expression on her face, tears in her eyes, as though his lack of will to live truly hurt her to see, it…almost made him want to take back his words, "And I cannot allow that," she whispered, "If I bring an end to the others…I CANNOT for you as well. You will be forced to live on. The consequences of your death reach farther than you can imagine Doctor. All the good you'll do for so many planets and peoples and…and children," she looked at him, "Do you know how many children are on Gallifrey at this very moment?"

He swallowed hard at that, the one thing he'd been trying to avoid thinking of, "I don't know."

"You will one day," she remarked, "One terrible night, when you think on the War, when you see other boys, other children, heading to war themselves…you'll think on that. You'll count them," she tilted her head, "Have you any idea what that will turn you into? I can show you," she looked to the side and the air began to swirl before them, shimmering into a slightly whirling vortex-like portal, "I can give you a window in time, a doorway to your future," she walked up to the portal, staring into it, "So that you can see what your actions today will do to you…"

…and caught a fez as it was lightly thrown through the portal.

She laughed, gently feeling it before she turned and held it out to him, "Fezzes are rather cool, aren't they?"

~8~

Clara shook her head as she looked at Kate, "But the Time War's over. Why have you brought us here to look at a painting?"

"The painting only serves as Elizabeth's credentials," Kate explained, "Proof that the letter is from her. It's not why you're here," she gestured to the letter in the Doctor's hand.

He shook himself out of his shock, out of his thoughts, and looked down at it. He glanced at Angel who nodded encouragingly and he let go of Ayla's hand to break the seal, Angel tugging Ayla closer to her, resting her daughter against her front her arms locked before the girl's chest as they looked at the Doctor.

He cleared his throat and began to read, "My dearest Doctor, my beloved Angel, I hope the painting known as 'Gallifrey Falls' will serve as proof that it is your Elizabeth who writes to you now. You will recall that you pledged yourself to the safety of my kingdom. In this capacity I have appointed you as curator and keeper of the Under Gallery, where deadly danger to England is locked away. Should any disturbance occur within its walls, it is my wish that you be summoned. God speed, my guardian angels."

"Kate…" Angel looked at her, "What happened?" if they were being 'summoned' as Elizabeth had called it, then some sort of 'disturbance' had to have happened.

"Easier to show you," Kate remarked before turning to leave, leading them out.

"You should answer that," Angel called as she passed a young male scientist that had accompanied Kate.

The man blinked, when his mobile rang a moment later. He shook his head, being a scientist he hadn't really believed in 'psychics' like the girl's file called her, but…that was pretty close in his book. He quickly pulled out his phone with an answer of, "McGillop," before he stiffened, hearing the instructions on the other end, "But that's not possible. I was just…" he paused, listening, "Understood, sir. But why would I take it there?"

His words were cut off from the Time Lords' ears when a metal sort of shutter lowered behind them as they stepped into another room after Kate, another room full of portraits but this one…was of Queen Elizabeth with the Doctor and Angel's past incarnations standing beside her, the two Time Lords appearing to be VERY happy they were smiling so widely.

"Lizzie 1," Ayla cheered, "Am I ever going to get to meet her daddy?" she looked at her father.

"Probably not sweetheart," he winced at the thought, he'd gotten a bit into a debate with the woman when they'd seen her last and she'd ended up being very cross and, much like Victoria, believed his life was steeped in magic and darkness and had wanted him beheaded for 'corrupting the youth' with his tales and debates. He was of the impression that Elizabeth just didn't like being proven wrong.

"So you really knew her then?" Clara smiled at them.

Angel nodded, "We met her ages ago with Jack and Torchwood to celebrate Tosh and Owen's marriage…"

~8~

England, 1562 would find the TARDIS, but not quite THE TARDIS set down in a lovely meadow. It was a slightly different version of the TARDIS, just a bit different in shape and shading and without the St. John's Ambulance sticker on the door. But other than that it was exactly the same, which meant the same man (near enough) was inside…and sure enough the doors flew open and none other than the Doctor galloped out astride a white horse, a ginger woman in a period gown clinging to the back of him.

"Allons-y!" the last Doctor cheered as the horse slowly trotted to a standstill. He grinned, patting it before he hopped off and reached out a hand to help the woman off as well, revealing her to be none other than Queen Elizabeth herself in her earlier years, "There you go, your Majesty, what did Angel tell you? Bigger on the inside."

Elizabeth let out a breath at that, still trying to catch it from the adventure she'd just been on, "The door isn't. You nearly took my head off. It's normally me who does that."

The Doctor grinned and laughed, "Don't let my Mate hear you say that, she's very particular about my head."

Elizabeth shook her head at that and turned to walk over towards a small blanket and cushions that was lying on the grass. She'd been in the middle of a picnic earlier, just taking a moment to gather her thoughts, have some peace and time to herself…when out of nowhere there were people shouting at her to run and blasts of light that could destroy things flying past her. She'd been grabbed by the hand and rushed off before she could blink, led right into a small blue box that was…SO much larger on the inside. And that had just been the beginning of it.

She'd been gone for 3 weeks! Yet it appeared that the apple she had bitten only moments before running off was STILL freshly bitten, as though she'd set it down for barely a minute. And to think, she had doubted the words of the ones who appeared in the magic blue box when they had said it could travel in time. Clearly she should have listened to them, trusted them, ah well, she had learned to do that while she'd been gone. They'd become her closest and wisest council in the short time they'd been together.

She moved to sit on the blanket, more like kneeling while resting back on her legs. The man, the Doctor he'd told her to call him, just plopped down, flopped right onto his back, crossing his arms behind his head and grinning foolishly up at the sky. She knew where his mind had gone, one did not spend 3 weeks with the man and his Mate (such an odd word for a fiancé, wasn't it?) and not see how loved they were by the other. The man was particularly fond of his Mate when she wore gowns and dresses. And so she'd had them stop by her chambers to pick up a lovely one for the girl…and been attacked by the same thing that had been chasing her before, how it had known they'd be there she hadn't a clue. They'd fled into the box and made their daring escape just in time.

So she knew that the man was currently thinking of his Mate, trying to imagine her in the gown she'd imagine, "Tell me, Doctor, why I'm wasting my time on you and Angel," she smiled, showing him she was joking, that she was referring to the 3 weeks she'd been away, "I have wars to plan."

"You have a picnic to eat," he nodded at her food still as fresh as when she'd set it down.

"You could both help me," she suggested.

"Oh we well," he grinned, reaching out to take a bushel of grapes, "See, helping right now, and Angel will have a snack too, and…"

"I well know the size of your stomach," she laughed, "I meant more of your stomach for war. This face has seen conflict, it's as clear as day."

The Doctor's face fell, "We have," he agreed, "We've seen conflict like you wouldn't believe. But it wasn't our faces and that is a conflict I refuse to let Angel's lovely face face again."

"You love her very much, don't you?" Elizabeth smiled softly at him.

"She's my life," he grinned dazedly at the sky, his mind drifting to thoughts of his Mate.

"If you are so inclined," she offered, "My chapel and priests are available at your beck and call, my seamstress and…"

The Doctor laughed though, "No, no we're…we're not getting married any time soon, I thought Angel told you that already."

"She did," Elizabeth nodded, recalling a few times she'd broached the topic but Angel hadn't seemed willing to agree to marry the man she claimed to love, "I must say, Doctor, her refusal to wed you confuses me. Had you asked MY hand in marriage, I would agree with much vigor," she winked at him.

"And gotcha!" he pointed at her, that was NOT like the Virgin Queen he knew. He jumped to his feet and took a step back, grinning madly.

"What?" she frowned, getting to her feet as well, completely confused by what he had 'gotten.'

"One, the real Elizabeth would never have accepted any marriage proposal. Two, the real Elizabeth would notice when I just casually mentioned my Mate and I having different faces. But then the real Elizabeth isn't a shape-shifting alien from outer space. And…" he pulled a rather crude looking device from his pocket, "Ding," it dinged in his hand.

Elizabeth eyed it, "What's that?"

"It's a machine that goes ding," he repeated as it dinged again, "Made it myself. Wanted to surprise Angel. Lights up in the presence of shape-shifter DNA. Ooh. Also it can microwave frozen dinners from up to twenty feet and download comics from the future. I never know when to stop."

"I do not understand," she shook her head.

"Oh yes you do. You're a Zygon."

"A Zygon?"

"Oh, stop it," he rolled his eyes at her, "It's over. A Zygon, yes. Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers. Angel warned me there was one here, that it was close. As though the real Queen of England would just decide to share her throne with any old handsome bloke in a tight suit, just 'cos he's got amazing hair and a nice horse?" he gestured back over his shoulder at where the horse had been stationed…only to see a Zygon, a rather purplish-pink creature walking towards them covered in suckers, with no necks, "Oh…" he winced, alright, so…next time he should probably wait till the psychic was there to help lead him to the right alien…that or he really needed to fix the device, "It was the horse," before he reached out and took the Queen's hand, "Run!" he shouted, rushing off with her towards the palace, ducking into a small room at the base of it, hiding in the shadows as the Zygon passed.

"What's happening?" Elizabeth whispered.

"We're being attacked by a shape-shifting alien from outer space, formerly disguised as my horse," he explained, taking her hand to lead her off when he realized that the Zygon had heard them and was now heading in their direction.

"What does that mean?" Elizabeth inquired.

"It means we're going to need a new horse. Maybe I'll take Angel back to check on Arthur, that'll be lovely."

"Doctor if you could focus!" Elizabeth shouted, "Where's it going?"

He turned to her as they reached the edge of the woods that surrounded the property, "I'll hold it off. You run. Your people need you."

Elizabeth nodded, "I shall go find Angel and bring her to help!" she stated, rushing off before he could protest that he'd rather have them all stay in the TARDIS where they'd be safe and let him deal with this, but he knew that it wouldn't work. Angel would likely sense him needing help and rush to his side.

Elizabeth ran through the trees, zigging and sagging till she came to a small clearing, she looked around, trying to determine the best way back to the TARDIS and took off down it…only to stop short when she heard a twig crack. She looked back…and screamed.

~8~

The Doctor was running through the trees as well, both trying to find the Zygon and hoping that his scent would help lead the alien way from Elizabeth, an alien would be much more interesting than any old human (even if he thought the humans were outstanding). He paused, spinning in a circle before deciding he really should try to go get Angel, she'd be better able to spot the Zygon and help lead him right to it. He'd just spun around to head back the way he'd come when he heard the scream.

"Elizabeth!" he shouted, rushing off through the trees, the device in his hand starting to ding repeatedly the nearer he got to…a black floppy eared bunny just sitting on a log.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," he ran right up to it, "Oh, very clever. Whatever you've got planned, forget it. I'm the Doctor, Mate of the Angel. My Mate and I are centuries old, we're from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I am the Oncoming Storm, she is the Life Bringer, the Creator of Light as I am the Bringer of Darkness, and…" he sighed, crouching down before the rabbit, "You are basically just a rabbit, aren't you?" he eyed it but it just continued to munch on some food, "Ok, carry on. Just a general warning…"

"Doctor!" he heard Elizabeth scream in the distance. He leapt to his feet and ran after her, coming to a very small clearing to see her collapsed on the ground.

"That thing," she gasped as he rushed to her side to help her up, "Explain what it is. What does it want of us?"

"That's what we were trying to find out," the Doctor sighed, "Probably just your planet though."

"Doctor," Elizabeth's voice called behind them and he turned to see a second Elizabeth approaching, "Step away from her, Doctor. That's not me. That's the creature."

"How is that possible?" the first Elizabeth stared at her, "She's me. Doctor, she's me!"

"I am indeed me," the second Elizabeth remarked as the Doctor tried to scan her with the device but it appeared to be dinging at everything, even him, "A compliment that cannot be extended to yourself."

"Extraordinary. The creature has captured my exact likeness. This is exceptional."

"Exceptional? A Queen would call it impertinent."

"A Queen would feel compelled to admire the skill of the execution, before arranging one."

"It's not working," the Doctor muttered, bashing the device, "And Angel's not here right now…" he sighed, this was going to be tricky.

"One might surmise that the creature would learn quickly to protect itself from any simple means of detection," Elizabeth continued.

"Clearly you understand the creature better than I," the second her countered as the Doctor just looked back and forth between them, rubbing his head, "But then, you have the advantage."

He had just opened his mouth to answer when a whirling vortex of air appeared before them, much like it had for the War Doctor.

"Back, both of you, now!" the Doctor shouted, urging both Elizabeths back behind him as he faced the swirling, not sure what sort of danger it might create, "That's a time fissure. A tear in the fabric of reality. Anything could happen!"

…and then a fez dropped out of it as the three of them stared down at it.

"For instance, a fez."

~8~

Kate hit a switch and the portrait of the Doctor, Angel, and Elizabeth opened up to reveal a door was behind it, "This way," she led them down the corridor behind it, into a sort of entry room, a room full of statues covered in white cloth, that were stationed throughout the room, a sort of dust on the ground, far too thick to be normal dust, "Welcome to the Under Gallery. This is where Elizabeth the First kept all art deemed too dangerous for public consumption."

The Doctor squatted in the dust and picked up a handful, letting it drift through his fingers as Ayla came to join him, catching it as it fell and frowning at it, "What is it sweetheart?" he asked her quietly, seeing her frown, the same frown that Angel wore when she was sensing something off about an object or a person…it was, in fact, the same frown she was wearing right at that moment too over Ayla's shoulder.

"The dust is funny," she said, "It's not dusty dust."

"Exactly what I thought," the Doctor nodded as Clara shook her head at him, only HE would be able to understand that, she hadn't a clue what they were going on about the dust for.

"The dust Kate…" Angel began, calling to Kate who hadn't realized they'd stopped following her till Angel had spoke.

Kate turned around to see them pausing, "Is it important?"

"In 1200 years I've never stepped in anything that wasn't," the Doctor remarked, brushing off his hands as he stood.

"Osgood?" Angel called, confusing them all a moment as to who she was talking to, Clara wondering briefly if she'd just gotten her name wrong, until they heard a small squeak/wheeze from outside the painting entrance. They looked over to see the girl in the scarf standing out there timidly, "Hello," Angel smiled at her, gesturing her in, "I'm Angel, nice to meet you."

"Yes, you, Osgood, perfect," the Doctor pointed at her as she slowly made her way to them, "Are you sciency?"

"Oh," Osgood stuttered, "Er, well, er, yes."

"Now, I want this stone dust analyzed," he gestured to the floor, "And I want a report in triplicate, with lots of graphs that Ayla and I can color in with crayons, and diagrams and complicated sums on my desk, tomorrow morning, ASAP, pronto, LOL. See?" he shot a smug grin back at Clara who shook her head at him, amused, "Job."

"Do you even have a desk my love?" Angel asked.

"Kate?" he looked at her.

"No," Kate replied simply.

He nodded and looked at Osgood, "And I want a desk."

Kate shook her head at that, turning to Osgood, "Get a team. Analyze the stone dust," she turned to head off, Ayla waving at the girl as they left, taking her mother's hand to pull her on, excited to see what her Aunt Kate had in store. The Doctor sent Osgood a quick wink, making her wheeze and Kate shout, "Inhaler!" back to her as the girl quickly grabbed it and took a deep breath.

~8~

The Time Family and Clara followed Kate through another room that seemed to be a display room of sorts, different objects in cases, portraits on the walls, Ayla was particularly fond of a rainbow colored umbrella off to the side while her father found himself quickly distracted by a fez in a case. He grinned and pulled the glass case off of it to slip the hat on his head.

Clara glanced back at him and sighed, "Someday, you could just walk past a fez."

"Never gonna happen," he pointed at her, "Angel?" he looked at her for confirmation.

"Oh no," she shook her head, zipping her lips, "My lips are sealed," she winked at him.

"Doctor, Angel?" Kate called from the next room over.

They hurried on into it to see it was a lighter room, portraits of landscapes lining the walls…which was confusing as how could a painting of a field be 'too dangerous for public consumption?' But still they eyed the paintings, seeing they were made of Time Lord art as well. There was broken glass shattered all of the floor before one of the paintings.

"As you instructed," a guard reported to Kate, "Nothing has been touched."

She nodded at him and the man left the room as she turned to the Time Lords, "This is why we called you in," she gestured to the painting with the glass before it.

"Another piece of Time Lord Art," Clara assessed.

"Interesting," the Doctor agreed, though he was FAR more interested in the glass on the floor than the frame of the picture.

"Daddy be careful!" Ayla cried as he moved to pick one up.

"I promise sweetheart," he crossed his hearts with his other hand, holding the glass up for them to see, "Do you see where it's broken from? Look at the shatter pattern. The glass on all these paintings has been broken from the inside."

"As you can see," Kate agreed, "All the paintings are landscapes. No figures of any kind."

"So?" the Doctor shook his head as he stood, dropping the piece of glass and tugging Ayla back away from it.

"There WERE figures, weren't there?" Angel looked at Kate, why else would she be telling them about the paintings and then asking them about the images if it wasn't because there used to be something there.

"Yes," Kate nodded, holding up a tablet to the portrait to show them a dark, shadowy figure standing in the distant fields.

"So something's got out the paintings," Clara muttered.

"Lots of somethings," the Doctor sighed, rubbing his head, "Dangerous somethings…"

"This whole place has been searched," Kate countered, "There's nothing here that shouldn't be, and nothing's got out."

"What about something getting IN?" Angel breathed, looking over her shoulder, before a displacement of air sounded and a swirling vortex-like portal opened behind them, exactly where Angel had been looking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh...next chapter we get the Doctors meeting :) Will Angel be in the portal with 11? Won't she? What will their reactions to each other be? All I can say is 10th Doctor Thella fluff ^-^ I hope you liked the tiny tweak to 10 and Elizabeth, since he's Angel's Mate, I couldn't see him even pretending to ask Elizabeth to marry him :)


	66. The Day of the Doctor: Doctors

The small group stood before the swirling portal, staring at it. Kate had a look of concern on her face, knowing all too well that portals and the like hardly ever let anything good through, like those flying metal manta rays from a few Easters ago. Clara was eyeing it as though trying to determine what sort of portal it was, if it was safe, if there were any telltale signs to look for, while Angel tilted her head, trying to get a better sense off of it. The Doctor appeared to be trying to place where he had seen such a portal before, if he had though he felt like he had. It was quite hard to grasp, like a dream that kept drifting away the more he tried to focus on it.

Ayla, though, was staring at it with wide eyed awe, "Daddy…what's that? It's pretty!"

But the Doctor, instead of answering his daughter for the first time in what was likely ever, just groaned, starting to remember where he'd seen the portal before, what had happened because of it, "Oh no, not now."

"Doctor?" Clara frowned at him, gathering from his words that he knew exactly what it was.

"No," the Doctor continued to stare at it, "Not now. I'm busy!"

"Shouting at a swirling portal isn't going to do anything my love," Angel remarked gently, reaching out to take his hand, squeezing it in reassurance. This version of him seemed to love just shouting at things as though it would make a difference…it rarely ever did, but it was quite amusing to watch.

"Is it to do with the paintings?" Kate wondered, trying to find a connection, why else would such a portal appear out of nowhere if not because of the paintings?

"I don't think it is," Angel turned back to it, frowning at it. It was weird, it was like she couldn't get a firm idea of the portal, of why it was there or what would come of it. That hadn't happened in what felt like ages, her not getting a clear feeling on something. She didn't know why it was happening, though the best she could guess was that it had something to do with time. It was a portal through time and because of that events and things could be changed and distort…and…she got the feeling it might be hers and the Doctor's times that would be affected.

"This is different," the Doctor agreed, speaking quietly now, far more quietly and more seriously than they'd ever heard him speak, "I remember this," he whispered, before shrugging, " _Almost_ remember," he eyed it a moment longer, the vaguest recollections starting to come back to him about it. He reached up with his free hand to touch his fez, pulling it off his head to look at it a moment, "Oh, of course," he nodded, "This is where I come in."

The women watched as he threw the fez into the portal…only to dash after it, his hand still held firmly to Angel's pulling her along with him as they ran for the swirling vortex, "Geronimo!" the Doctor shouted as they leapt through it.

"Daddy!" Ayla tried to jolt forward, "Mummy!"

"Ayla no," Clara pulled her back, "Don't…" Clara shook her head and eyed it, "It's meant for one passage only," she told the girl, hugging her close as the girl stared at it in horror of what that could mean for her parents.

She knew why the Doctor had done that, run so suddenly, he HAD to be quick. If he hesitated, Angel would likely see what he was going to do and try to stop him. If he was too slow then it would have given Ayla time to follow them and the man clearly knew that the portal (based on size, shape, color and the edges) was meant for only one single trip in one direction. He had taken Angel with him to help him handle the unknown on the other side, not wanting to risk Ayla's safety if the other side was dangerous. He was trusting HER to keep his daughter safe. And, if worse came to worse, she knew enough of the TARDIS to be able to manually active the emergency protocols that would track and take the box to the pilots.

"Doctor?" she called through the portal, "Angel?"

But the portal was rippling too much for any sound or call to get through it.

~8~

The portal in the woods before the Tenth Doctor flickered golden a moment before two people stepped out of it, a woman with strawberry-blonde hair, in a white and blue striped poncho and pants tucked into boots, and a man with floppy brown hair, green eyes, in a purple coat with a…bowtie? They looked around as he stood up, placing the fez on his head to free his hands.

"Who are they?" the two Elizabeths asked, staring at the young couple.

The Tenth Doctor frowned, eyeing them as well, "That's just what I was wondering."

The Eleventh Doctor froze, looking over at his last self standing there…without Angel, and his hearts stopped. Without Angel was never a good sign, never ever. And…the last time he'd encountered his last self without her had been…in his nightmares. Was this a nightmare? Was this another one? Was all of it just one big dream? Was this man going to set him another impossible challenge?

"Hello Doctor," Angel smiled at the man.

"Do I know you?" he frowned.

And the Eleventh Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, this couldn't be a nightmare, it couldn't be. Given how angry his last self in his head was over what he'd done, how he'd forgotten Angel, the LAST thing he would ever do was claim the same. And for him not to recognize her, he couldn't be in his head, no…that meant…well actually this was probably worse than the Dream Doctor, because this meant it was ACTUALLY his last self standing there.

"Very well," Angel laughed.

The Tenth Doctor glanced at her a moment before turning his attention to the Eleventh Doctor, "Is that a…bowtie?" he grimaced.

"Oh, is that skinny?" the Eleventh Doctor countered, "That is proper skinny. I've never seen it from the outside. It's like a special effect. Oi!" he frowned, seeing the man wearing his beloved fez and rushed over, snatching it right off his own head, "Ha! Matchstick man."

"My love that's rude," Angel walked over to them, linking her arm through the Eleventh Doctor's, "You're being mean to yourself."

The Tenth Doctor's eyes widened, "He's not…" he shook his head, "You can't be…" he blinked at himself before slowly reaching into his pocket, the Eleventh Doctor doing the same, both of them pulling out their sonics and holding them up. The Tenth Doctor pouted seeing that the Eleventh Doctor's was bigger when flicked open and tried to push his own little sonic up but the Eleventh Doctor's was still better, so he resorted to, "Compensating?"

"For what?" the Eleventh Doctor scoffed, putting his sonic away as the Tenth Doctor did the same.

"Regeneration," the Tenth Doctor remarked, "It's a lottery."

"Oh, he's cool. Isn't he cool?" he glanced at Angel, growing irritated and mocking himself father feebly, knowing that to insult the man was to insult himself as well, "I'm the Doctor and I'm all cool. Oops, I'm wearing sandshoes!" he pointed at the Tenth Doctor's feet.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," the Tenth Doctor shook his head, before pointing at Angel, "…Angel?"

Angel smiled warmly at him, "Hello my love."

The Tenth Doctor let out a breath, "You regenerated?" he felt quite…guilty about that. His mind went right to how it had to be his fault, it was always his fault when a companion or another important person to him died. Always. What had he done that had led Angel, his sweet Angel, to die and regenerate? Did he even want to know? That was Angel's thing, the future…

"Mhmm," she nodded, "I like this one though," she looked down at herself.

"I do too," the Eleventh Doctor grinned, moving to wind an arm around her waist instead, tugging her closer to kiss her temple, "My Mate."

"My Madman," she winked at him.

"What are you both doing here?" the Tenth Doctor had to ask, "I'm busy."

"Oh, busy," the Eleventh Doctor looked back at him, past him, at the Elizabeths, "I see. Is that what we're calling it, eh? Eh? Tell me, where's YOUR Angel right now?"

"In the castle," he nodded to the side where they could barely make out the top of a castle through the threes, "Elizabeth, one of them anyway wanted to give her a dress and well," he smiled, thinking about it, "She DOES love to dress up…"

"I still do," Angel winked at him, "Not ever going to change, me wanting to dress up for you."

The Tenth Doctor grinned widely at that as the Eleventh Doctor blushed, but then one of the Elizabeths called out, "Doctor who ARE they!?"

The Tenth Doctor sighed and turned to answer, when there was a whoosh of air behind them. They turned to see the same swirling, vortex-like portal appear in the air behind them. Immediately both Doctors pulled out glasses, the Tenth Doctor with his brainy specks, the Eleventh Doctor with the Pond's reading glasses, both of them looking at each other with little grins for it. Angel laughed and shook her head at them.

"Very dashing," Angel complimented.

"Thanks," both Doctor smiled, before turning to each other with a cry of, "She was talking to me! No, not you. Me!"

Angel had to laugh at that, "I meant both of you. I always think you look handsome and dashing and foxy…"

"Just like you're beautiful and lovely and astounding," the Eleventh Doctor winked at her.

"What is that?" the other Elizabeth frowned at it.

The Tenth Doctor winced, recalling that the two queens were still there, in his defense it was rather difficult to remember something like that when Angel was right in front of him, any incarnation f her, they were all so beautiful. He turned to the two queens, "Your Majesties. Probably a good time to run."

"But what about the creature?" they both asked.

"Elizabeth, whichever one of you is the real one," the Tenth Doctor began, the Eleventh Doctor covering Angel's mouth as she opened it to tell the Tenth Doctor exactly which one was real, "Turn and run in the opposite direction to the other one."

"Of course," they agreed, before turning to take off in opposite directions, leaving the three Time Lords alone.

"Thank god we've got Angel to think about," the Tenth Doctor sighed with relief, turning back to them, "I was afraid she'd try to marry me or something."

"Yes…why ARE we here again?" the Eleventh Doctor eyed him cautiously, not quite sure if this might just be an elaborate scheme given that he couldn't quite remember this happening clearly.

"Got a distress call from somewhere around here and touched down, ran into the queen, literally, and well, Angel worked her natural charm," he winked at Angel.

"Oi! No winking at MY Mate."

"MY Mate too," the Tenth Doctor reminded him, "I AM you."

"So I can go winking at YOUR Angel then?"

"Don't you dare," the Tenth Doctor glared, till the Eleventh Doctor gave him a pointed look, "Alright fine, I flirt with MY Angel, and YOU flirt with yours, deal?"

"Deal," the Eleventh Doctor shook his hand.

Angel frowned a moment, "Zygons…they're the ones that look like a big rubber ball in the shape of a person, covered in suckers, with yellow spit yes?" they nodded, "Don't they have venom too?"

the Eleventh Doctor grinned, "Yup!" he cheered, "Venom sacs in the tongue," he let out a whistle, "Good think you had Angel, if you DID marry Elizabeth, well…that would be one hell of a 'you may kiss the bride, eh?"

"Yeah, I'm getting the point, thank you," the Tenth Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Doctor, is that you?" Clara's voice called through the portal, "Angel? What's going on?"

"Ah, hello, Clara!" the Eleventh Doctor called back, "Can you hear us?"

"Ayla?" Angel added, "Are you there sweetheart?"

"Yeah, it's me," Clara replied, "We're both here."

"We can hear you," Ayla called to them, "But where are you? Where did you go?"

"England, 1562," Angel called just as the Tenth Doctor went to open his mouth, he couldn't help but smile at that, at how confident she'd been in stating the place and year. He could tell this new her was remarkably confident and secure and mature. Which wasn't all that different from his Angel, he was sure, because his Angel was just as perfect.

"Who are you talking to?" Clara asked.

"Myself," both Doctors answered.

"Can you come back through?" Kate wondered.

"Physical passage may not be possible in both directions," the Eleventh Doctor sighed, "It's…" he looked at the fez on his head and pulled it off, "Ah! Hang on. Fez incoming!" he kissed it quickly and tossed it into the portal, the three of them falling silent a moment.

"Nothing here," Clara reported.

The Tenth Doctor frowned, "So where did it go?"

~8~

The War Doctor gently picked up the fez, his eyes on the portal though. Despite not being able to see what was happening through it, he could still hear it, he could still hear others talking on the other side.

"Who's he talking to?" he heard the woman with the raspy voice ask.

"He said himself," the girl with the sort of high voice answered.

"He does that a lot," the little girl added.

"Oi!" both of the men shouted back to them as he brushed off the fez and stood, eyeing the portal.

If that was a window to his future as the interface had mentioned then…perhaps those were people he knew, perhaps they were…friends. Or…perhaps there was a chance that they were surviving Time Lords! If he could just be sure that even the smallest amount of hope remained for the future of their people he would step through that portal without a moment's hesitation and greet it.

"Be polite," the interface called as he looked back to see her sitting down and smiling at him softly, "When you greet them. You want to go through, you want to see that future. Trust me," she winked, "It'll be…quite nice to meet them."

~8~

Kate nodded to herself as she stood behind Clara and Ayla in the Under Gallery, "Keep him talking," she ordered the girl lightly, Clara giving her a mock-salute, Ayla mimicking her, that had Kate rolling her eyes at how much Clara and Ayla were like the Doctor before she turned to go, pulling out her mobile as she left them in that section of the gallery, "Malcolm?" she called when the call picked up, "Malcolm, I need you to send me one of my father's incident files. Codenamed Cromer. 70s or 80s depending on the dating protocol…" she paused, "Yes, it's for the Doctor and Angel…" she let out a small laugh and a smile, "Yes, I'll be sure to tell them that you still love them, thanks."

She ended the call, slipping her phone back into her pocket as she turned the corner, not even seeing the rather thick, humanoid shadow appear on the wall, small bumps all over it…like suction cups, watching her go…

~8~

"Ok," the Tenth Doctor nodded, staring at the portal, "You used to be me, you've done all this before. What happens next?"

"I don't remember," the Eleventh Doctor murmured.

The Tenth Doctor stared at him, alarmed, "How can you forget this?"

"Hey, hang on. It's not my fault. You're obviously not paying enough attention. Reverse the polarity!" they both turned and aimed their sonics at the port, but thing happened, "It's not working."

"Because 2 is an even number," Angel remarked, watching them, FAR too amused than was probably safe she determined.

"We're both reversing the polarity," the Tenth Doctor realized.

"Yes," the Eleventh Doctor sighed, "I know that."

"There's two of us. I'm reversing it, you're reversing it back again. We're confusing the polarity."

"I…don't think it's just you," Angel murmured and then, a moment later a man dropped out of the portal, landing in a kneel before he slowly stood up to face them, the two Doctors stiffening at the sight and trying to push Angel behind them, though she too was staring at the older man, recognizing him.

"Anyone lose a fez?" the War Doctor asked, holding up a fez.

"You," the Tenth Doctor breathed, shaking his head, completely stunned, "How can you be here? More to the point, why are you here?"

But the man just smiled at them, putting his arms behind his back, "Good afternoon. I'm looking for the Doctor."

"Well," the Tenth Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor exchanged a glance, "You've certainly come to the right place."

"Good. Right."

Angel smiled a bit, moving to the Eleventh Doctor's side despite the man flailing a bit, trying to keep her behind him and protected, both he and the Tenth Doctor seeing a danger in him that they knew she wouldn't see. She would merely see him, the Doctor, and not exactly which Doctor he was, even though they knew she was well aware, "Hello Doctor," she greeted, "It's very nice to meet you, I'm Angel."

"Hello my dear," he gave her a small nod, but the two men didn't add themselves, just…stared at the woman as though they couldn't believe she was speaking to him, "Well, who are you boys?" they looked at him as though he should know, "Oh, of course. Are you his companions?"

"His companions?" the Eleventh Doctor frowned.

"They get younger all the time."

"I love it when they do," Angel winked at the Eleventh Doctor, making him grin, slowly putting him at ease. If SHE was being this calm around THAT Doctor, then perhaps there was something more here.

"Well, if you could point me in the general direction of the Doctor?" the War Doctor continued…until the two men before him both pulled out sonic screwdrivers…a sonic that only one man would ever have, "Really?"

"Yeah," the Eleventh Doctor nodded.

"Really," the Tenth Doctor agreed.

"You're me?" the older man looked between them, almost like he couldn't believe it, "Both of you?"

"Yep."

"Even that one?"

"Yes!" the Eleventh Doctor cried, almost offended.

"You're my future selves?"

"Yes!" they both rolled their eyes.

"Am I having a midlife crisis?"

"Oh I don't know," Angel remarked with a bit of a laugh, "I rather love this one," she linked her arm through the Eleventh Doctor's, "He's my favorite."

"Oi!" the Tenth Doctor pouted.

"Well, he's MY Doctor," Angel explained, "I'm sure your me would say the same for you."

The Tenth Doctor had to nod at that, that did make sense. He started to smile at that thought, how HIS Angel would say HE was her favorite…when he suddenly spun to the side, both he and the Eleventh Doctor holding up their sonics at the War Doctor threateningly when he took a step towards them.

"Why are you pointing your screwdrivers like that?" the War Doctor seemed more confused than threatened by the action though, "They're scientific instruments, not water pistols," he watched them carefully as they put the sonics away, glancing at each other then at him with wide, dread filled eyes, "Look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well they have," Angel remarked, "YOU are their past incarnation, their very own ghost."

"Still," the Tenth Doctor shrugged, "Loving the posh gravelly thing. It's very convincing."

The Eleventh Doctor scoffed at that, "Brave words, Dick van Dyke."

Angel opened her mouth to warn them that guards were about to surround them when the men actually did, "Encircle them!" one of the men shouted, the soldiers forming a circle around them, the War Doctor watching curiously as both the Tenth Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor pulled Angel behind them, this sonics out as though weapons to protect her, it was a rather odd gesture, he felt, to be THAT driven to protect the woman that they'd attempt using a SONIC as a weapon, "Which of you is the Doctor? The Queen of England is bewitched. I would have the Doctor's head."

"Well, this has all the makings of your lucky day," the War Doctor muttered.

~8~

Clara blinked and frowned as she listened in, glancing back as Kate entered the room again, "I think there's three of them now."

"There are," Ayla told her, "I wish mummy's past self would hurry up and get there too!"

"Your mum's got a past self there too?" she hadn't been entirely sure as they spoke but Ayla nodded, "Brilliant," Clara breathed a sigh of relief, 2 Angels should be able to handle 3 Doctors till she could get her and Ayla there.

"There's a precedent for that," Kate told her.

~8~

The head of the guard looked up, hearing Kate speak, "What is that?"

"Oh, the pointing again," the War Doctor muttered, shaking his head t his future selves and their sonics, "They're screwdrivers! What are you going to do, assemble a cabinet at them?"

Angel frowned a bit at that, 'Remind me never to introduce HIM to River,' she remarked to the Eleventh Doctor, making him grimace at the thought.

"That thing, what witchcraft is it?" the head guard demanded.

"It's…" Angel began, when the Eleventh Doctor gave her a quick peck to silence her, winking at her to trust him.

"That is witchcraft," the Eleventh Doctor agreed, turning to the portal, "Yes, yes, yes. Witchy witchcraft. Hello?" he called out, "Hello in there. Excuse me. Hello!"

~8~

"Am I talking to the wicked witch of the well?" the Eleventh Doctor's voice echoed in the Gallery.

"That's you, Aunt Clara," Ayla whispered to her, getting the Caliburn house reference.

"Why am I the witch?" Clara made an offended noise at that.

"Clara?" Angel called, "If you could humor him please?"

Clara sighed, she'd get him for this later, "Hello?" she called out.

"Clara, hi, hello," the Eleventh Doctor laughed, "Hello. Would you mind telling these prattling mortals to get themselves begone?"

She nodded, "What he said."

Ayla gave a small giggle, "You need to do better than that Aunt Clara."

"Yes, tiny bit more color," the Eleventh Doctor agreed.

"Right," she sighed, clearing her throat, "Prattling mortals, off you pop, or I'll turn you all into frogs?"

"Ooh, frogs!" the Eleventh Doctor tried to sound spooky but it just made her and Ayla smiled, "Nice. You heard her."

"Doctor, what's going on?"

~8~

"It's a timey-wimey thing," the Eleventh Doctor waved Clara off.

"Timey what?" the War Doctor shook his head at him, sounding almost offended he'd said something so childish, "Timey-wimey?"

"I've no idea where he picks that stuff up," the Tenth Doctor remarked innocently.

"Liar," Angel smiled at him, "YOU taught him it, YOU taught yourself it actually."

The Tenth Doctor winced and rubbed his ear, being caught out, "Yeah…"

Luckily the rest of his defense was cut off when the soldiers fell to their knees, shouting, "The Queen. The Queen!"

Elizabeth paused and eyed the quartet as they stood, "You don't seem to be kneeling. How tremendously brave of you."

"Which one are you?" the Tenth Doctor eyed her, not seeing the Eleventh Doctor taking Angel's hand and subtly shake his head as she moved to answer, an amused glint in his eye though the War Doctor saw it and frowned, "What happened to the other one?"

"Indisposed," the woman grinned, "Long live the Queen."

"Long live the Queen!" the soldiers agreed.

"Arrest these four," she ordered, "Take them to the Tower."

"That is not the Queen of England, that's an alien duplicate!" the Tenth Doctor attempted.

Angel blinked and looked at the Tenth Doctor, "Did that work when you tried it on the Prime Minister when the Slitheen were hiding in them?"

The Tenth Doctor winced, "Yes…right…" no it hadn't.

"Wait a minute," the Eleventh Doctor's eyes widened as an idea hit him, "The Tower! Did you say the Tower? Love the Tower. Breakfast at eight, please. Will there be Wi-Fi?"

"Are you capable of speaking without flapping your hands about?" the War Doctor looked at him, exasperated.

"Yes."

"No," Angel laughed, reaching out to take his hand, "We would like to be incarcerated in the Tower immediately please," she looked at the guards.

' _Taking command eh?_ ' the Eleventh Doctor beamed at her, sending her a playful look that made her blush, ' _Love it._ '

"With our co-conspirators Sandshoes and Granddad," the Eleventh Doctor added.

"Granddad?" the War Doctor gaped at him.

' _Oh that won't be at all confusing for Ayla,_ ' Angel sighed with a little laugh, she could only imagine how their daughter would fare with 3 versions of her father there and 2 of her mother.

"They're not sandshoes!" the Tenth Doctor rolled his eyes.

The War Doctor glanced down at them, "Yes, they are."

"Silence," Elizabeth hissed, "The Tower is not to be taken lightly."

~8~

Kate frowned as she Clara and Ayla stood in the Under Gallery, Ayla being held in Clara's arms as she clutched the woman, hearing the talk of her parents being sent to the Tower, it must be very jarring for the girl. While it was not at all what it was in the modern day, the girl knew enough of history to know what the Tower represented back then.

"Very few emerge again," Elizabeth HAD to add, making Ayla cling to Clara tighter as the woman tried to reassure the girl that her parents would be alright.

Oh Ayla KNEW they'd be fine, but…knowing an outcome was one thing, not knowing how they got to it was another. She didn't know how her mother did it, felt something, felt the end result but had no idea what led up to it. She could tell her parents would be ok in the end, but did that mean they wouldn't be ok before the end? Would they be hurt while they were there? Would something happen to them before the good end came? How long would it be before the good end happened?

"Dear God, that man's clever!" Kate's eyes widened, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Clara frowned at her as Kate turned to go, leaving Clara little choice but to rush after her.

"My office, otherwise known as the Tower of London."

Clara frowned as she watched the woman head off…that…wasn't like she thought the woman would be. When the Doctor and Angel had first fallen through the portal, the woman had helped her hold Ayla back, had offered her a hug, a gentle hand, reassurances that it would be alright…but here she was just walking off without more than a few words of explanation. She got the impression that the Kate she was following…wasn't quite the Kate that had left.

And given how Ayla had gone to HER, and kept with her, she got the feeling that even Ayla could sense that as well. Well that wouldn't do at all, no, she had promised herself she would keep her family safe, she'd keep the Time Family safe. She would protect Ayla and, no matter what, she would see the girl returned to her parents.

~8~

"Come on, you lot," the warden of the Tower shouted as he shoved the small group of Time Lords into the cell, "Get in there."

"Ow," the War Doctor murmured as he was pushed nearly into the wall, but the only sound that came from the warden was the sound of him shutting the door.

11 looked around and spotted a metal nail on the ground. He smiled and walked over to one of the pillars that Angel was leaning against, her finger absently tracing a set of numbers along a clear portion of it. He grinned and made his way over to her, kissing her temple before he began to scratch the traced numbers into the stone.

"Three of us in one cell?" 11 whistled, "That's going to cause some nasty anomalies if we don't get out soon."

"It'll end up cancelling out the time differential, slower than in the TARDIS but if we don't hurry you," she looked at the Tenth Doctor and the War Doctor, "Might end up growing older."

The Tenth Doctor nodded, before frowning at what his future self was doing, "What are you doing?"

"Getting us out," 11 answered.

The Tenth Doctor was about to ask how that was possible when he heard a sonic whir. He looked over to the side to see that a the War Doctor was flashing his own red-tipped sonic along the door, "The sonic won't work on that, it's too primitive."

"Shall we ask for a better quality of door so we can escape?" 11 asked amused.

"Rude," Angel whispered under her breath to him, making him wink at her.

"Ok," the Tenth Doctor shook his head, needing to sort through it all, "The Queen of England is now a Zygon. But never mind that. Why are we all together? Why are we all here? Well, me and Chinny, we were surprised…"

"Angel's psychic," 11 added, "So there's no fooling her."

"But you came looking for us," the Tenth Doctor remarked to the War doctor, "You knew it was going to happen. Who told you?"

The War Doctor looked past them to see the hologram of the woman standing beside Angel, smiling at him.

"Oi!" 11 stopped nodding along with the Tenth Doctor to glare at him, "Chinny?"

"Yeah," the Tenth Doctor shrugged, "You DO have a chin."

~8~

Osgood stood in the Under Gallery, in the statue room that the Doctor and the others had walked through to get to the main gallery, the room that had all the stone dust he'd asked them to analyze. Normally she wouldn't really want to, she was FAR more interested in learning all about the aliens and different technologies and sciences and so many things that Kate had taken her under her wing to show her. She had always dreamed of the stars, of seeing them, of seeing the wonders of the Universe, ever since she'd been a little girl, when they'd all first learned that they weren't alone given all the alien attacks. She had been one of the few that weren't scared of them but just completely excited and interested and eager to learn about them. She had always been different, with her glasses and her asthma and her 'plain' fashion sense and style, most people looked at her and didn't see anything worthwhile or interesting. It had always made her look closer at the things that appeared ordinary, to see the wonder in them, so to see something extraordinary…well…she often needed her inhaler.

And now, to have gotten the chance not just to meet the Doctor (THE Doctor!) but his Mate and daughter too, their current companion well…that had just made her entire life! Just the few moments she'd spent around them had been etched permanently in her mind and she was just…completely thrilled that they had given her a chance to help them in some way, even if it was just by analyzing dust.

"Marble," she began to list, "Granite. A lot of different stone, but…" she frowned, looking at some other facts she'd gathered, "None of it from the fabric of the building."

When she'd seen the stone dust, she'd gathered what it was. But she'd gone beyond that. She wanted to prove she belonged in UNIT, and she knew that it meant not just doing what someone asked, but giving them even more. The Doctor had wanted to know what the dust was…SHE was going to give him what the dust was and where it came from. However that last detail was proving more difficult. She'd taken samples of the walls as well, of the ceiling, of the floor. What else could it be? The statues were all completely whole as could be seen by how they were all still in position and their proper heights. The tests had come back to say that the stone composition of the floor and walls and ceiling were not marble or granite or any of the other rock used.

So where had this particular dust come from? Well, actually that was rather simple as well too.

"It's like somebody smashed up a lot of old statues," she was quite certain about that as she was familiar with what sort of things Marble and Granite were used for, statues. But…the statues were just fine…weren't they? They were all there right? She looked over at McGillop as he'd come to accompany her, "Are there any missing?"

McGillop glanced around, doing a quick count in his head, before shaking it, "Don't think so. Why would anyone do that, anyway?" he frowned, "I mean, I know we're meant to keep an open mind, but are we supposed to believe in creatures that can hide in oil paintings…" Osgood stiffened at that, "And have some sort of a grudge against statues?" he glanced at the girl to see her standing there, rigid, her eyes wide in fear, "You alright?"

Osgood swallowed hard, pulling out her inhaler and using it, her hands shaking despite how hard she was trying to remain calm. McGillop's words had given her an epiphany, when he'd talked about hiding in oil paintings, in plain sight essentially…it had made her think of something else that was in plain sight…all around them…right that very moment.

The statues.

Never ever underestimate a statue, that had been one of Martha Jones' notes in her files that recounted her adventures with the Doctor and Angel. It had gone on to describe an event with a creature called the Weeping Angel, an alien that appeared to be a stone statue, unable to move while it was being observed, but the moment someone blinked, it was able to get you and send you back in time. The idea of a statue coming to life…of the aliens hiding somewhere they hadn't thought to look well…they hadn't thought to look at the statues. Why bother when they all appeared accounted for…

And they were, but on the ground.

"We have to go," she told the man, "Right now, this minute."

"What's wrong?" he frowned, almost unable to hear her she was speaking so quietly, almost under her breath, as though she were trying to convey something to him without other ears hearing her.

"The things from the paintings. I know why they smashed the statues."

"Why?"

"Because they needed somewhere to hide," she tried to reach out and grab his hand, to pull him back with her and out of the room, but the 'statues' quickly pulled off the cloths that were covering them, revealing hideous purplish creatures with what looked like suckers all over their bodies and no necks, with yellow teeth that appeared more the work of their (what looked like) yellow saliva than staining. Osgood screamed as they hissed and attacked McGillop first, forcing her to turn and run out of the room.

She ran as fast as she could, out of the statue room, out of the Under Gallery entirely and into the National Gallery, slamming the door shut behind her, the door that was really the portrait of the Doctor, Angel, and the Queen…unfortunately the Zygon chasing her smashed a fist right through it, right through the head of the beloved monarch, hissing and spitting as it worked its way out of the Under Gallery. She screamed and ran around the corner, right to the lift, the stairs being too far away for her to make it to without passing the Zygon after her. She pushed the button but the device didn't move. She gasped and backed away, moving to the corner of the room and sliding down it.

"The Doctor and Angel will save me," she murmured over and over, squeezing her eyes shut, clutching her hands to her chest in prayer to the Lonely God and his Angel, "The Doctor and Angel will save me. They'll save me. They'll save me. The Doctor and Angel will save me…"

"Excuse me," someone that sounded remarkably like her spoke. She gasped and opened her eyes to see the Zygon had somehow transformed…into HER! There as another her standing before her, smirking darkly down at her as she sat huddled on the ground, "I'm going to need my inhaler," the Zygon told her, leaning over to snatch it from her hands, sighing mockingly at her as she straightened, seeming to be examining her, sizing her up, and finding her quite lacking, "I so hate it when I get one with a defect. Ooh," she laughed bitterly, "You've got some perfectly horrible memories in here, haven't you?" she tapped her head, "So jealous of your pretty sister. I don't blame you," she scoffed, "I wish I'd copied her."

Osgood set her jaw and glared up at the alien, "So do I!" she snapped and yanked at her scarf, the same scarf that the Zygon was standing on the end of, sending the alien falling back onto its bum. She scrambled to her feet, grabbing her inhaler and rushing off, beating a hasty escape.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" the Zygon muttered, irritated, before pushing itself up to hunt herself down.

~8~

Clara glanced at 'Kate' out of the corner of her eye as she sat in the black car Kate had called to take them from the Gallery to the Tower, Ayla curled up on her lap, with her arms around the little girl, listening to Kate give instructions to someone as the car pulled to a stop and they got out, "The Doctor will be trying to send us a message. We're looking for a string of numerals from around 1550, approximately. Priority One. I'm going to need access to the Black Archive."

"What's the Black Archive?" Clara called as she followed Kate into the tower, feeling Ayla tense in her arms, the girl not seeming comfortable not being held at the moment, which she knew meant that the events that would be coming were going to be ones that wouldn't make the girl any more comfortable.

"The Black Archive is an area designated to hold all the most deadly and time-altering pieces of alien technology and weapons that have been collected through the years," Kate explained, leading them down a dark hallway lit only by small, round, lights that were set into the walls, "Highest security rating on the planet. The entire staff have their memories wiped at the end of every shift," she pointed up at small circular things spaced out in the ceiling, "Automated memory filters in the ceiling," she turned to a guard as he stood from behind a desk, "Access, please."

"Ma'am," the man nodded as Kate held out a key to him.

"Atkins, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled at being recognized, "First day here."

Kate nodded at him, smiling…until his back was turned and she whispered to them, "Been here ten years."

Clara gave a tense nod at that, she…wasn't particularly fond of that, of the thought of memory loss. She could remember something about a Memory Worm from when she'd been a governess in Victorian London, she could remember the fear she'd felt in thinking that someone would be tampering with her mind in such a way, that they'd be able to make her think something different, think something hadn't happened and erase it from her mind. She knew that the Doctor and Angel shared similar sentiments.

Angel especially hated any sort of memory tampering. They'd told her about it, about the time that the Doctor had forgotten Angel was his Mate, and she could only imagine the hell that must have been. Given what she'd gleamed from comments and other things…Angel had been pregnant at the time, which must have been doubly hard for her to bear. And then adding in that River woman and how she had tried to 'put the moves on' the Doctor…it had to have been pure hell for Angel. As a result, Angel seemed to truly hate anything that affected the memory of someone else. She doubted Angel would be very pleased to learn about those methods of protection that UNIT employed.

The Doctor was…trickier to determine. It had been HIS memory that had been tampered with, she would have thought that meant he'd be the one that was truly and completely against ever doing that to someone else…yet he HAD been willing (and been the instigator) to use the Memory Worm on her Victorian self. She could understand it though, he would do anything to protect his family and erasing a memory to protect someone as opposed to try and selfishly gain some sort of weapon or hurt someone…that was different. And, to be fair, it was just one hour of her memory the Doctor had been talking about, not entire chunks of it. She felt bad for the man, Atkins though, he was essentially reliving the same day, over and over and over again, and that was no way to live.

Perhaps she ought to bring this up to the Doctor and Angel, see if they couldn't talk some sense into Kate and get her to stop utilizing such a device. She knew if she didn't bring it up, Ayla certainly would as the little girl was looking up at the devices with a small pout on her face, a rather unhappy expression.

"Lock and key?" she asked, trying to get off the topic of memory loss for the moment, "Bit basic, isn't it?"

"Can't afford electronic security down here," Kate explained as she took the key back and they stepped into the Black Archive, what was like a large warehouse filled with odds and ends, a pair of red heels, the painting of 'No More' settled in the back, and quite a few other boxes.

"To keep daddy out?" Ayla frowned at her,

Kate nodded, "The whole of the Tower is TARDIS-proofed."

"Daddy won't like that…" Ayla warned her, "Mummy REALLY won't like it. She hates when people make Aunt Idris's life difficult."

"We need to protect the artifacts," Kate tried to explain, "The Doctor…really wouldn't approve of the collection and we need to ensure he doesn't learn about it."

Clara frowned at that, "You're planning to mind wipe us after aren't you?"

"I'm afraid so," she sighed.

Clara set Ayla down, taking the girl's hand to slightly step before her, staring Kate down, no longer Clara the Companion, but Aunt Clara, sister of the Doctor, "You really think that's a good idea? To tamper with the mind of the Doctor and Angel's daughter?" she gave Kate a hard look, "You honestly think that wise?"

"It is necessary," Kate defended.

"Is it?" Clara scoffed, "You can't possibly think that the Doctor won't realize that we've huge gaps in our memory, that we both can't remember the entire time they were in 1562? Even if the Doctor doesn't notice, Angel will sense it. So you tell me why you feel the need to do it."

"We can't have information about the Archive falling into the wrong hands," Kate sighed, "So we take extreme measures to ensure that that can't happen. The consequences could be disastrous."

"Aunt Clara," Ayla cut in when Clara moved to argue with Kate.

The argument was rather well balanced, that KATE knew about it, Kate's memory wasn't being erased over and over and if she thought that Clara wouldn't give her life and hold her silence on whatever she knew about the Time Family or Gallifrey or even the future then she was entirely wrong. She had lived 13 lives, she was as close to a Time Lady as any human could get without physically turning into one and she knew more than she would guess Kate even did.

"What is it cutie pie?" Clara looked at the girl.

"It'll be alright," Ayla told her, giving her a meaningful look that she knew meant that their memories would NOT be erased. She didn't know how or why or when but just that they would leave there with their memories unaltered.

Clara looked back at Kate, about to say one final statement instead of arguing, when something over the woman's shoulder caught her gaze, a small wrist device sitting on a display in a small room, "That's a Vortex Manipulator yeah?" she squinted at it, taking a step past Kate to look at it through a window, "Blimey, I haven't seen one of them in ages! Not since I was a Time Agent…in the…future? Ok, that sounded better in my head," she muttered.

Ayla giggled at that, "You sounded just like daddy," she poked Clara in the side.

"Well he's my brother," she joked, returning the poke to Ayla's stomach, "I should sound like him eh?"

"It was bequeathed to the UNIT archive by Captain Jack Harkness on the occasion of his death," Kate explained, which made Ayla frown, she knew her Uncle Jack…he would NEVER give UNIT his beloved Manipulator…which made her feel like that wasn't his, it was someone else's. Her uncle Jack, secretly, he'd promised to give HER his Manipulator when she was old enough or when he decided to really retire, so for it to be there…it didn't make sense, "Well, one of them. No one can know we have this, not even our allies."

"Well of course not," Clara looked at her, "Imagine the consequences if anyone was given access to time travel! Just to be a Time Agent too years of study and training and understanding the concept of time, the fixed points and still points and the progression of cause to affect being more like a…"

"Big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff?" Ayla blinked up at her.

"Not quite what I was going to say," Clara laughed, "But why not."

Ayla grinned at that and looked back at the Manipulator, "Is that how we'll save mummy and daddy?" she asked Kate as the woman unlocked the door to the small holding room and allowed them in to look at the manipulator closely.

"Perhaps," Kate nodded.

Clara reached out and picked up the Manipulator, fiddling with it in her hands, checking the readings of it. She shook her head, "There's not enough power for a two-way trip," she gave her report, "And it doesn't seem to be acti…" she glanced at Kate, "DO you have the activation code?"

"Don't you have one Aunt Clara?" Ayla looked up at her.

Clara frowned, "No," and she really didn't, every Manipulator was different and coded differently per Agent assigned to it.

"Angel knew we had this, she warned the Doctor and they've kept the code from us," Kate added, "Let's hope they change their minds," she pulled out her phone as it rang, her eye on Clara as she leaned over to show Ayla the manipulator, putting it on her own wrist in demonstration of how it was worn, how far up or down on the wrist, "Yes?" she answered, "Well, if you've found it, photograph it and send it to my phone."

Clara frowned, seeing Ayla stiffen a bit and glance over her shoulder, fearful. She straightened and followed the girl's gaze to see her looking towards the main doors to the Archive, where Osgood and McGillop were entering. She frowned…that wasn't right at all. Kate had just spent ample time defining how well guarded the Archive was, how it was the most secure place ever…yet two UNIT scientists just waltzed on in. She could tell that Osgood was quite young, she most certainly would NOT have had access to an archive such as this, neither would McGillop…so why were they there.

"Er, Kate?" Clara began, subtly pushing Ayla behind her, just knowing that something bad was about to happen, "Should they be here? Why have they followed us?"

"Hmm?" Kate looked at her before turning to smile at the two others approaching a bit too slowly, "Oh, they've probably just finished disposing of the humans a bit early."

"Humans?" Clara gave her a look.

Kate eyed her back and sighed, realizing they'd been found out, "Dear me. I really do get into character, don't I?"

Ayla tugged Clara back suddenly, managing to avoid a bit of yellow liquid that Kate had spit at them, the liquid hissing as it hit the ground, clearly some sort of poison or venom or something. They looked up to see Kate smirking, her teeth yellow before she transformed into a purplish creature with suckers on its body and no neck, a Zygon.

"The Under Gallery is secured," the Osgood Zygon reported.

Clara glanced back at Ayla and put a finger to her lips, creeping forward as the Kate-Zygon turned to the others, sneaking up to the phone that was lying on the base of the display that had held the Manipulator. She quickly glanced at the open message Kate had gotten, a series of 6 numbers. She grinned and stepped back to Ayla's side, starting to put them into the Manipulator, already having memorized them. If there was one thing to be said about remembering her life as a Time Lady, her memory had bettered considerably.

"Prepare to dispose of one more human and a Time Child," the Kate-Zygon continued, "We have acquired the device!"

They turned, ready to attack…only to see Clara standing there, Ayla clutching her around her middle as she held up her wrist, the Manipulator on it, "Thanks for the activation code," she winked and hit a button, she and Ayla disappearing in a flash of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was debating having Angel's past self appear here or next chapter, the way I have her enter, it fit better next ;)


	67. The Day of the Doctor: Angels

The Eleventh Doctor stood before the pillar still scratching his message into the stone while Angel wandered around, examining the different things that other prisoners had etched into the walls over time. She glanced at the door, she could easily teleport them out of the cell, could even blast through the wooden board if need be but…she knew that the Doctor, HER Doctor, didn't want her to. He remembered quite vividly the terror his last self had felt when Angel had used the Vortex before they'd learned about how it had been meant to be hers to wield. He remembered how he had believed her capable of using it, that it wouldn't hurt her…till Mars.

Mars had…terrified him, completely terrified him, to see her still overpowered by the Vortex, to be confronted by the sheer power of it and what it could do…what it could do to HER. He didn't want to alarm the Tenth Doctor by having her use the Vortex, but she knew…Mars had nothing to do with it for the Tenth Doctor. The Eleventh Doctor was under the impression that his past self had just come from Mars, was convinced that the Tenth Doctor must have gone on a trip with her before they dealt with the 456 for it was clear that with all the Doctors here none of the past ones would remember this event, but…SHE knew the truth. She knew exactly where the Tenth Doctor was in his timeline…and Mars was not what the Tenth Doctor would be worried about.

No…he'd be terrified to see the Vortex was still inside her.

"In theory," the War Doctor began, examining the door with his sonic, "I can trigger an isolated sonic shift among the molecules, and the door should disintegrate…"

But the Tenth Doctor shook his head, "We'd have to calculate the exact harmonic resonance of the entire structure down to a sub-atomic level. Even the sonic would take years."

"No, no," the man sighed, realizing the truth in that as he turned to sit weary on a small bench beside the door, "The sonic would take centuries."

"349 years, 11 months, 7 days, 16 hours, and 4 minutes actually," Angel remarked, still just absently looking at the etchings in the walls. She paused, sensing the gazes of two people on her as she turned her head to see the War Doctor and the Tenth Doctor staring at her, the Tenth Doctor more a bit fond at her guess while the War Doctor seemed more disinclined to believe she was accurate in it. And so she shrugged, "Give or take a year or two."

"Or none," the Eleventh Doctor called, "You've never been wrong yet," he winked at her, making her smile.

The Tenth Doctor eyed them oddly, he knew the woman was Angel, he knew the man was his future self but…they acted nothing like him and HIS Angel did. He could hardly stand to NOT touch her, to be apart from her. If they were in the same room together, his Angel would be in his arms, at his side, not…on the other end of the room. What? Had the fire fizzled out or something?

"It's complicated," Angel called.

The men looked at each other, "What is?" the War Doctor asked.

She blinked and turned to them, "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes," all three spoke.

"Right, sorry," she winced apologetically, "You were worried about us," she looked at the Tenth Doctor.

"What?" the Eleventh Doctor scoffed, turning to that particular past incarnation, "Worried about what?"

"US," Angel emphasized, gesturing between him and her, a small smile on her face, "He's concerned about how far apart we are."

The Eleventh Doctor blinked, and then started to laugh, "Trust me mate," he winked at the Tenth Doctor, "We love her more than ever, times eleven."

Angel nodded, "It's not the fire you need to worry about."

The Tenth Doctor frowned at that, both relieved to hear that Angel herself was alright with the distance, hearing himself reassure him that their love for Angel hadn't faded but grown stronger, and also…worried that there WAS something keeping them apart. Angel had implied that the fire wasn't what was of a concern…which meant there had to be something else.

The Eleventh Doctor turned back to the scratching, realizing that they'd given away the fact that there WAS something wrong without meaning to. It wasn't…wrong…per say, it was more…He sighed, he didn't know how to describe it. He was dealing with his nightmares (nightmares featuring the man behind him trying to steal his Mate away) and Angel was dealing with the Vortex trying to control her again. It was…difficult to be able to commit one's self entirely to another person when things like that were always constantly lingering in the mind.

"How did you know that?" the War Doctor asked before the Tenth Doctor could even open his mouth to comment.

Angel looked at him, "I'm psychic," she told him, before returning her attention to the Tenth Doctor, "You were right, all along, you were right about me," she told him, knowing he needed to hear it, "I AM psychic, I AM a precog, and I AM a Visionary. It just…took a while to accept."

"She's more than that though now," The Eleventh Doctor added, not quite sure why Angel was telling his past self something he likely already knew, "An Empathic Psychic."

"Really?" the Tenth Doctor looked at her, shocked, "An empathic psychic too?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, "I just…keep getting stronger, my abilities keep growing."

"Well isn't that wizard," the Tenth Doctor murmured.

"So is this what we're going to do?" the War Doctor called, eyeing them all, "Talk? Well, I suppose it would help to pass the timey-wimey," he sighed, and looked at his two selves, "Do you have to talk like children?" he began, thinking about that 'timey wimey' thing, "What is it that makes you so ashamed of being a grown up?" but neither answered, the Tenth Doctor just looked at him, leaning on a pillar, solemn, while the Eleventh Doctor paused in his ministrations and glanced at him with a sad expression over his shoulder, "Oh, the way you both look at me. What is that? I'm trying to think of a better word than dread. Why can't you look at me like SHE does?" he nodded at Angel who was just smiling lightly at him, "She's perfectly fine in my company."

"It must be really recent for you," was all the Tenth Doctor could respond with.

"Recent?"

"The Time War," the Eleventh Doctor added, "The last day. The day you killed them all."

"The day _we_ killed them all," the Tenth Doctor glanced at him.

The Eleventh Doctor winced, "Same thing."

"All their love to long ago," the War Doctor looked over as the interface spoke, looking between the men sadly, "Isn't it? For them, they've already made the decision. They think the past they remember has happened. But really…it CAN change…if YOU change it. Can you see now what the War becomes? Do you hear how you talk about it?"

"I _don't_ talk about it," he countered, not realizing that the others couldn't hear him.

Angel blinked, "You're not talking about anything," Angel remarked, "We're the only ones here," though…even as she said that she couldn't help but feel like there was another person there she just couldn't see.

The interface looked at her, seeing her starting to frown and push off the wall, walking around carefully as though trying to sense HER, "Ask them about the children," she looked back at the War Doctor, "Please, you need to know. You may not want to but…you NEED to."

The War Doctor swallowed at that, "Did you ever count?"

"Count what?" the Eleventh Doctor asked absently, going back to his etchings.

"How many children there were on Gallifrey that day."

There was silence, complete and utter silence as the Eleventh Doctor stopped, stiffening. Angel immediately moved back to his side, reaching out to take his hand, knowing that it wasn't the question but the topic that got to him, children, their child, the one they'd had to entrust with Clara to protect her from this…THAT was what he was thinking of, their daughter and how long it had been since they'd seen her last.

"I have absolutely no idea," the Eleventh Doctor muttered, though they could all see Angel frowning slightly at him, all of them aware the he DID know.

"How old are you now?" the War Doctor eyed him, perhaps if he were a few millennia old…the memory had to go at some point.

"Ah, I don't know. I lose track," he turned back to the etchings, "Twelve hundred and something, I think, unless I'm lying. I can't remember if I'm lying about my age, that's how old I am."

"1,201," Angel answered, "And you don't look a day over 600," she leaned in to kiss his cheek, making him smile.

"Four hundred years older than me," the War Doctor remarked, "And in all that time you've never even wondered how many there were? You never once counted?"

"Tell me, what would be the point?" the Eleventh Doctor turned to him, finishing his scratching.

"2.47 billion," the Tenth Doctor answered instead.

"You _did_ count!" the War Doctor pointed at them.

"2 billion, 4 hundred 78 million, 9…" Angel opened her mouth, when the Eleventh Doctor covered it gently with a finger.

"Please don't," he whispered to her, "I don't want you to have to know that."

And the men paused, realizing that Angel knew the EXACT number, ever single child that had been alive on the planet by the end of the war. She nodded, looking inordinately thankful to him for stopping her. Sometimes she started to answer questions like that before she even realized what she was answering, and this…this wasn't something she wanted anyone to know the specifics of.

"You forgot?" the Tenth Doctor frowned, striding over to the Eleventh Doctor, "Four hundred years, is that all it takes?"

"I moved on," the Eleventh Doctor murmured, pulling Angel closer to wind his arms around her waist, holding her close, his chin on her shoulder.

"Where? Where can you be now that you can forget something like that?"

"Right here, actually," the Eleventh Doctor squeezed Angel, "With Angel in my arms, with me in hers…that's all I ever need to forget the bad times. YOU know that," he pointed out, "So I don't understand why YOU're getting all huffy about it. Your Angel's here too…"

"But she's not HERE is she?" the Tenth Doctor snapped.

Angel blinked and looked between them, "What are you talk…oh," she blinked, realizing what they meant. She looked back at the Tenth Doctor, "Is it…is it really THAT bad?" she whispered to him, "When I'm not there?"

"Worse," the Tenth Doctor admitted quietly, "It's…it's where my mind goes when you're not with me," he told her, "To the War, to the Moment, to…what I did. I hear them screaming and crying and it only ever stops when…when I see you," he looked at her softly, "The dark place my mind goes is shut out when you smile 'cos you just…light up everything when you do," he nodded, "You're my light in the dark."

The War Doctor stiffened at that, at that description as he looked at Angel more closely, seeing the tears in her eyes.

"Well then," she sniffled a bit, hearing just how much of an affect she had on the Doctor, "Take comfort in knowing I won't ever stray far from your side. Two days and this one turned into a raving mess," she nodded back at the Eleventh Doctor.

"Oi!" the Eleventh Doctor pouted, "When did that happen?"

"The Miracle?" she glanced at him.

"Oh," he nodded, recalling how he'd acted when she'd gone to visit Jack, "Right yes, I um…I tend to block those moments out."

"And, speaking of me," Angel looked back at the Tenth Doctor, "I DID tell you I won't be far," she smiled, a moment before they heard someone shouting in the halls.

"Oi, you let us go!" a muffled voice yelled, a distinct London accent to it, "I am telling you you let us go right now!"

The door was thrown open and two women were shoved through, both blonde, one with shorter hair though as she turned to run to the door, but the warden slammed it shut, "I wasn't finished!" she pounded on the door, "You could have at least let her finish changing!" she huffed, seeing there would be no reason to keep shouting with the man gone. She turned, about to apologize to Angel, when she saw…three men and another woman already there, "Um…hi?"

"Rose?" the Twelfth Angel breathed, staring at the young blonde girl that had been shoved into the room along with her own ninth self, the Ninth Angel standing there in a sleeveless white dress that appeared partially corseted on top, the underdress it appeared, and while she knew she should be more concerned with her past self…ROSE was standing right there, ROSE TYLER!

"Yeah?" Rose eyed her…only for the Twelfth Angel to walk over to her and hug her tightly, "Um…hi?" she shook her head, trying to tug herself back but the woman was…quite the hugger, "Who are you?"

"Me," the Ninth Angel spoke, tilting her head at the Twelfth Angel, "You're me aren't you?" and then glanced at the Eleventh Doctor, "Like he's the Doctor…and HE'S the Doctor too," she turned to face the War Doctor, only to frown when she saw that both men were looking elsewhere, or trying to. She turned to the Tenth Doctor who was just…sort of gaping at her and pouted, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No!" the Tenth Doctor shouted, seeing that she looked truly upset, "No, not at all I um…" he quickly pulled off his brown pinstripe jacket and moved over to her, putting it around her shoulders, "I think they're a bit stunned though," he murmured, "Not every day a beautiful woman turns up in her knickers."

She blinked, "But I'm in a dress."

He laughed, not seeing the Eleventh Doctor starting to smile, having nearly forgotten how innocent the Ninth Angel had been, "And in the 1560s, that's knickers."

She frowned, "So do women get married in their knickers then? They wear white dresses."

"I don't know," he turned to the Eleventh Doctor, winding his arm around the Ninth Angel's waist as he beamed at her, "Do they?" he asked his future self.

"I wouldn't know," the Eleventh Doctor smiled, "We're not married."

"We're not?" the Tenth Doctor started to frown.

"We're Mated," the Twelfth Angel answered, finally letting go of Rose, who had been too stunned she was a future Angel to move. She made her way back to the Eleventh Doctor, the two sets of Time Lords looking at each other, the Eleventh Doctor moving his own arm around her waist.

"So he wasn't…" the Ninth Angel began, before falling quiet.

The Twelfth Angel smiled, knowing what she was going to ask, "He wasn't."

"Wasn't what?" the Tenth Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor asked at the same time.

"Lying about wanting to Mate to us," the Twelfth Angel answered, "She's afraid that you'll regret it and stop."

The Tenth Doctor blinked and frowned, looking at the Ninth Angel as she bowed her head, "Angel…" he breathed, shaking his head before he reached out to touch her face, lifting it to look at him, "I LOVE you," he told her, his voice deep, "I love you more than anything and it is truly the greatest honor to ME, to Mate to you. I don't deserve you," he whispered, "But yet you still want ME, the stupid old Doctor. You," he cut in, seeing her about to counter what he'd said, likely that he wasn't old or stupid, "Are the only thing that makes me happy. You are, and will always be, the only thing that keeps me going."

They watched as the Ninth Angel lifted the Tenth Doctor's hand to her lips, kissing the scars on his knuckles, scars that appeared…entirely TOO fresh, which meant they'd just come from the adventure with the Wire.

"Not quite true," the Eleventh Doctor HAD to add.

"Still rude then," Rose smiled at him and how he was ruining the moment, taking it all in stride, when one travelled with the Doctor, well…to be honest she was expecting this sort of adventure since she'd first found out the box travelled in time. Who else would the Doctor run into BUT himself? She really had been dying to see it happen and now it was! And not just with 1 other Doctor but 2!

"Oh always," the Eleventh Doctor winked at her.

"What do you mean it's not true?" the Tenth Doctor glared at the Eleventh Doctor.

"He means that I…um, WE," the Twelfth Angel gestured between her and the Ninth Angel, "Won't be the ONLY thing that makes you happy."

"What are you talking about?" the Tenth Doctor frowned, unable to think of a single thing that would be equal to Angel in his eyes.

The Eleventh Doctor just grinned, "Spoilers," he offered, even knowing the Tenth Doctor wouldn't get that reference, if he was travelling with Rose then River hadn't happened. Good thing to, get two of him in the same place and start them talking about River and they'd both probably be up in arms about the woman and try to go after her with their Angels trying to talk them down.

"One of the BEST spoilers you'll ever encounter," the Twelfth Angel winked at them, knowing why the Eleventh Doctor was being quiet about it, he wanted to see the surprise on the Tenth Doctor and the Ninth Angel's face when they made it back to Ayla.

"What ARE you all talking about?" the War Doctor shook his head, "I don't know who you are, any of you! I haven't got the faintest idea."

"They're you," the interface laughed, "They are your future selves, and that woman…THE most important woman in your life, one of them, though technically the second is the most important GIRL…"

"I'm Rose Tyler," the blonde girl in a sort of brown dress, sort of like a servant's dress, replied, unknowingly cutting off the interface, "Hello," she waved.

"She's our companion," the Tenth Doctor smiled, knowing that the War Doctor was speaking more about the girls than who he or the Eleventh Doctor were, he'd worked it out when he'd seen their sonics.

"She's YOUR companion," the Ninth Angel corrected, "She's MY sister."

"Your LITTLE sister," the Twelfth Angel smiled at the Ninth Angel, "You'll have plenty more family to come."

The Eleventh Doctor laughed, looking at the War Doctor, knowing that wasn't what he meant to find out, "Angel, she…" he smiled at her fondly, "She's our Mate."

The War Doctor stared at them, at Angel, "…what?" he shook his head, almost like he couldn't believe it, "Our…Mate? She's a…"

"Time Lady, yes," the Twelfth Angel nodded.

"Hello," the Ninth Angel beamed, "It's…

"Nice to meet you," they both said, making their Doctors laugh.

"Oh thank god that hasn't changed," Rose moved to hug the Twelfth Angel again, a proper hug, SO relieved that it really WAS still Angel in there.

It was so…weird, to see the Twelfth Angel like that, so…calm and mature and more…knowledgeable, she LOVED her Angel, how she was sort of innocent and naïve and lost about things, it gave HER a purpose, to help her, to teach her things the Doctor couldn't. She was thrilled that the Twelfth Angel seemed happen and content, but she did miss the bits of HER Angel, it was an enormous relief to see that there was still the Ninth Angel in the Twelfth Angel.

The War Doctor just stared at them more, his eyes wide, his mouth open, completely stunned into silence.

The Ninth Angel blinked before whispering to the Tenth Doctor, "There's 3 of you here."

"Yes," he laughed, "I've noticed."

"I think we broke one," she actually looked quite alarmed at that, "Is he ok?"

"He'll be fine," the Eleventh Doctor waved her off.

"The men," the interface spoke, making the War Doctor glance at her, slowly pulling him from his shock, "They're the men you'll become if you use the Moment, if you use my power. The man who regrets," she nodded at the Tenth Doctor, "And the man who forgets," she looked sadly at the Eleventh Doctor, "Forgets more than he knows really," she sighed, and turned to him…only to appear sitting beside him, "The Moment is coming. The Moment is me. You have to decide what you'll do with me, like THEY have."

"No," the War Doctor shook his head, not wanting to decide, not right now, how could he when he just found out he had a Mate!

"No?" the Tenth Doctor scoffed.

"Oi!" the Eleventh Doctor frowned, "What's wrong with Angel?!" he demanded.

"She's perfect!"

"Brilliant!"

"Gorgeous," the Tenth Doctor turned to the Eleventh Doctor, his eyes starting to narrow.

"Beautiful," the Eleventh Doctor countered, both men starting to stare the other down, almost challengingly.

"Compassionate."

"Fantastic," the Eleventh Doctor finished with a smirk, recalling the last time he'd won with that word as well.

"Blimey," Rose muttered, moving over to the Angels who had stepped to the side when the Doctors turned on each other, "You can smell the testosterone," she bumped her hips with each girl, making them laugh, knowing she'd said much the same to Van Statten.

"No, not…" the War Doctor argued weakly, seeing how clearly loved the woman was by her Doctor, "Not that. I meant…" he trailed off, not quite sure what he could say to pass for his slip.

"Have you noticed their bond?" the interface moved to stand between the men and women, "The Mating, it's the same bond between essentially different people, yes? It's almost like a sonic. Same programming, but with a different look to it."

The War Doctor's eyes widened, "Four hundred years."

"What's 400 years?" Rose glanced at him.

"He's 400 years younger than him," the Twelfth Angel nodded between the War Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor.

"Which is exactly the point!" the War Doctor stood, smiling, "At a software level, they're all the same device, aren't they?" he held up his sonic, "Same software, different case."

"Yeah?" the Tenth Doctor shrugged.

"So?" the Eleventh Doctor shook his head.

"So, it would take 3 hundred and…" the War Doctor trailed off, not about to try and recall what the Twelfth Angel had said, "It would take centuries for the screwdriver to calculate how to disintegrate the door," he turned to it, flashing the sonic along it, "Scanning the door, implanting the calculation as a permanent subroutine in the software architecture and, if you really are me, with your sandshoes and your dickie bow…"

"Oi!" the Doctors frowned at the same time that the Ninth Angel said "His shoes aren't made out of sand..." and the Twelfth Angel remarked that, "I love his bowtie…" and even Rose remarked, "Oh I like you."

"And that screwdriver is still mine," the War Doctor continued as though he hadn't been interrupted, "That calculation is still going on."

The Doctors glanced at each other before pulling out their sonics, "Yeah," the Tenth Doctor held his to his ear, "Still going."

"Calculation complete," the Eleventh Doctor nodded, flicking his own sonic open.

The War Doctor cheered and looked at the interface as she merely gave him a nod and a wink.

"Wait, so that means we can open the door?" Rose asked, looking at the men, trying to keep up.

"Not just open," the Tenth Doctor cheered, "Disintegrate!"

"When a window closes a door opens," the Ninth Angel smiled…and they all looked at her, "What?" she asked, before sighing, "I got it wrong again didn't I?"

The Tenth Doctor laughed but walked over to her, putting an arm around her shoulders, "It's when one door shuts, a window opens."

"Right," she nodded, smiling despite getting it wrong.

"Hey," the Eleventh Doctor grinned at them all, pointing at the Doctors as the Twelfth Angel moved over to him, linking her arm through his, "Four hundred years in four seconds. We may have had our differences, which is frankly odd in the circumstances, but, I tell you what, boys. We are incredibly clever."

"And yet not really in need of all that work," Angel shrugged, glancing at the door…

"This one Aunt Clara!" a small voice shouted before the door was pushed open, a small strawberry-blonde girl stumbling in, not having expected it to open that quickly, a girl with brown hair behind her, panting.

"You're daughter," Clara pointed at the Eleventh Doctor, "Runs WAY too fast."

The Eleventh Doctor just grinned and rushed over to Ayla, scooping her up in his arms, "Did you lead your aunt Clara to us sweetheart?" he asked, the Twelfth Angel walking over to him to give Clara a thanking hug, neither of them noticing the completely stunned expressions on the faces of the four people behind them.

"Mhmm," Ayla nodded, squeezing him tightly, "Aunt Clara got the Vortex Manipulator to work and she got us here and I knew exactly where you were!"

"Well done beautiful," the Twelfth Angel walked over to Ayla, hugging the girl tightly as she took her from the Doctor, "You're getting stronger in your abilities every day!"

Ayla positively beamed at that, "One day I'll be just as strong as you mummy!"

"Oh I think you'll be even stronger."

But Ayla blinked and shook her head, "No mummy, that's more impossible than Aunt Clara! YOU'RE the strongest woman in the Universe!"

Angel smiled at that, "You really are," the Eleventh Doctor agreed, gazing upon her.

"Who…" the Tenth Doctor began but seemed unable to work out how to move his mouth.

"Daughter?" was all the Ninth Angel could seem to get out as well, Rose and the War Doctor were just staring, though the War Doctor appeared to have tears in his eyes.

The Eleventh Doctor smiled s he turned to them, "Yes, um, meet our daughter, Ayla."

"Hello!" Ayla waved at them excitedly, grinning widely, before blinking and looking at her mother, "They're very quiet," she whispered, "You said daddy never shut up."

The Twelfth Angel laughed, "I said he loved to talk."

"Oh, right," Ayla nodded, "And you loved listening to him so you never stopped him."

"Exactly."

"We…have a daughter?" the Ninth Angel stared, "We do…" she gestured between her and the Tenth Doctor, "We have…a child…"

She didn't know why it was so hard to grasp, but she knew the Tenth Doctor was struggling to do so too. For her, it was always that…she'd never thought she'd be a mother, she'd always had the TARDISes and 700+ years of thinking that were hard to erase. She'd never even considered she and the Tenth Doctor would have a child at all though she knew it was likely at the end of the Mating. It just…it was so surreal, especially to see herself standing there with the child in her arms, looking so…natural, like she was a born mother. She had never thought of herself as one, never even entertained the thought…so to see the child, the product of their love right there…she knew the Tenth Doctor was having similar thoughts but mostly because he'd thought he was the last, that there would be no hope for a family in the future, with Time Lords being able to reproduce with ONLY Time Lords, and they were just at the start of their Mating, they had YEARS to go, so many years that a child was the furthest thing on their mind.

"That we do," the Eleventh Doctor chuckled, understanding exactly what they were feeling.

Ayla blinked and looked at Rose, the woman smiling softly with tears in her eyes as she looked at the Time Family, SO happy for them, and gasped, "Aunt Rose!?" she squirmed in her mother's arms till the Twelfth Angel set her down and bolted across the room to Rose, throwing herself into the woman's arms. She had only ever seen the woman in photos and in small recordings the TARDIS had…this was SO much better!

"Hello," Rose laughed, kneeling down to hug the girl properly, giving her a big old hug and trying to move back…but Ayla wouldn't release her. Rose shook her head fondly and stood up, wrapping her arms around Ayla as she held the girl to her.

The Twelfth Angel smiled softly at that, seeing Ayla clinging to Rose, it was just like the Doctor always said, he could certainly hold onto the things that he cared about, Ayla had clearly inherited that trait. She glanced at the War Doctor to see him stunned into silence and staring at Ayla, a mess of emotions on his face. She knew this Doctor, she had a sense of him, he liked the quiet, to BE quiet, until he'd sorted out whatever was overwhelming him…he needed a bit of time to himself at the moment so she didn't ask if he was alright.

"Um, question," Clara called, "Did none of you notice the door was unlocked?"

"What?" the Eleventh Doctor scoffed with a strain to his voice that spoke of the falsehood, "Yes, of course we did, we notice everything…" and then Clara gave him a look, her hands on her hips, and he sighed, "No."

Clara rolled her eyes and shook her head at him, glancing at the Ninth Angel, the Tenth Doctor, and the War Doctor, "So they're you, then, yeah?" she looked between the Twelfth Angel and the Eleventh Doctor.

"Yes," the Eleventh Doctor nodded, "You've met them before. Don't you remember?"

"A bit," Clara nodded, before glancing at Rose, "And that's…" her eyes widened, "Oh my God, you're Rose Tyler aren't you?" she walked over to Rose.

"Um, yeah," Rose smiled, looking at Clara, shifting Ayla to one arm, "Hello."

Clara held out a hand to shake hers, "I've heard so much about you."

Rose smiled at that, pleased as she glanced at HER Doctor and Angel, SO touched to know their future selves would speak fondly of her. It was…her greatest concern meeting Sarah Jane, that they'd forget about her, or at least never speak of her. Thinking back on it, if she'd heard tales of all that Sarah Jane had done with the Doctor, all the tales that had been told only after meeting the woman, she would have reacted better, she would have been more respectful. To hear that they spoke of her…well…she'd known that she couldn't be with them forever, she'd accepted that after meeting Sarah Jane. She'd stay as long as she could, forever, HER entire life if she could, but she knew they couldn't spend THEIR lives with her, and she was actually…happy to know that they had taken on another companion after her.

"Rose Tyler," she shook Clara's hand, "Companion," before adding, "Angel's sister."

Clara smiled, "Clara Oswald, also companion…the Doctor's sister though."

Rose's eyes widened at that, "Really?" before she laughed lightly, "You must be something very special."

"Thank you," Clara breathed.

She was SO happy that Rose seemed to be accepting her. She was dead nervous for when she actually got to meet the Time Family's family, all the other brothers and sisters Angel had, the aunts and uncles and cousins for Ayla. She knew Rose wouldn't be there, that the girl had been lost to a parallel world, she could guess that this was a point before that happened. And…it gave her confidence that she would be accepted and welcomed into the family. If Rose, the first companion after the war, the first sibling to be added, could accept her…the others might too.

Rose nodded, "You're welcome," she was actually…rather glad to see that the Doctor had taken on siblings too. It was…a special feeling, to be a companion and a sister to the Time Lords. And she was hoping it meant that the Doctor was happy, in the future, that he was at a good place where he could let others, especially humans, into his heart that way despite how they decayed and died.

…and then Clara's words hit her, "Hold on, you mean the door was unlocked the entire time and none of you thought to try it?" she looked at the Doctors.

"It…" the War Doctor began slowly, shaking himself from his thoughts though he had yet to look way from Ayla, "It should have been locked."

"Yes," the Eleventh Doctor pointed at him, "Exactly. Why wasn't it locked?"

"Maybe they lost the key?" the Ninth Angel suggested.

"It is because I was fascinated to see what you would do upon escaping," another voice spoke as Elizabeth appeared in the doorway, "I understand you're rather fond of this world. It's time I think you saw what's going to happen to it."

And with that, she turned and strode away, leaving them little choice but to follow. Ayla wiggled in Rose's hold till the woman set her down and half-skipped up to the War Doctor, the man just...staring at her in awe, "Come on," she smiled at him, taking his large hand in her small one and tugging with all her might.

He smiled at her and 'let' her pull him up and pull him out, the smile growing more sad and yet...more...happy...as they went. He squeezed her hand, promising himself that this little girl, this little girl who would one day be his daughter...he would keep her safe, he would make the Universe safe...for her.

~8~

Osgood walked cautiously through the halls of the Gallery, peeking around corners, moving on her tip toes to try and avoid the Zygons she knew had left…but it didn't mean that one might not be lurking about. They had no idea how many had escaped the paintings and she didn't want to get caught. She jumped at every creak, started at every small noise, completely convinced it was the Zygon toying with her, but she knew it wasn't, she'd seen them leave from the upper levels, the one that looked like her and McGillop. She didn't know where they were going exactly, only that she'd heard McGillop's Zygon tell the driver of a cab the Tower. Still she moved cautiously, heading back for the Under Gallery.

She paused at the painting of the Queen and the Time Lords, frowning at the hole where Elizabeth's head had been. She swallowed hard, just imagining how easily that could have been her own head if her Zygon had gotten its hands on her. She shook her head and headed in, hoping she might find something in the statue room where the Zygons had been hiding that would help her stop them. She'd just stepped in, just turned into it…when she heard a muffled moan. She swallowed hard, tensing and looking around for the Zygon that had to be hiding there but…the moan sounded a bit too soft, a bit too weak…like someone fighting with the last of their strength.

She turned slowly, following the noise to a single piece of cloth that hadn't been pulled off when the Zygons attacked. She looked down, seeing a pair of shoes sticking out from under it and gasped, she KNEW those shoes! She'd gotten Kate them for her birthday! She quickly pulled the cloth down to reveal Kate there, but with some sort of creature covering her head, red suckers all over it, tentacles of something latched onto the woman's arms and chest.

"Kate!" she cried, SO relieved, as she started to pull the creature off of her, not even minding the mucus that covered it, she had always been interested in science and things, was one of the few girls in her school not scared to dissect worms or catch frogs, this was nothing to her, "Oh goodness, you're not actually dead. Oh, that's tremendous news. Those creatures, they turn themselves into copies. And they need to keep the original alive," she nodded, working that out from how they'd kept Kate alive, "Refresh the image so to speak."

That had to be how they did it, if not…why leave Kate there? Why risk her escaping and coming after them if they didn't need her alive for some reason?

Kate took a deep breath of fresh air as Osgood moved to try and get the chains holding her up off of her wrists, "Where, where did they go?" she panted.

"I don't know," she answered quickly…before the question registered with her, "Oh, hang on, yes, I do. The Tower!"

Kate's eyes widened in fear at that, "If those creatures have got access to the Black Archive, we may just have lost control of the planet."

She had built the Archive to prevent that! Instead of leaving all the tech that could impact humanity out in the open for anyone to steal, she had argued with UNIT that it would be best to gather it all in one spot, guard it to the death, make it impossible to get into for aliens…this was her fault. If they got in there…every single weapon they could possibly use to affect the future of the Human Race would be at their disposal…

They had to get out of there!

~8~

Elizabeth led the small group through the Tower, to its lower levels, explain as she went, "The Zygons lost their own world. It burnt in the first days of the Time War. A new home is required."

"So they want this one," Clara guessed as they came to a stop before a set of portraits, 3D portraits.

"Not yet. It's far too primitive. Zygons are used to a certain level of comfort."

"Commander," a voice hissed behind them, making them look over at a Zygon as it approached, "Why are these creatures here?"

"Because I say they should be," Elizabeth countered, "It is time you too were translated. Observe this," she glanced at the group, "I believe you will find it fascinating."

They watched as the Zygon moved over to what appeared to be a simple glass cube that had slight dents in the corners, a gentle light encircling it before it disappeared…sucked right into the portrait where a small shadowy figure appeared, the same figure in the same portrait that Kate had shown them in the Under Gallery...

... _two Kates sat across from each other, with two Osgoods and McGillops beside each of them_...

... _the War Doctor stood in a barn, a big red button open before him, frowning at it_...

... _a glass cube with dents in the corners sat on the console of the TARDIS as three flew through space_...

"Exactly like Kate showed us," the Twelfth Angel sighed, rubbing her head, not quite sure what to make of the last 2/3 of her vision.

"So…there's a Zygon in the picture?" Rose frowned, if it got in, how did it get out?"

"It's not a picture," the War Doctor murmured, looking down as Ayla grew distracted by his hands, tracing the wrinkles on the backs of them, "It's a stasis cube. Time Lord art. Frozen instants in time, bigger on the inside, but could be deployed as…"

"Suspended animation," the Tenth Doctor agreed, "Oh, that's very good. The Zygons all pop inside the pictures, wait a few centuries till the planet's a bit more interesting, and then out they come."

"Like one of those evil little Jack in the Boxes," the Ninth Angel said, entirely too seriously, making them all look at her, "What?" she defended, "They're spooky! They just…pop out at you!"

"And let me guess," Clara smiled, " _You_ , of all people, don't see it coming?" the Ninth Angel shook her head.

"We can't see everything," the Twelfth Angel defended with a shrug.

"I'd say they're more like cup-a-soups," the Eleventh Doctor remarked, "Except you add time, if you can picture that. Nobody could picture that. Forget I said cup-a-soups."

"And the world's comfortable enough for them now," Rose realized, "The Zygons are invading the future from the past."

"Exactly."

"And do you know why I know that you're a fake?" the Tenth Doctor turned to Elizabeth, not seeing the Eleventh Doctor reach out and cover both the Ninth Angel and the Twelfth Angel's mouths with a finger to silence them, "Oh, I know you're the fake. I didn't even need Angel to tell me, worked it out all on my own. It's because you're such a bad copy. It's not just the smell, or the unconvincing hair, or the atrocious teeth, or the eyes just a bit too close together, or the breath that could stun a horse. It's because Elizabeth, the real Elizabeth, would never be stupid enough to reveal her own plan. Honestly, why would you do that?"

Elizabeth seemed to nearly be a cross between amused and offended as she spoke, "Because it's not my plan. And I am the real Elizabeth."

The Tenth Doctor blinked at that, and looked at the Ninth Angel and the Twelfth Angel, who shrugged and nodded, "Ok," he floundered, "So, backtracking a moment just to lend context to my earlier remarks…"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "My twin is dead in the forest. I am accustomed to taking precautions!" she pulled a dagger from a garter on her leg, "These Zygon creatures never even considered that it was me who survived rather than their own commander. The arrogance that typifies their kind."

"Zygons?" Clara frowned.

"Men," she and Rose said at once.

Ayla looked at the Queen, blinking with a small frown on her face, "Did you really kill one Miss Lizzie?"

Elizabeth blinked at that, at being called so informal a name, but also…seemed to realize that a CHILD was asking it…knowing she couldn't exactly say she'd stabbed the thing to death, "No," she smiled tensely at Ayla, who frowned more as though hearing the lie, "No, no, I merely…knocked it out," she offered, before quickly turning to the Doctor and Angel that she had had adventures with, speaking fast so as to keep Ayla from asking for the truth, "The future of my kingdom is imperilled. Doctor, Angel, can I rely on your service?"

"We need the TARDIS," the Ninth Angel stated.

"It has been procured already."

"Brilliant," the Tenth Doctor smiled.

"But first," the Eleventh Doctor cut in, pulling a jar from his pocket, "We have a bit of business to take care of. Your majesty if you would join me over there…" he gestured to the side, Elizabeth nodding and heading over.

The Twelfth Angel sighed, looking at the jar, "Must you use the Memory Worm, my love?"

The Eleventh Doctor looked at her gently, "I'm sorry," he told her, "But the Elizabeth we met for Tosh and Owen's wedding, she was older than this one and she had no idea who we were."

The Twelfth Angel took a breath but nodded, turning away to look at the portrait the Zygon was in, not wanting to watch.

The Tenth Doctor frowned as he saw Ayla go take her mother's hand, Clara move to put a comforting hand on Angel's shoulder. Something about the Memory Worm was upsetting her, and he doubted it was just because Angel was fond of animals.

~8~

"Right then," the Eleventh Doctor clapped his hands as the Tenth Doctor unlocked the doors to his TARDIS, allowing them in, "Back to the future."

"You've let this place go a bit," the War Doctor muttered as he looked around at the coral desktop.

"Oi!" Rose frowned, "She's lovely!"

"It's his grunge phase," the Eleventh Doctor joked, "He grows out of it."

"Don't you listen to them," the Tenth Doctor stroked the rotor in comfort.

"Actually, Sissy was the one to change both times," the Twelfth Angel reminded the Eleventh Doctor.

"Sissy?" the Ninth Angel looked at her, confused.

"Aunt Idris!" Ayla cheered as the rotor grew brighter, the humming happier and louder.

"Guess she knows we're here," Clara laughed at that.

…until an alarm sounded and Ten whipped his hand back, getting a shock, "Ow! The desktop is glitching."

The Twelfth Angel walked over, "It's because there's so many of us from different timelines," she explained.

"She's trying to compensate," the Ninth Angel agreed, the two Time Ladies moving to help, pulling levers and pushing buttons…till the walls turned white with round holes in them.

"Hey, look," the Eleventh Doctor grinned, "The round things!"

"I love the round things," the Tenth Doctor remarked.

"What are the round things?"

"No idea."

"Mummy what's that humming noise?" Ayla frowned, trying to place it.

"It's the friction contrafibulator," the Twelfth Angel remarked.

"Oh, I can stabilize it!" the Ninth Angel cheered, pulling a lever.

"That was…remarkable," the War Doctor shook his head at them, seeing the two women almost singlehandedly sorting out the TARDIS.

"Isn't she just," both Doctors replied with a smile to their respective Angels.

"It's our TARDIS," Clara explained to Rose, seeing the girl looking a bit confused.

"Oh," she nodded.

The Tenth Doctor gave it a proper look around and frowned, "You've redecorated. I don't like it."

"That's rude," Ayla pouted at him, crossing her arms.

He chuckled, "I'm sorry sweetheart."

She beamed at hearing that versions of her father call her that too.

"Right," the Eleventh Doctor turned to the controls, "Now, we need to get to the National Gallery. The Zygons are underneath it…"

"No," Clara cut in, "UNIT HQ."

Ayla nodded, "The Zygons followed us to the Black Archive."

All three Doctors and two Angels froze at that, making Clara shift uncomfortably at how serious they had all gone, even the Ninth Angel.

"Right then," Rose nodded, "Getting the feeling you've heard of it? Care to share?"

~8~

The Zygon of McGillop smirked as he stood before a row of objects on a shelf, eyeing each of them gleefully, oh they had waited so long for this and what luck had they had! To step out of the paintings and into this world and learn that all that they needed to conquer the humans and make Earth their new home was right within reach, and all in one spot. Having learned that, all they'd needed to do was determine how to get access to it. It was really quite easy when they'd found that Kate was the one with the main access, it was even easier when they'd found it was all protected…by a single lock and key.

How crude.

Crude, but advantageous for them.

"The equipment here is phenomenal," he called to his two other Zygon kin, one looking like Osgood while the one who had impersonated Kate had reverted back to their true form, "The humans don't realize what half this stuff does. We could conquer their world in a day."

"We were fortunate, then," the Zygon rasped, "In our choice of duplicate."

"If I were human, I'd say it was Christmas."

"No, I'm afraid you wouldn't," another voice called. They spun around in alarm to see the REAL Kate and Osgood enter, McGillop striding after them, "We're not armed," Kate rolled her eyes, holding up her hands as they tensed and she could see an attack about to happen, "You may relax."

"We _are_ armed," the Zygon hissed, half-spitting yellow spit at her, "You may not."

Kate straightened, squaring her shoulders before calling over to Osgood, "Lock the door," Osgood nodded and shut the door quickly, locking it in place, "I'm afraid we can't be interrupted. You don't mind if I get comfortable?" Kate gestured at the table in the middle of the room before heading over to it and taking a seat.

She was dead nervous, completely unsettled that the Zygons had managed to gain access to the Archive so easily. She had thought that the lock and key thing, while simple, would be the best option, that way all the advanced life forms would think them using something too advanced as all their attempts would fail to get them in, and only SHE with the key would be able to make it through. And she knew she would fight to the death to keep the key on her. She had never, ever expected the Zygons to get her the way they had, so easily, it was making her rethink this Archive, rethink their security, but that was something she couldn't outwardly show, not right now, doubt was not something that she could risk being seen.

"You don't mind if I do?" the lone Zygon mocked as it headed over to the table as well, transforming right into HER as it did so, sitting down across from her with a smirk.

"You realize there are protocols protecting this place?" Kate asked them, knowing that, even with her out of the Zygon's harness thing, that it had to have retained a copy of her memories, and if not…it was about to find out, "Osgood?"

Osgood, who had come to stand on one side of her like McGillop had, spoke, "In the event of any alien incursion, the contents of this room are deemed so dangerous, it will self-destruct in…"

"Five minutes," Kate cut in, smirking when the alarm sounded and the countdown began, a digital clock in the wall before them blinking in red numbers and ticking away their time before the room blew and took them all with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can say we'll see more of the War Doctor's and 10's reaction to Angel and Ayla to come, along with 10 discovering the truth of Angel's issue with the Memory Worm, and even more about the interface ;)
> 
> I know you might be thinking, 'Series 2 Doctor and Rose, again?' but I can promise this is the last time and there's a reason Rose has to be here and why it has to be Series 2/9th Angel ;)


	68. The Day of the Doctor: Moments

"There's a nuclear warhead twenty feet beneath us," Kate continued, entirely too comfortable with what she was doing, seeming not at all disturbed with the fact that a bomb was likely to go off just under her feet, "Are you sitting comfortably?"

"You would destroy London?" her Zygon narrowed its eyes at her, trying to call her bluff.

"To save the world?" she nodded, not even hesitating to answer, "Yes, I would."

"You're bluffing."

"You _really_ think so?" Kate scoffed, "Somewhere in your memory is a man called Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart. _I_ am his daughter," she smirked, seeing the Zygon's eyes widen as the name registered.

She had been raised on stories of the great man the Doctor was, of all that he had done for the Universe, all the evils he'd prevented. He had made so many difficult choices in his life, none more so than the Time War, what he'd done to end it. UNIT had copious notes from Martha about what that was, what it entailed, what the results would have been if the Doctor's resolve had been even an iota less than what it was. She knew exactly what was in store for the Earth, for the Universe, if the Zygons managed to get a hold of all the technology buried in this archive and it was not something she could live with knowing. If she were going to die for this, then she would die in knowing that her death had prevented the destruction and the devastation of the Universe at the hands of the Zygons. THAT was the difference between the UNIT of old and the one she had been building. The old UNIT would go about, guns blazing, using that technology even if they didn't know what it did. HER UNIT was science based, it studied the equipment, it learned from it, it learned the consequences of using them and they refused to do so, they refused to use it.

It was like her father always told her…

"Science leads, Kate," she heard the Eleventh Doctor call over the comm. and spun in her chair to look at the countdown, "Is that what you meant? Is that what your father meant?"

"Doctor?" Kate breathed.

"It's a space-time telegraph," the Twelfth Angel added.

"Yes," the Eleventh Doctor agreed, "A gift from me to your father, hotline straight to the TARDIS."

"We know about the Black Archive Kate," the Twelfth Angel spoke softly.

"Never try to hide anything from a psychic," the Eleventh Doctor warned, "We know about the security protocol too."

"Kate," the Twelfth Angel breathed, "Please, I am begging you, please _don't_ do this."

Kate swallowed hard, hearing the pleading note in the Twelfth Angel's voice, hearing the slight edge of disappointment in the Eleventh Doctor's as well. This was not what she wanted, she didn't want to destroy London, she didn't want to have the deaths of all those above her hanging on her head even in death. But…this was necessary, this HAD to be done, to keep the Zygons from attacking and taking over the planet, "I'm sorry Angel," Kate whispered, "I'm so sorry Doctor but…"

But then a small voice called out, "Aunt Kate?" Ayla began, and Kate gasped, covering her mouth at the…the innocence in Ayla's voice, reminding her…there were CHILDREN above them as well, if she did this, if she let the countdown continue…all those children would die, "Aunt Kate are…are you really going to set off a bomb?" Ayla asked, sounding near the brink of tears, a sound that broke her heart to hear, "Are you going to hurt all those people?"

Kate shook her head, her resolve cracking and she KNEW she had to keep it from doing so, at any cost, she HAD to see this through, she had to remain strong against the Zygons, if she caved now…it would be an open invitation to all the creatures and monsters of THIS world to seek them out and try to conquer them as they wouldn't have been able to stop an enemy even with the upper hand.

"Switch it off!" she ordered Osgood, the girl jerking at the sudden shout before digging in her pocket for the controls.

"Not as sorry as you will be," Kate's eyes widened, hearing the Tenth Doctor speak as well, she had wondered when she'd be encountering that man ever since she'd heard his voice calling through the portal, "This is not a decision you will ever be able to live with."

"Well…it's not a decision she'd be able to live through either, if it's a bomb," the Ninth Angel murmured, "So she really COULDN'T live with it…"

"Angel," Rose called softly.

"Expression?" the Ninth Angel guessed.

"Yeah."

"Oh, sorry!"

"Kate," the Eleventh Doctor continued, a grinding noise sounding, "We're trying to bring the TARDIS in and not even TWO Angels are managing it…why can't we land?"

Kate just looked at Osgood and snapped, "I said, switch it off!"

The girl fumbled with the controls but finally managed to get the right button pressed, sending the comm. to static.

~8~

"No, Kate!" the Eleventh Doctor shouted from inside the TARDIS as he heard the connection go to static, "Please. Just listen to us!"

Ayla looked at Clara, tugging on her skirt, "Is Aunt Kate going to blow up London?" she asked the girl.

"Course not," Clara tried to smile at her, "Your mum and dad…all of them…they'll stop her eh?"

"The Tower of London," the Tenth Doctor muttered as he tried to get the TARDIS to land, only for it to bounce off of their landing zone, "Totally TARDIS-proof."

"What?" Rose gaped at them, shaking her head, "How's that possible!?"

"Alien technology plus human stupidity," the Eleventh Doctor rubbed his forehead, "Trust me, it's unbeatable."

The War Doctor glanced at the Ninth Angel, seeing her frowning and staring at one of the glass stasis cubes they'd taken from the Zygons. They'd gotten Elizabeth to write the letter to their future selves and set everything up to get them all there at the right time in the future, taking care of the shipping and storing of the paintings into the Under Gallery, before the Eleventh Doctor had pulled out a Memory Worm and used it on the Queen. It was probably treason, probably considered an attack against the crown…but Elizabeth would be none the wiser about it. They'd shouted for the guards to come and help them, claiming that the Queen had been overwhelmed at a prior attempt on her life in the forest. While the Queen had been moved, they'd grabbed the remaining stasis cubes, the Twelfth Angel insisting that there were no other Zygons hiding around, at least not on Earth, not in 1562, that they were all in the painting. HE had wanted to run more scans with a device the Tenth Doctor had, but the Eleventh Doctor seemed to have the utmost faith in what the Twelfth Angel had said and believed firmly that there were NO other Zygons there.

Still, they'd taken the stasis cubes just to be safe, not wanting a human to wander into the Under Gallery or have a future UNIT soldier touch it and end up in the painting, trapped forever. And now the Ninth Angel was staring at it so intently he half expected it to melt under her gaze…

"Is something wrong my dear?" he moved over to her side, speaking quietly to her as the Tenth Doctor, the Eleventh Doctor, and the Twelfth Angel discussed possible ways to get the TARDIS into the Archive while Rose and Clara stood before them with Ayla trying to offer suggestions.

"What?" the Ninth Angel looked at him, before blushing, embarrassed, "Sorry, I…sometimes I get these feelings…"

He nodded, "Well, I believe your future self may have mentioned that…I was right? That you ARE psychic, perhaps you are having a vision."

"No, it's not that," the Ninth Angel shook her head, "It's…" she frowned trying to think how to phrase it, before giving up and picking up the cube, holding it up to him, "Would this be the cup or the water?"

He blinked, completely thrown and not understanding a lick of what she was saying, "I'm sorry?"

"This," she moved the cube to both hands, "Is this the cup or the water for the cup-a-soup?"

"I'm not sure what that has to…do…with…" he trailed off suddenly, staring at the Ninth Angel with wide eyes, before cheering, "That is genius!" and taking the cube from her, "We don't need to land!" he called to the others, making them stop in their fighting to look back at him.

"Um…yeah, we do," the Tenth Doctor remarked, "A tiny bit. Try and keep up."

"No, we don't," the War Doctor smiled, "We don't. There _is_ another way," he held up the cube, "Cup-a-soup anyone?" he grinned, laughing when he saw their eyes widen before rushing to get the TARDIS ready to go where none of them actually wanted to ever be. He smiled and stepped back to the two humans, Clara standing with Ayla before her, "What is cup-a-soup?" he had to ask them quietly.

~8~

_A short while ago…_

McGillop, the real McGillop, stood in the National Gallery, just a few feet behind the Time Family and Clara as they looked upon the portrait of Gallifrey Falls, Kate beside the aliens, speaking to them. He and another scientist, Osgood, had accompanied Kate there, well, Osgood had, she was more like Kate's assistant, he had just been there naturally, having been assigned to the science within the National Gallery, really the Under Gallery though.

"Easier to show you," Kate was saying as she turned to lead them all out of the room…just as his phone rang.

"McGillop," he answered his mobile.

"Take a look at your phone and confirm who you're talking to," the Eleventh Doctor's voice spoke on the other end.

The man frowned, already able to recognize the voice but unsure how that was possible. He glanced back over his shoulder to see the Eleventh Doctor and his family heading after Kate, no phone or communication device in his hand, before he looked at his phone, seeing it WAS the TARDIS number, "But that's not possible. I was just…"

"You were just talking to us?" the Eleventh Doctor guessed, "We know, Angel's put this time into the TARDIS, she's connected the lines, time travel and all, we can do that. It's actually quite funny how often the time lines get switched with the phone. This one time we…"

"Focus my love," the Twelfth Angel called in the background.

"Right, yes, sorry," the Eleventh Doctor murmured, "Look, we need you to send the Gallifrey Falls painting to the Black Archive. Understood?"

"Understood, sir," McGillop nodded, though he WAS admittedly confused by the request, "But why would I take it there?"

"To save the world of course!" he could hear the little girl, Ayla, cheer in the background.

The call ended and McGillop looked at his phone, well, if there was one thing he'd learned from his time in UNIT…trust the Time Lords.

~8~

Kate and her Zygon stood face to face as the countdown just reached 3 minutes, "One word from you would cancel the countdown," the Zygon remarked.

"Quite so," Kate agreed, crossing her arms, clearly refusing to do so.

"It's keyed to your voiceprint?"

"And mine alone."

The Zygon smirked, "Not anymore. Cancel the detonation!"

Kate looked to the side in horror, seeing the countdown stop. She wasn't sure exactly what she'd been expecting in that though, the countdown was voice activated, the Zygon had her voice. She had been hoping, she guessed, that the technology would be able to pick up some sort of extra trace in the Zygon's voice, that it wouldn't register as a perfect match and wouldn't obey the alien's command…apparently she'd been rather wrong about that.

"Countermanded!" Kate shouted, and the countdown resumed.

"Cancel the detonation."

"Countermanded."

Osgood and McGillop, both sets of them, looked back and forth between the two Kates, as though watching a tennis match going on , each woman shouting the command one right after the other, the detonation still continuing.

"We only have to agree to live," the Zygon turned to Kate, starting to see that she actually WAS considering this, she was fully planning to blow up the Archive with them in it, taking out most of London in the process.

Kate lifted her head, standing strong, "Sadly, we can only agree to die."

Osgood, the human Osgood, closed her eyes and began to whisper under her breath, "Please, Doctor. Please save us. Please save us Angel. Please save us."

~8~

The Twelfth Angel blinked as she stood in the console room, her hand on a lever, before looking up at the rotor, "What is it?" the Eleventh Doctor moved to her side, seeing her expression.

"Osgood…" she whispered, looking at him in alarm, "She's praying. She's scared."

He nodded, "Time to go," he took her hand, the two of them moving to Ayla and kneeling and crouching before her, Clara and Rose standing behind her.

The humans had been ordered to stay IN the TARDIS with the girl as…the outside was going to be entirely too dangerous for them to be a part of till the Time Lords had managed to break through. They had set the TARDIS down inside the Gallifrey Falls portrait, and, apparently, once the painting had been broken from the inside, it ruptured the time-art portion of it. The moment in time, instead of being a moment froze and replaying forever, it froze entirely, like a true painting. Only THEN would it be safe for them to exit.

"You be good for your aunties, ok?" the Twelfth Angel smiled at Ayla, reaching out to run a hand down her daughter's hair, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead, hugging her tightly.

"And you DON'T wander off," the Eleventh Doctor agreed, pointing at her warningly, making sure Ayla realized the true danger of wandering off in this case, "You keep your aunties from doing it too," he whispered, hugging her as well. Ayla nodded, squeezing her mother's hand before she reached out to straighten her father's bowtie. The two adults nodded and stood, looking at their past selves.

"Ready?" the Twelfth Angel asked them.

"Yes," the War Doctor pulled out his sonic, prepared.

"As ready as we can be," the Tenth Doctor nodded.

"Right then," the Eleventh Doctor took a breath, squeezing Angel's hand as they headed for the doors, "Let's rock and roll."

The Ninth Angel blinked, "I prefer pop," the four others stopped and glanced back at her and she blinked again, sighing, "A figure of speech?"

"Yeah," the Tenth Doctor smiled at her fondly.

She rolled her eyes, "One day I'll get it."

The Tenth Doctor shook his head, moving to touch her cheek, "I hope you don't," he winked at her, "It's adorable."

She smiled, blushing at that, "YOU're adorable," she nudged him, making him laugh, before they turned and continued on, just reaching the door when…

"Daddy?" Ayla called out, and three pairs of eyes turned to her automatically, "Oh…" she blinked, staring at them a moment, she…hadn't excited ALL the Doctors to turn, especially not the Tenth Doctor and the War Doctor since they'd just met her, "Um…" she bit her lip, trying to think of a special way to differentiate between them, because even if they weren't her daddy, they were still him in a sense, they were him just not…HIM, "Ok," she nodded, starting to smile as she worked it out, "YOU can be daddy," she pointed at the Eleventh Doctor, "You can be father," and then the Tenth Doctor, "And…you can be pops!" she cheered, pointing at the War Doctor.

The War Doctor let out a small breath at that, he…he honestly didn't know why he'd turned around when she'd called out. The girl…she wasn't HIS daughter, not yet anyway, he wasn't the man who had conceived her. But, in a way, some part of his mind had recognized that he WAS the girl's father, because her father was HIM, at one point her father was the man he would become. It had just…happened and to see that little girl look at him, and to have her call him 'pops' which he knew was an affectionated version of father as well…it meant the world to him. It…it touched him in a way he hadn't thought he'd ever be touched. His children on Gallifrey, they had called him variations of father throughout the years, papa, pops, father, daddy, dad, da, dada, and so many others but…hearing that little girl call him pops…he didn't know why it hit him so deeply.

No, he DID know why. The girl was clearly the product of a Mating, she was the embodiment of the love he and his Mate would one day share. The War was hell, pure and utter hell, it was corrupting, it was bloodthirsty, it was chaos…it was darkness. It was something that had infected him, from the moment he had willingly taken the potion of the Sisters on Karn…he knew he was condemning himself to that darkness, the darkness that had always been SO small inside him, expanded and deepened by what he'd done and how he'd fought in the War. To come from that, to feel that darkness churning inside him, trying to consume him, clawing at the surface…to feel that…and then see he had a Mate. To see that his Mate truly was like the Sisters had promised, good, kind, pure…he could see it in Angel, she…she really was an angel wasn't she? And to see the man he'd become, the Eleventh Doctor was so…different than he felt. It was like the darkness ebbed away over the years with her. To find a Mate so…bright, so full of light and have her truly and deeply love him…to have a daughter that didn't seem to hold any of the darkness he felt…

It was the greatest blessing he could ever be given.

It was like those two girls were the Universe's way of trying to make up for what it seemed to be forcing him to do with the Moment. They were his reward for the terrible times he'd endured, for all the good he'd managed to do, they were his redemption.

So to hear that little girl accept him as her 'pops' and to love him and see him as a father…he truly felt like he could cry at that moment.

"What is it sweetheart?" the Eleventh Doctor asked.

Ayla shifted a bit, looking at them intently, "Be careful, you and mummy," she looked at the other thems too, "All of you."

The Twelfth Angel smiled, "Of course," she winked at her daughter, before she squeezed the Eleventh Doctor's hand and turned to lead them out.

The adults gathered by the doors, crowding around them as they exchanged a look. They all nodded, the Eleventh Doctor with his hand in the Twelfth Angel's, the Tenth Doctor's clasped in the Ninth Angel's as the War Doctor clutched his sonic. They took a breath and threw the doors open, running out…right into the middle of the Battle of Arcadia.

The Angels flinched at the sight around them, but their Doctors tugged them on, the 5 of them rushing through the 3D painting, heading for the glass frame that held everything in place.

"DOWN!" the Twelfth Angel shouted as she pulled the Eleventh Doctor to the ground, the others falling down as well as a Dalek laser flew over their heads.

"Exterminate!" the Dalek shouted, heading right for them.

The Doctors whipped out their sonics, about to try and use them against the Dalek…when it was sent flying backwards by a bright burst of gold that no one saw (but only the Eleventh Doctor knew) where it had come from, exploding as it crashed right though the glass…

~8~

…and into the Black Archive, making all the occupants within flinch at the sudden and unexpected arrival of a rather deadly enemy…thought said deadly enemy appeared to be a dead enemy as it was quite the smoking, burning mess with its top half blow off. They stared in awe as the Doctors stepped out of the portrait followed by their Angels, the Eleventh Doctor grabbing and holding the Twelfth Angel's hand tighter than the others, knowing she was startled by the Dalek. He'd felt it in the portrait a momentary spike in her fear, at the danger that was surrounding them, before he felt something inside her slipping and snapping. The next thing he knew, the Dalek had been blasted back by the Vortex.

Luckily the others hadn't seen it and he'd grabbed her hand, having let go to duck when she'd shouted, the single act of touching her so suddenly seeming to have snapped her out of it. She'd looked at him, startled and scared at how she'd lashed out again…how she'd attacked and hadn't even realized she'd done it. It really was alarming. HE didn't blame her, the Daleks were their worst enemy and they were in the middle of the worst War their people would ever face. The Dalek had attacked and she had defended…but he knew that it alarmed HER. Because all other times in the past, before she had regenerated, she had only ever stopped the Daleks, freezing them , time-locking them, turning them to stone, anything at all except destroying them.

For her to do that, to use the Vortex to destroy…it was terrifying her.

"Hello," the War Doctor greeted the humans and Zygons, pulling the Eleventh Doctor from his thoughts.

"We're the Doctor," the Tenth Doctor grinned, gesturing between the War Doctor, himself and the Eleventh Doctor.

"And this is our Mate," the Eleventh Doctor winked at both the Twelfth Angel and the Ninth Angel, "The Angel."

"Made a bit of a mess," the Ninth Angel winced, "Sorry."

"Yes, s-sorry," the Twelfth Angel swallowed, speaking quietly, still very much shaken over what had just happened, "About…about the Dalek."

"Also the showing off!" Clara called from behind them as she and Rose stepped through the portrait, helping Ayla in as well.

"Blimey," Rose breathed, glancing around the room, "That's a hell of a collection," she looked at the Ninth Angel, "Imagine if Van Statten got his hands on this!"

The Ninth Angel grimaced thinking of it, nothing good.

"Kate Lethbridge Stewart," the Eleventh Doctor began, storming over to Kate, the Twelfth Angel following him as he had yet to let go of her hand, "What in the name of sanity are you doing?"

"The countdown can only be halted at my personal command," Kate stated, squaring her shoulders as she faced not just him, but two other hims and two Angels as well.

The Ninth Angel glanced over at the clock on the wall, "Why is it so hard to resist a ticking clock?" she wondered, not seeing the Eleventh Doctor and the Twelfth Angel stiffen at her words, words the Master himself would use rather closely in the future.

Kate didn't answer, merely said, "There's nothing you can do."

"Are you really betting against a psychic?" the Eleventh Doctor scoffed, knowing that Angel could probably contain the blast, if she tried…but…he honestly didn't know how much of the Vortex that would take out of her and he couldn't risk her using too much. She'd already regenerated, he wasn't going to let it happen again, not for a long while.

"There is ONE thing we can do though," the Twelfth Angel remarked.

The Tenth Doctor smirked, "Make you both agree to halt it."

Kate shook her head, "Not even three of you and two of her."

"You're about to murder millions of people," the War Doctor frowned at her.

"To save _billions_ ," she reminded them, glancing at the countdown as it reached nearly a minute thirty, "How many times have you made that calculation?"

"Once," the Eleventh Doctor answered promptly, "Turned me into the man I am now. I'm not even sure who that is any more."

The Twelfth Angel reached out and took his hand, "Mate, father, Doctor," she reminded him, making him smile, "Time Lord."

"You tell yourself it's justified, but it's a lie," the Tenth Doctor continued, "Because what I did that day was wrong. Just wrong."

The War Doctor looked down at that, hearing his future selves saying that over and over, repeating it, reminding him how terrible it was, what he was planning to do. he glanced over at the interface to see her leaning against the wall to his left, Clara, Rose, and Ayla standing to his right.

"And," the Eleventh Doctor moved over to a chair, the Tenth Doctor moving with him, both of them dragging them out and to the end of the tables, sitting down, "Because I got it wrong, I'm going to make you get it right."

"How?" Kate scoffed as the Doctors merely put their feet up and crossed their arms over their chests, grinning at them.

"You're going to stop the detonation," the Twelfth Angel stated as she moved to stand behind her Doctor, "In about…1 minute exactly," she glanced at the clock to see it had reached one minute five, "The two of you," she turned back to the two Kates, "At the same time."

"Then you're going to negotiate the most perfect treaty of all time," the Eleventh Doctor grinned, reaching up to place his hands on Angel's as she wrapped her arms around his front, her arms draped over his shoulders.

"Safeguards all round," the Tenth Doctor nodded, winking at the Ninth Angel as she smiled and moved to join him, leaning on his side, her one arm coming to rest along the back of his neck, her hand on his opposite shoulder, "Completely fair on both sides."

"And the key to perfect negotiation?" the Eleventh Doctor's grin turned into a smirk.

"Not knowing what side you're on!" the Tenth Doctor cheered, leaping to his feet.

"So, for the next few hours, until we decide to let you out…"

"No one in this room will be able to remember if they're human."

"Or Zygon!"

The Doctors held their sonics up to the memory devices on the ceiling, flashing them, increasing and reworking their settings…a bright white light filling the room as they all looked at each other, the Humans/Zygons more confused than the Time Lords as it had been meant to affect only THEM.

Ayla looked at the two Kates as they just stared at each other, as though trying to work out which was which, "Aunt Kate!" she pointed at the countdown, reaching 7 seconds, "The Countdown!"

The Kates spun to stare at the timer in horror, "Cancel the detonation!" they shouted, the clock pausing at 5 seconds.

The Eleventh Doctor laughed at that, "Brilliant," he cheered, moving to kiss the Twelfth Angel deeply, "What did I say?" he kissed her again, "Never. Bet. Against. A. Psychic," he laughed, kissing her for each word, the Tenth Doctor smiling a bit as he watched them, able to see it now, see all the love between them.

And that was…wonderful.

~8~

A short while later would find both Kates sitting comfortably at the table in the middle of the Archive, both discussing the treaty that had to be forged, both sides now on equal ground. The two McGillops stood nearby them, offering their opinions when they could be of use, being one of the older UNIT officers there. Osgood however, being so young and so new, was much more relieved to be standing off to the side with the other her, chatting quietly. This treaty was…a big thing and while she would love the experience, knowing she had a hand in something so monumental, something that would affect so many lives…it was a lot of pressure! She was quite sure if she'd been included she would have had her worst Asthma attack yet.

"It's funny, isn't it?" one of the Osgoods was saying, "If I'm a Zygon, then my clothes must be Zygon, too. So, what happens if I lose a shoe or something?"

The other Osgood coughed, a look of discomfort on her face. The first Osgood's eyes widened, realizing the other her was about to have an asthma attack, and quickly pulled out the inhaler from her pocket, revealing herself to be the REAL Osgood…before she handed it over to the Zygon to use. She smiled at the alien, putting a finger to her lips, not about to say a word about what they'd discovered, as the Zygon smiled and took the inhaler, taking a puff of it.

Neither of them noticed the Twelfth Angel watching them from the side, where she, the Eleventh Doctor, the Tenth Doctor, and the Ninth Angel were standing, trying to help the Kates negotiate. The Twelfth Angel looked over to see Clara and Rose standing by a corkboard that had various bits of information on the Doctor and her stuck to it. It actually appeared to be two separate areas really, the left was dedicated more to the Doctor, to all the companions he'd had before the War. The right seemed to be a bit more geared towards her, with their companions scattered around it, bits of string connecting them all. She could just barely make out small pieces of paper attached to the pictures, words like 'brother' for Jack, Gray, and Rory, and 'sister' for Rose, Donna, and even Clara seemed to have one (though hers had 'the Doctor's scrawled above it). There was 'Aunt' for Sarah Jane, and cousins and nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles for all of Ayla's family as well (like the Ponds and Torchwood, Martha and Mickey). It was…a touching tribute. She knew it might be a bit creepy and eerie that UNIT was keeping SUCH a close eye on them, that they essentially had her daughter's family tree there, a tree that had started because of HER and Rose looking alike, but…she liked knowing that her daughter had a family tree again. And it was something for Rose and Clara to bond over, talking of the past companions, of the future ones.

Her gaze turned to the side, where Ayla had been walking along a small shelf, eyeing but not touching the objects on it, till she came to the end, and turned on her heel to see the War Doctor sitting in a small armchair, by himself. He had said that he shouldn't have a say in negotiating peace, as the Tenth Doctor had said, the War was 'too recent' for him, that he didn't trust himself to try to attempt peace. She wasn't quite sure she believed him, but if the War Doctor was lying…it was for a reason that weighed heavily on him. Ayla seemed to sense that about him too as the girl skipped right up to him.

"Hello," Ayla smiled at the War Doctor.

"Hello Ayla," the War Doctor looked at her again, "My…you are a big girl, aren't you?"

She nodded, beaming at that, "I'm 104!" she cheered, "But I'll be 105 very soon…and then I get my Naming Ceremony!"

He chuckled at that, seeing her so excited and…more than a bit touched and relieved to know that the traditions of Gallifrey were still being upheld by his future self, "Have you a name in mind? Or shall you be Ayla?"

"I can't tell you pops, that's a secret!" she laughed, before doing something that startled him and made him go stiff…she walked right up to him…and climbed onto his lap, sitting sideways on him, her head resting on his shoulder as she hugged him, "But I do know what I want to be," she whispered to him.

The War Doctor froze at the action, at this little girl sitting on his lap and hugging him. He swallowed hard, he…so many things had gone through his mind during his long walk from the TARDIS to that barn. He had deeply considered everything he'd be giving up if he used the Moment. He wasn't just considering 'no more' in terms of all that he needed to end, but…what he himself would have no more of. One of them was…no more children. Time Lords could only reproduce with other Time Lords and…to use the Moment, in his mind at the time, meant he would be alone, safe, off world, with every single Time Lord trapped on the planet and he would be alone.

And there he was, in the future, with a daughter that loved him despite what he had done.

"You're supposed to hug me, like this," Ayla remarked, reaching out and gently moving his arms around her, "You must be very rusty pops."

He let out a breath, feeling tears in his eyes at that, "Yes…I…I suppose I am," he swallowed, gently hugging her, lightly, as though he were afraid he'd break her. He took a breath, needing to ask her something that was…haunting him, "Ayla…" he began, looking down as the girl shifted to look up at him, "You're not…afraid of me, are you? You don't…you don't hate me?"

Ayla's eyes widened, "Why would I ever hate you?!" she seemed genuinely startled and alarmed at the prospect, "Why would I be afraid of you? You're my dad!"

"Because of…because of the Moment," he spoke quietly, aware that Clara and Rose were within hearing range if he spoke louder, "Because of…what I did."

Ayla blinked, "But you _didn't_ do it yet," she said simply.

He looked at her, stiffening at how she knew that, "You seem very sure about that…"

"Mummy's psychic," she shrugged, "She says I'm psychic too. We just know things," she nodded firmly at that, like it was a fact no one really could explain.

"Then you know…all about it," he began delicately, not wanting to speak of genocide with a child but…knowing that the insight of a child could be staggering in its clarity, "You know what it means and…you love him…me… _us_ , still?"

She nodded, "Daddy talks about it all the time, he doesn't lie to me or mummy. Mummy always makes him feel better when he gets sad about it," she frowned at that, looking up at him with such…open honesty in her eyes that it took his breath away, "I don't like seeing daddy sad, why would I want to make him sad by being mad at him? It would hurt him and daddy's been hurt enough."

"And because he's been hurt…he tries to help others who are hurt, doesn't he?" the War Doctor murmured, more to himself than her.

"No," Ayla laughed, "That's silly pops. Daddy helps people because he doesn't like to see anyone hurt. YOU never did," she tilted her head, "Don't you remember that?"

The War Doctor let out a breath at that, "I…had forgotten," he admitted to her quietly.

And he truly had. He'd been so consumed by his people by the War, by the Daleks and weapons and destruction that…he'd forgotten the reason he'd become who he was in the first place…because everyone else beyond the Time Lords kept getting hurt. Cass, half the Universe…everything was burning and being torn apart by the bloody War…the Sisters of Karn had told him HE could end it, he could stop it, stop the pain, stop the hurt…he had done it for THAT. He had done it to protect the Universe, to stop the War…instead it had become about him having had enough of the war, of the destruction of his own planet, the suffering of his own people, the endless fighting…

He remembered now…it was about SO MUCH MORE than that…it was about ending the hurt that the entire Universe was feeling. It went beyond JUST Gallifrey, it reached farther than JUST his people, it was…every life in the Universe, every life was going to suffer from the War if he didn't stop it.

It wasn't just about Gallifrey, it was about the Universe.

It was about him, a Doctor, stopping others hurting.

He looked at Ayla as the girl looked at him innocently, tears in his eyes, "Thank you sweetheart," he whispered, hugging her tightly to him, the girl beaming, happy she had been able to help him remember he was the Doctor.

He looked over her shoulder, seeing the interface standing there in her white dress, looking at him a cross between sad and touched at the moment he was sharing with his future daughter.

He gave the interface a nod, seeing her nod back, before he closed his eyes, giving the girl one more squeeze, before pulling back, "Well, you've certainly helped me dear," he smiled at her, taking her hands, "I think your parents could use some help with their negotiations too. Why don't you go see if you can help eh?"

Ayla smiled and got off him, skipping over to tell her parents she'd been able to help make the War Doctor feel better and ask if she could help the Zygons feel better too…but when she pointed back at the chair he'd been sitting in…the man was gone.

~8~

The War Doctor stood silent, solemn, stiff, before the Moment, back in the barn, the device opened before him, like a flower in bloom, with petal like metal pieces at the base, no…not like a flower really, the pieces were too evenly spaced on either side. It looked more like…like wings. He closed his eyes but the image of the red gem stationed on a sort of stalk was still etched in his mind.

"You did say a RED button yes?" the interface asked, watching him intently as he opened his eyes to stare at it, "I prefer TARDIS blue though."

"No," he shook his head, swallowing, "Red. Blue is…it's the TARDIS," he looked at her for understanding.

She nodded, she got it, she really did. Blue meant the TARDIS, it meant adventure and hope and happiness and friendship…it meant the opposite of what this button represented. No, it should NOT be blue, the blue shouldn't be tarnished by such a burden, to be changed to loneliness and anger and sorrow and destruction.

"If you push that, another big bang. Big Bang Two," she murmured, frowning at the button as well, "Everything ends, the Time Lords, the Daleks…" she looked at him, "Everything, all things, must die," she whispered, echoing the words he'd heard so long ago on Karn, "But is it truly up to YOU to decide when that is?" she tilted her head, "One day you will meet a woman who stops that, who stops others deciding when someone should die, who protects them from events which would never have happened to them, events that would end their lives. She gives them new life, new hope…"

"One day I shall meet her then," he gave in, having learned not to argue with things that saw the future, "But that day is not today."

She sighed, the Doctor certainly could be a bit…thick, couldn't he? She moved around to the side of the Moment, and placed a hand on his arm, reaching out her other hand to touch his cheek, turning his gaze away from the button and to her, "Are you sure about this Doctor?"

He nodded, "I was sure when I came in here. And I have been reminded of my purpose in the War. There is no other way."

"But…you saw it. Your Mate, your daughter…that future you'll have, the family you'll create…and those men, the future yous…"

He smiled, thinking on them, "Those men. Extraordinary."

"They ARE you."

"No," he sighed, " _They_ are the Doctor."

"And so are you."

"No. Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame, whatever the cost," he reached out a hand over the button, that future she was speaking of, that woman, his daughter, the events of today would be what led him to meet her…if he didn't push this button…he might risk losing them both. He might risk destroying the Universe, letting it burn with the rest of Gallifrey if the attacking and the fighting continued…

"The TARDIS…that blue box is just… magic to all who see it. She's a treasure, isn't she?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Yes she is."

"And that noise, that wheezing noise, that wonderful wheezing," she laughed, "The sound of the Universe. The sound of hope…Doctor…that noise gives SO many people hope…"

"Yes. Yes, I like to think it does."

"But nothing gives more hope…than the treasures she carries inside her," the interface smiled, looking over his shoulder a moment before the wheezing noise filled the room and two blue boxes appeared.

The War Doctor closed his eyes, not even looking back at the two boxes, already knowing who was within them.

The Tenth Doctor, the Ninth Angel, and Rose stepped out of one, while the Eleventh Doctor, the Twelfth Angel, Ayla and Clara arrived in the other, Clara holding Ayla's hand, the little girl looking at him with such sadness…it was why he couldn't bear to look back, he knew the sort of disappointment he'd see in her eyes, he…he couldn't stand to see that, to see that the girl realized her words had given him hope, renewed his determination…but had led him back to this moment, THE Moment.

"I told you he didn't do it," Ayla whispered.

The War Doctor winced, he could hear tears in her voice, "Go away now, all of you," he called, not wanting the girl to see this, to witness what her father would become, "This is for me."

"You are not alone my love," the interface told him, still standing before him, "Not anymore, never again."

The Angels exchanged a look before shaking their heads, "That's not how it works anymore," the Ninth Angel told him, unknowingly agreeing with the interface.

The Twelfth Angel nodded, "You have us now," she agreed as well, "And we will never abandon you."

"These events should be time-locked," the Tenth Doctor remarked as they moved to the War Doctor, Rose and Clara standing behind with Ayla between them, each of them holding one of the girl's hands, "We shouldn't even be here."

"So something let us through," the Eleventh Doctor reasoned.

The interface smiled, "My clever boys," she looked at them as the Tenth Doctor came to stand to the War Doctor's right, the Eleventh Doctor on his left, while the two Angels moved to stand across from him, her stepping back to allow them though still visible over their shoulders.

"Go back," the War Doctor pleaded, "Go back to your lives. Please, take your Mates with you. Go and be the Doctor that I could never be, be a better man, let her make you a better man," he swallowed, recalling what the Sisters of Karn had told him, "Let her make a man of the monster that today will birth."

The Doctors were silent a long while, glancing at each other over the Moment, the Angels watching their respective Time Lords intently, "All those years, burying you in my memory," the Tenth Doctor murmured.

"Pretending you didn't exist," the Eleventh Doctor breathed, "Keeping you a secret, even from everyone but Angel and Ayla even while trying to keep you from myself."

"Pretending you weren't the Doctor, when you were the Doctor more than anybody else."

"You were the Doctor on the day it wasn't possible to get it right."

"But this time…"

"You don't have to do it alone."

The Angels took a breath, seeing their Doctors lift their hands to place it on the Moment as well. They swallowed and looked at each other, nodding before…reaching out to place their hands on the Doctor's as well. The two men looked at their Mates in shock, much like the humans were gaping at the fact that ANGEL was willing to push the button as well.

"It isn't just YOUR burden any longer my love," the Twelfth Angel remarked, the War Doctor looking up at that, as though having just noticed she'd called the Eleventh Doctor 'her love' repeatedly.

"We will always try to make the darkness brighter," the Ninth Angel agreed, even if it meant casting themselves into the middle of it, they would find some way to brighten it, some way to offer hope, someway to make it better again.

"Thank you," all three Doctors breathed, the Tenth Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor to their Mates while the War Doctor spoke to his future selves.

The Tenth Doctor took a breath, looking around at each of them, "What we do today is not out of fear or hatred. It is done because there is no other way."

"And it is done in the name of the many live we are failing to save," the Eleventh Doctor agreed, all of them turning to look down at the button, their hands ready to push it, to end it all.

The Moment had come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left! And then the last nightmare, and then Christmas! I'm so sad and excited at the same time lol :)
> 
> I hope you liked Ayla's moment with the War Doctor, I sort of feel like I did with J, that his child would get through to him more, but Ayla having more of an innocent way of doing it than J :)


	69. The Day of the Doctor: Victories

The Eleventh Doctor looked at the Twelfth Angel, "Are you SURE about this?" he had to ask her, because…this wasn't like her. This wasn't like her to be willing to burn their home to the ground, to use the Moment to end life, the lives of the children, in such a way, she…she would be trying to save them.

The Twelfth Angel looked at him, "It's like Pompeii, isn't it?" she asked, an…odd look in her eye that he couldn't quite place.

"No," he shook his head, knowing that the Ninth Angel and the Tenth Doctor had no idea what they were speaking of, "It's not like that at all, you don't have to do this…"

The Twelfth Angel smiled, "And neither, my love, do you."

The Eleventh Doctor frowned at that, "What are you…"

"Shouldn't you move her?" the Ninth Angel cut in, glancing at her Doctor.

The Tenth Doctor blinked, "Move who?"

"The TARDIS," she replied, "TARDISes," she corrected, "Do you really want her to see this? To see you…US…doing this?"

The War Doctor looked at the Ninth Angel, startled, hearing the same words that he and the interface had had what felt like ages ago. He looked past the Angels, towards the interface as she stood behind them, in between them, smiling proudly at them. And he realized…the Angels were trying to change his mind. She was his Mate, both of them were, and…the Doctors clearly loved her very much, they would listen to her, they wouldn't want to force her to be a part of this.

"Do you want THEM to see you do it?" the Twelfth Angel continued, nodding past the Doctors' shoulders towards Rose, Clara, and Ayla, the girl now in Clara's arms, clinging to her, not wanting to see this, not wanting to see her parents do this, as Rose stood close, rubbing the girl's back, both humans watching them with alarm and sorrow.

"What do you think?" the Ninth Angel asked the men, "Our companions, our sisters, our…our daughter…all of them standing there…watching us destroy our home…"

"We HAVE to though," the Tenth Doctor looked at her, his eyes pleading with her to understand.

"No," the Ninth Angel shook her head, reaching out her other hand to touch his face, "There HAS to be another way because…I…I don't want to do this," she admitted, the hand on the button squeezing his, "I don't want you to have to do this."

The Twelfth Angel agreed, "You think we don't know how this haunts you?" she looked at her Doctor, "How much it hurts…we are your Mate, it is our job to bring you peace…whether that means sharing this burden," she glanced at the button, "Or helping you find faith that there is another way, we will do whatever we can."

"Do you see it now?" the interface asked the War Doctor, the man seeing his future selves staring at their Mates with wide eyes, seeing them hesitating and knowing he wouldn't be able to push the button alone…he glanced at her, "The light at the end of the tunnel, it's THEM," she nodded at the girls, before frowning, "Do you want to see how far you'll go to protect her? Then look closer…"

Everyone gasped as the room shifted, going dark around them, "What's happening?" Clara frowned, clutching Ayla tighter, feeling her stiffen at the darkness and let out a small cry of alarm.

"What's wrong?" the Tenth Doctor stared as the Eleventh Doctor took his hand off the button to rush to his daughter's side, taking her from Clara, holding her tight as the Twelfth Angel slowly made her way over, taking Ayla's hand and speaking quietly to her, humming a soft song under her breath.

"Is she alright?" the Ninth Angel asked, frowning at how scared the girl seemed.

"She's afraid of the dark," the Eleventh Doctor murmured, "It's alright sweetheart," he whispered to her, rubbing her back as he looked around, seeing images starting to form.

"What's going on?" Rose frowned, seeing the images clearing, revealing a battle going on around them…

"Nothing," the War Doctor pulled his gaze away from the interface, "It's a projection."

"It's what's happening on Gallifrey, right now, this IS what is happening," the interface told him.

"Oh my stars…" Clara breathed, staring at the children running to their families, the parents crying out, the soldiers defending them, the Daleks firing relentlessly at them. It was chaos, it was destruction, it was death, all around them. She swallowed, she remembered this, she remembered the War, she remembered the terror…it was almost as though she were right back there…

"All these people," Rose blinked, looking at them, at how scared they were, how traumatizing it was for the children, "They're the ones you're going to burn?" she looked at the Tenth Doctor, alarmed.

"Wait…" the Ninth Angel breathed, taking a step away from the Tenth Doctor, looking around with wide eyes, "This is…oh my god," she shook her head, "It can't be…" she spun in a circle, looking at WHERE in Arcadia they were, "No…"

"Angel?" the Tenth Doctor frowned, stepping towards her when he saw the tears in her eyes, "What is it?"

"It's the end of the War…it can't be…" she turned to look across the path, "Not now…not this moment…please not this…"

"Not what?" Rose moved to her side, not seeing the Twelfth Angel look over at how frantic her Ninth self was getting.

"Rae…" the Twelfth Angel breathed, moving closer to the Ninth Angel, but staring ahead in horror.

"Who?" Clara frowned, glancing between the Angels as they stared, watching as a young woman with black hair ran out before them…a girl with strawberry-blonde hair running after her, the black-haired woman firing viciously at the Daleks ahead of her.

The War Doctor stiffened, seeing the strawberry-blonde girl…it was the interface! He turned to look at the hologram in alarm, but she was just smiling sadly at the scene playing out, her arms crossed, looking as near tears as a hologram could, before he turned back.

"No…" the Twelfth Angel repeated what the Ninth Angel had, starting to breathe heavily as she gazed fixatedly at the two women across from them, "Please…don't show me Rae."

Ayla looked over, her eyes widening as she saw the women, "Mummy…is that Auntie Rae?"

But neither Angel could answer, just watch in horror as the strawberry-blonde woman tripped, her gun flying away from her as a Dalek approached her. She scrambled for it, but she couldn't reach it, the Dalek turning to her…only for the black haired woman to fire at it, sending it back, destroyed. They watched as the woman smiled down at the fallen one…before a Dalek blast hit her.

"NO!" the Twelfth Angel screamed as the Ninth Angel turned away, burying her face in the Tenth Doctor's neck as she clutched to him, the Tenth Doctor wrapping his arms around her, looking at the Eleventh Doctor confused, but the Eleventh Doctor was solemn, holding Ayla close as the girl too looked away.

Angel felt the world around her fade away as she watched her sister fall to the ground, Rae, her sister Rae. It was what her mother had called them, her angel and her ray of light, but her sister had always spelled it RAE instead. They had both picked names their mother had called them by, the woman having died when they were still so young. Her mother, the Tender, which was so true in both how she tended to the TARDISes and her overall personality, the most tender, kind, and compassionate woman you could ever meet. Her father, the Reaper, he had always been the one in charge of harvesting the plants, of adapting them, of preparing them for other Time Lords. Her parents had been a pair, her mother growing the TARDISes, her father taking them when they were fully grown, opposites in a way, much like SHE and the Doctor were.

And now…she was watching the last member of her family fall…now she was watching it all over again, that moment her sister had died saving her. She felt like she couldn't breathe, she could hear her heart pounding in her ears, ringing away while the rest of the world went silent, a chill entering her as she felt something lashing out and crashing within her very soul and…this time…she couldn't keep it in…

The others watched as the strawberry-blonde girl, Angel they now realized, stood and ran at the Dalek with a scream as another Time Lord fired at it, weakening it so much that it…

"Temporal Emergency Shift!" it cried, disappearing just as Angel leapt at it, taking her with it…

"Angel?" the Eleventh Doctor began, seeing something that stopped his hearts…the Twelfth Angel was starting to glow golden, "Angel no!" he shouted.

But it was too late.

"Enough!" the Twelfth Angel cried, the swirl of the gold springing up into a shield around them as Dalek blasts fired at them, as though they were really there, though they knew it would go through them, it was…terrifying to witness…but then the gold was there and the Twelfth Angel was shaking and her eyes were golden.

"Oh my god!" Rose stared at her, backing up as the swirl and the power radiated off of her.

"What's happening?!" the Tenth Doctor yelled as he saw the Eleventh Doctor pass Ayla to Clara and rush towards the Twelfth Angel.

"How is that possible!?" the War Doctor stared.

But it was the Ninth Angel's words that alarmed them the most, "What's she doing!?"

And then they noticed…the images around them were flickering, flickering so rapidly it was like some sort of tape or something that was coming to an end. Then they saw it…golden sparks were flying out of the Moment as it sat in the middle of them, the object the Twelfth Angel had spun to look at.

"Stop her!" the War Doctor cried to the Eleventh Doctor, "She's destroying the Moment!"

"But HOW?" the Tenth Doctor stared at her in horror, if this…if this was Angel, HIS Angel's future…how did this happen? What had he done? Why was she using the Vortex? HOW was she using it?!

"Angel!" the Eleventh Doctor ran before her, "Angel you need to stop…" he reached out to take her face in his hands, seeing her crying and staring at the Daleks around them, looking for all the world as though she wanted to end the War that very moment…and not in a way that she'd survive, "Angel please…" he leaned in and kissed her, hoping it would get through to her, "Please," he whispered as he pulled away, resting his forehead to hers, "Ayla is watching…our daughter," he saw her blink, starting to come back, "Your sister is dead, yes, I'm so sorry, but it happened a LONG time ago," he reminded her, "You can't change this…and you can't stop this…please," he begged, feeling tears in his own eyes, "Please, I…I've already lost myself to this bloody War, I've lost my family, my friends, my home, everything…I can't lose the only other thing that matters to me to it as well. I can't lose YOU to it…" he swallowed hard, stroking her cheeks seeing her coming around, "Please don't make me lose you."

The Twelfth Angel blinked, seeing a tear fall from his eyes though the yellow haze of her vision and closed her eyes, pulling the Vortex into her with all her might…but…it was too late…

The Moment exploded a moment before she could take it in completely, the War Doctor watching as the image of the interface flickered away, a final whisper of, "Goodbye my love," echoing to him before she was gone.

"No!" the War Doctor rushed to it as the Twelfth Angel collapsed into the Eleventh Doctor's arms, the Eleventh Doctor catching her and picking her up, leading her over to a crate to set her down, sonicing her as the Tenth Doctor stared at her in alarm, Rose and the Ninth Angel running over to help her as Clara stood nearby with Ayla, the girl looking at her mother, hoping she'd be ok…

"She's fine," the Eleventh Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, "Just…used too much of the Vortex."

"How is that FINE?" the Tenth Doctor gaped at him, "The VORTEX is inside her?! How is she even still alive?"

The Eleventh Doctor looked over his shoulder at her, sighing, he hadn't wanted to reveal that to the Tenth Doctor or to the Ninth Angel but…the Twelfth Angel had lost control of it again, "It was always meant to be a part of her," he informed his younger self, "Her sensations, her…visions," he added, letting them know even more about the Twelfth Angel's progressing abilities, "She was always meant to have the Vortex, the…the TARDIS _chose_ her to have it."

"Mummy's special," Ayla added, looking at the Tenth Doctor as he glanced at the Ninth Angel, seeing her looking more thoughtful than concerned.

"And she had doomed us all," the War Doctor murmured, making them all look at him to see the Moment was a smoking wreck, "The Moment…it's destroyed," he looked up, even the interface was gone. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face, what did this mean for the future? If he was never able to use the Moment? If he didn't time-lock the planet? What would it mean for all those people he needed to help, all those people who were hurting.

"Never," the Eleventh Doctor stood, defending his Mate while she laid unconscious against the crate, the Tenth Doctor taking his spot to sonic her, trying to help her, "Angel doesn't doom people…WE do," he countered, "She saves them, every time, all…" he blinked, realizing something, "All the people WE couldn't…" he whispered.

He had said that once, so long ago, that Angel seemed to have a knack for saving the ones he failed to…well…he had failed to save those on Gallifrey and he knew and trusted his Mate enough to know that…things like this didn't happen for no reason. Whatever it was, Angel had done it to protect him, to…stop him.

"She stopped us."

"Yes," the War Doctor remarked, grim, "She did. Everything is for nothing now…"

"No, no, no, no, no," the Eleventh Doctor looked at him, "Don't you see?" he looked at the Tenth Doctor as well, but both men were frowning, "She stopped us making the biggest mistake of our lives!" he started laughing, everything working out in his mind, "She saved them! She saved Gallifrey when we couldn't! She…she saved US."

"How?" the War Doctor shook his head, "The planet had to be time-locked, there isn't another way to end the War! You two standing before me are proof that there never was. The Universe will BURN now!"

The Eleventh Doctor shook his head at the War Doctor, "You really have forgotten, haven't you?" he murmured sadly.

He hadn't realized till just then how much he had lost of himself in the War. He had said it to the Twelfth Angel yes, he had said that he had lost himself in the War…but he hadn't realized how much of that he had till just then. He didn't realize how much of himself Angel, all the Angels he'd ever known, had given back to him till he saw this man before him.

"You've forgotten the promise we made."

He'd said that to Clara as well, that the War Doctor was the one who broke the promise, it seemed though, that he hadn't just broken it…he'd forgotten it entirely. He couldn't blame the man though…HE had forgotten it as well, he…he honestly hadn't remembered it till he'd met Angel, till they'd spoken once so long ago, just after helping Jamie and Nancy, about how she believed in him, about how, together, they could save everyone, her faith in him, her own drive to protect and help and heal…it had been the spark that reminded him of his own promise, the spark that had allowed him to regenerate into a man who was the true Doctor once more.

"Can you even remember it?"

"Never cruel or cowardly," the Tenth Doctor spoke from behind him, standing to look at him, Rose moving to kneel beside the Twelfth Angel as she slowly came around, Ayla clutching the girl's hand as Clara and the Ninth Angel helped her sit up.

The Eleventh Doctor nodded and pointed at the Tenth Doctor, "Never give up, _never_ give in."

The room fell silent as the War Doctor looked down, solemn, remembering the promise he'd made, the promise he'd forgotten, the promise he'd been about to break.

"So…" the Ninth Angel began as the Twelfth Angel stood, "NOT blowing up the planet then?"

The Eleventh Doctor chuckled a bit, he hadn't realized just HOW much of what the Ninth Angel said ended up relating to a VERY far in the future adventure, just off the top of his head, she'd referenced the Master's return, the event with the Cybermen and their Planner, and so many others.

"She's right though," the Tenth Doctor had to agree, looking at the Eleventh Doctor, "She's just changed our own personal history!" he reminded his future self, not that he really wanted to burn Gallifrey to the ground but…what did it mean now that it was impossible!?

"You ARE usually the first in line to change history," the Twelfth Angel remarked, her voice a bit hoarse as she looked around at them, trying to play off that the entire event hadn't just happened. She knew they'd all want to discuss it later, but…right now if she could keep them focused on the matter at hand, that would be best.

"It's actually far worse than just that," the Eleventh Doctor spoke, but he was grinning this time.

"How is it worse?" the War Doctor shook his head.

But the Eleventh Doctor laughed, "'Cos I've had four hundred years to think about this."

"You've got a plan then?" Rose looked at him, hopeful, feeling SO hopeful that they might just SAVE Gallifrey!

"Him?" Clara scoffed.

"Daddy's got a thing!" Ayla informed her.

"There's still a billion billion Daleks up there, attacking," the War Doctor countered.

"Yeah," the Eleventh Doctor grinned, moving over to the Twelfth Angel, winding his arm around her shoulders, "There is. There is."

"But there's something those billion billion Daleks don't know…" the Tenth Doctor began to nod, moving his own arm around the Ninth Angel's waist, grinning at how the motion, seeing his future self and the Ninth Angel's future self doing the same had sparked the idea in him as well.

"Because if they did, they'd probably send for reinforcements."

"What?" Rose shook her head, "What don't they know?"

"There's three of you!" Clara gasped, a moment of her Time Lady knowledge hitting her, telling her EXACTLY what that meant, what they'd be able to do, "That's genius!"

"Oh!" the War Doctor's eyes widened as he caught onto what the Eleventh Doctor was implying, it…it just might work! And if they could manage that…there might be hope that the time-lock wouldn't be needed after all! "Oh, yes, that is good. That is brilliant!"

"Oh, oh, oh!" the Tenth Doctor ruffled his hair, his eyes wide as he got it as well, "I'm getting that too! That is brilliant!" he turned and pulled the Ninth Angel to him, hugging her as he spun her around.

"Daddy that's amazing!" even Ayla worked out what he was planning, rushing to her father to hug him, the man scooping her up into his arms and spinning her around.

"Ha, ha, ha!" the Eleventh Doctor cheered, kissing Ayla's cheek as he settled her on his hip, "I've been thinking about it for centuries," he looked at the Twelfth Angel and winked at her, he'd been thinking of it ever since he'd told Angel about what he'd done.

That single moment, where she'd looked at him after he'd told her, his head bowed, his hands in fists beside him, unable to even look at her because he feared what he'd see in her eyes…that single moment where she'd stood up from the captain's chair where he'd sat her to explain and walked over to him even as he closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for her to say she hated him, waiting for her to slap him or shout at him or tear him to pieces…that single moment where she'd just stepped right up to him and given him the warmest, tightest, hug he had ever received…that was what had done it. She had sat there as he told her he was responsible for destroying their planet, for burning it, for essentially murdering all those people…and then she'd just hugged him, she'd held him as he had actually cried for what he'd done, she'd whispered that she understood, that she didn't blame him, that, in doing what he had, he had saved the entire Universe. She had held him and she hadn't left him since.

And in that moment…he'd begun to think about everything he'd done. Angel had been so amazing to him, to still see the good in him…it had made him question if he had done all he could to stop the War without more destruction. It had made him question his actions. It made him wonder if there was some other way. Because telling Angel, a someone he'd already grown so attached to in mere hours, telling her what he'd done had been the hardest thing he'd done in his life since the Moment. He hadn't wanted to do it. As he'd looked into her eyes as she'd looked up at him, a small smile on her face, waiting to see what he wanted to tell her…his hearts broke to know he would tell her that, that it was HIS fault.

He had wanted nothing more than to tell her that he had somehow saved Gallifrey, that it was just a secret that the planet was destroyed, that there was some way it was still there, just…out of sight, hidden, protected, and that HE had done it. He'd wanted so badly to be the hero he knew she already saw him as. And so he had started to think, started to wonder what he could have done instead, anything that he could have done differently…and he'd come up with only a handful over the centuries with Angel…but he HAD thought of some things. It had taken him too long to think of them, he'd lost his chance…but now…now he had it again!

Now…he could truly be the hero again, he could be the Doctor!

The War Doctor grinned widely at that, his hearts lightening considerably to realize…Angel truly had saved him from this mistake, from the greatest mistake of his life, the planet DIDN'T have to burn! Oh…this was Christmas, "She didn't just show me any old future," he realized as well, knowing that he never would be in that position, if not for the interface showing him his future selves, the men they became, if she had never shown him the Eleventh Doctor, he wouldn't have been stopped, "She showed me exactly the future I needed to see!"

"Who did?" Rose laughed, smiling at him as the Ninth Angel hugged her.

But the War Doctor didn't hear her, just laughed on, "Oh, my guardian angel, I could kiss you!"  
he looked over and laughed heartily, seeing…he already was, both hims actually.

"So what are we doing?" Rose cut in to the festivities, not at all perturbed to seemingly be the only one not understanding what was about to happen, she'd learned a long time ago that it was ok to not know things, as long as she didn't appear or pretend to know, then someone would explain it to her. She'd rather know for sure than to pretend she was capable and do more damage than good, "What's the plan?"

"The Dalek fleets are surrounding Gallifrey, firing on it constantly," the War Doctor turned to her.

"The Sky Trench is holding, but what if the whole planet just disappeared?" the Tenth Doctor grinned.

"The Daleks would be firing on each other," the Eleventh Doctor added.

Clara nodded, "They would end up destroying themselves in the crossfire!"

"And…Gallifrey would be gone," the Ninth Angel began slowly, more like Rose in needing just a bit more time to catch on, "But the Daleks would be destroyed too."

"And the entire Universe would think that the planet was destroyed with it," the Twelfth Angel breathed, that was…genius, leave it to her Mate to work out the biggest cover up and rescue ever!

"But what about the planet?" Rose shook her head, "Where would it be?"

"Frozen," the Tenth Doctor grinned, "Frozen in an instant of time, safe and hidden away."

"Exactly!" the Eleventh Doctor pointed at him.

"Like the paintings!" Ayla cheered, "Daddy you're brilliant!"

"Yes I am," the Eleventh Doctor winked at her.

Rose laughed at that, "Still got an ego the size of the TARDIS."

~8~

Androgar ran to a small blinking light on the table in the War Room, hitting it and reading quickly the details of the alert, "Another one," he called to the General, flicking on the message, a hologram that read 'Gallifrey Stands.'

The General frowned, "Are you sure the message is from him?"

"Oh, yes."

He shook his head, only moments ago it had read 'No More,' why change it now? "Why would he do that? What's the mad fool talking about now?"

Suddenly a light blinked in the air above them, slightly to the side, and what looked like a holographic monitor popped up, the Eleventh Doctor, the Twelfth Angel and Ayla on screen, smiling, "Hello!" Ayla cheered, waving both hands at the men as she fidgeted, nearly bouncing in excitement, "I'm Ayla! And you're Time Lords! You're really Time Lords!"

"Hello, Gallifrey High Command," the Eleventh Doctor added, "This is the Doctor speaking, me and my Mate, the Angel," he nodded at the Twelfth Angel.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled at them, not seeing their shocked expressions at her presence.

The General stared at her, they had gotten a report mere moments ago that she had been lost, that the Angel had been dislocated, displaced in time, had grabbed onto a Dalek as it Shifted away and been lost to them...and yet...there she was!

When another voice spoke at the same time, "Nice to meet you!" as another holographic monitor popped up, but with the Ninth Angel speaking, "Angel here too!"

"MY Mate this time," the Tenth Doctor grinned as he appeared with Rose standing behind them, "Hello! Also the Doctor."

"And Rose!" the Ninth Angel added.

"Hi?" Rose waved, staring at the other Time Lords, never having thought she'd ever see the day where she could actually meet more.

"Can you hear us?" the Tenth Doctor bashed the top of the screen, clearing the image entirely.

"Also the Doctor," a third monitor sprang to life as well, the War Doctor in this one, "Standing ready with Miss Oswald," he gestured back to Clara, who winked as she stood by the console, having offered to help the War Doctor as the other Doctors had a Time Lady each to help them pilot and, while she didn't remember everything, she knew she'd be able to help him.

"Dear God," the General stared at them in utter horror, "Three of them! All my worst nightmares at once."

"Really?" the Ninth Angel blinked, "I think it's more a wonderful dream."

The Tenth Doctor grinned and blushed at that, giving her a quick peck as the Eleventh Doctor and the Twelfth Angel laughed, even the War Doctor chuckling, before he cleared his throat and faced the monitor once more, "General, we have a plan."

"Thing!" Ayla corrected.

"We should point at this moment, it is a fairly terrible plan," the Eleventh Doctor remarked.

" _Thing_!" Ayla insisted again, making them chuckle.

"And almost certainly won't work."

"I was happy with fairly terrible."

"Sorry, just thinking out loud."

"Don't worry my love," the Twelfth Angel cut in, "It WILL work, trust me," she winked at them.

The Eleventh Doctor grinned widely, even more reassured as he spoke to the General, "We're flying our three TARDISes into your lower atmosphere."

"We're positioned at equidistant intervals around the globe," the Tenth Doctor added, "Equidistant. So grown up!"

"Focus Doctor," the Ninth Angel smiled at him.

"We're just about ready to do it," the War Doctor moved to his console, point at one or two buttons to help Clara along.

The General frowned, stiffening at that, not liking the sound of that at all. The Doctor's plans were legendary…and none for good reasons. In fact, finding out the man had a plan…or thing as the girl kept shouting…was the least reassuring thing they could say, "Ready to do what?"

"We're going to freeze Gallifrey," the Ninth Angel told him.

"I'm sorry," the General shook his head, as though he'd heard incorrectly, "What?!"

But the Tenth Doctor nodded, "Using our TARDISes, we're going to freeze Gallifrey in a single moment in time."

"You know, like those stasis cubes?" the War Doctor called, "A single moment in time, held in a parallel pocket universe."

"But for the entire planet," the Twelfth Angel spoke softly.

"Mummy and daddy are going to save everyone!" Ayla cheered, oh this was Christmas! To see her parents saving not just their planet, but their people, their home, everyone and everything on the planet was going to be safe! Oh this was amazing! Brilliant! Fantastic! "Moto Bene!" Ayla grinned, making the Tenth Doctor smile warmly at hearing one of his favored phrases.

"What?" the General breathed, "Even if that were possible, which it isn't, why would you do such a thing?"

The Eleventh Doctor swallowed hard, "Because the alternative is burning."

"And I've seen that," the Tenth Doctor added solemnly, "And I never want to see it again."

"We will NOT expose our daughter to that," the Eleventh Doctor added firmly.

"But we'd be lost in another Universe!" the General argued, "Frozen in a single moment. We'd have nothing!"

"You would have hope," the Twelfth Angel told them gently, "There is, surprisingly, ALWAYS hope."

"And that's something you need more than anything right now," the Ninth Angel agreed.

"It's delusional," the General nearly spat, "The calculations alone would take hundreds of years!"

"Oh, hundreds and hundreds," the Eleventh Doctor nodded, smirking.

"But don't worry," the Tenth Doctor winked, "I started a _very_ long time ago."

"Calling the War Council of Gallifrey!" a fourth monitor popped up, but this time…with the First Doctor on it, "This is the Doctor."

"You might say I've been doing this all my lives," the Eleventh Doctor smiled, picking Ayla up a bit more so she could watch, her eyes wide, as she saw all her father's past selves appearing in various monitors…

"Good luck," the Second Doctor called.

Followed by the Third, "Standing by."

"Ready!" the Fourth reported.

"Commencing calculations," the Eighth added.

Before the Fifth shouted, "Soon be there."

"Across the boundaries that divide one universe from another," the Seventh cheered.

"Just got to lock on to his coordinates…" the Sixth muttered.

A lever was pulled, as the Ninth appeared, a him from before he'd found Angel, "And for my next trick…"

The General nearly sagged against the table, overwhelmed when he saw the 12 monitors on around him, "I didn't know when I was well off. All twelve of them!"

"No, sir," one final monitor popped up, of an older man, the next Doctor, "All thirteen!"

"Sir!" Androgar cried as the building was hit once more, by the worst blast yet, "The Daleks know that something is happening. They're increasing their fire power!"

The General swallowed hard, struggling with the decision, what it could mean if the Doctors and their Mates failed…what it could mean if they succeeded.

"General," the Twelfth Angel called softly, offering him a smile, "Have faith."

He swallowed, the High Council…they believed the girl to be a potential Visionary and…looking at her now, how confident she was in this plan, the surety he could see in her words, the…knowing look in her eyes, it seemed the Council had been correct. And if SHE was saying for him to believe in the plan…then perhaps she knew what the result would be, "Do it, Doctor," he gave the command, "Just do it. Just do it!"

The Eleventh Doctor took a breath, taking a single second to realize…they really were about to do this, "Ok," he swallowed, "Ladies and gentlemen, we're ready. Geronimo!" he pulled a lever on one side of the console, the Twelfth Angel twisting knobs on the other, while Ayla pushed a button or two that they'd pointer her to before.

"Allons-y!" the Tenth Doctor cried, throwing a lever of his own as the Ninth Angel took care of her knobs, Rose handling the buttons.

"Oh, for God's sake," the War Doctor muttered, pushing the buttons first.

"Oh go on!" Clara laughed, twisting the knobs.

He shook his head, but pulled a lever, "Gallifrey stands!"

And a white light filled the room, filled the TARDISes, surrounded the entire planet…before it blinked out in an instant…all the Daleks continuing to fire, unable to cease soon enough, realizing all too late that their target was gone as their blasts hit each other, obliterating them all…

~8~

Inside the National Gallery, before the painting of Gallifrey Falls, the Time Lords, Clara, and Rose gathered, all just…recovering from the rather BIG event they'd just attempted. While the men stood before the painting, looking at it while the Ninth Angel and Ayla sat on a bench, quietly talking as well, as Rose and Clara gathered up the last of the tea they'd been drinking to put away on a bench behind them, their backs to Ayla and the Ninth Angel as they spoke quietly.

"So…" Rose began, "How's it? Being the newest companion?"

Clara let out a breath, smiling, "I've got…big shoes to fill," she laughed, "I just keep thinking, one day they'll look over and see how ordinary and human I am and just…say goodbye. Not so much now," she added quickly, "But…before, when I first started…"

"I get that," Rose laughed, "I kept thinking, what on Earth do they want to travel with ME for? Really though…they just…see something in us we don't yet. They bring it out."

Clara nodded, "They talk about you a lot," she told Rose, "The things you've done and will do for them. You're…remarkable Rose."

Rose smiled, "Thanks, I can tell you're brilliant too you know. The Doctor, once, he took this bloke Adam with us…didn't last a trip," she scoffed, remembering him, "Doctor dropped him off back home after her tried to 'get rich' using time travel."

"That's against the rules," Clara joked, but her expression was serious and disturbed.

Rose nodded, pleased to see that Clara was reacting like that, that she wasn't going to do the same, "He told Adam that he only took the best for his companions, and…I think that's true. You and I, all the others in between, we're the best."

Clara laughed, knowing that Rose wasn't saying that arrogantly, not in a context of them being 'the absolute best human beings ever!' sort of thing, but more…they were the best thing that the Doctor and Angel needed at that moment, the best thing for them. THEY were the ones that helped the Time Lords grow as much as the aliens did them.

"Um…" Rose began, "I know I shouldn't ask, I probably don't have to either but…" she sighed, glancing at the Doctors, and then at Angels, seeing the Twelfth Angel off alone, before she turned back to Clara, "Keep an eye on them? Keep them safe? The Doctor and Angel and…and Ayla."

Clara nodded, "If you keep them safe too," she winked.

"Done and done," Rose smiled, "Almost literally," and it really was, the Eleventh Doctor and the Twelfth Angel wouldn't be there if she and the others hadn't.

"Consider it done as well," Clara laughed.

"Great," she nodded, "Do you mind…" she gestured at the tray of teacups before nodding back to the Twelfth Angel.

Clara nodded, "Go," she offered, taking the cup from Rose to allow the woman to go talk to the Time Lady. She knew, from how fondly the Time Lords spoke of Rose, that this might just be something that Angel needed Rose to help her with, and she wouldn't begrudge the Time Lady that. She could tell something was bothering her, and she could also tell that Rose…Rose would be the best one to help her at the moment.

Rose smiled, "Thanks," and handed over the cup before heading across the room to where the Twelfth Angel was standing, staring at round things on the wall, really just…staring, definitely not seeing as she was quite sure there was only so long one could stare at a circle before going mad.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked once she'd been standing beside the Twelfth Angel for a minute or two, the woman not saying a word, not even noticing that she had joined her.

The Twelfth Angel blinked and looked at her, "Nothing."

"Thank god that hasn't changed," Rose smiled, before nudging her, "You're still the WORST liar on the planet Angel," she looked at her softly, before taking her hand, "Come on, you're my sister…I may not be psychic, but I know when something's bothering you."

The Twelfth Angel gave her a small smile at that, "I…I didn't mean to destroy the Moment," she admitted, "I…lost control of the Vortex, I've…" she swallowed hard, "I've been losing control of it a lot and…" she shook her head, "It's scaring me. Usually I can control it, it reacts but only to really BIG things not…not little things."

"When has it reacted before?" Rose frowned, seeing how genuinely terrified the Twelfth Angel was of that.

"Um…" she paused, thinking, "We were surrounded by Sontarans firing at us, the three of us. The Dalek Asylum, when Ayla and my companion Rory and I were surrounded and again when the Doctor was facing one down. The Shakri were firing at all of us on a space ship. Victorian London, when the Great Intelligence was trying to freeze the Doctor to death and attack us with snowmen. When it sent robots after us and Clara and we ended up on a crashing plane. When we ended up on a sinking submarine, when the Doctor was nearly trapped in a pocket Universe, the Cybermen captured Ayla and put one of those relays on her," she gestured to her temple, "And then took control of the Doctor. When the Great Intelligence attacked again, tried to use me to get to the Doctor and Ayla, and…before, with the Moment…"

"When we were surrounded by Daleks, that were firing at us?" Rose began slowly, nodding as though working something out, "Angel…when did you regenerate? Was…was it before or after you had Ayla?"

"After," the Twelfth Angel looked at her, confused as to what that had to do with anything.

"How soon after?"

"Well…Ayla she…" the Twelfth Angel swallowed hard, "She was kidnapped as a baby, just…just an hour after she was born…"

"I'm so sorry," Rose breathed, squeezing her hand.

"We got her back," the Twelfth Angel smiled, glancing at her daughter, "I…I worked out where she was and…I regenerated saving the Doctor, we went to get her and…here we are."

Rose nodded, "So you regenerated knowing you'd get your daughter back yeah?"

"Yeah."

Rose broke out into a smile, "You've changed so much Angel, but there are some things that are still the same, good thing I'm here to help," she winked, "You know mum, right? Remember the Koh-I-Noor? The Wolf? How you and the Doctor said mum could fight it off with her bare hands and win?"

"Yes, but…what does that have to do with the Vortex?" the Twelfth Angel frowned.

"Mum is scary," Rose began, "She's the most terrifying person on the planet, but only when something is threatening ME. It's the same for mothers everywhere, they're the kindest, gentlest, most loving women ever…but if you put their child in danger…" she shook her head, "Run. Just…RUN. Don't you see Angel…you're not losing control of the Vortex…it's just trying to protect you, to protect your family, your…your daughter," she smiled, guessing that the times Angel had described before the 'us' portion had included Ayla, "You regenerated into being a mother, and that's what you are, THAT'S what the Vortex is reacting to. It wants to protect your family, that's all. You're not used to being a mum yet, are you?"

"No," the Twelfth Angel admitted quietly, thinking on what Rose was saying.

"You're not used to it so when the Vortex happens to act up, you don't understand why…and it frightens you, and you fight it. I think…once you accept that you're a mum now and…really look at the things that made the Vortex come out, you'll see that it's just when there's a threat to your daughter, or to her father, that you really react."

The Twelfth Angel blinked and looked down, thinking on that, it…made sense. It made a lot of sense. She'd had centuries never having entertained the thought of being a mother and then…suddenly she was one. She'd lost her daughter, she'd failed to protect her, and regenerated knowing she'd get her back, knowing she'd have another chance to prove herself a good mum…maybe…maybe Rose was right. Maybe it really was the Vortex reacting to her desire to keep her daughter safe, to keep her family safe. She…hadn't really considered that, she had never been a mum before, Rose was right about that she DIDN'T know what it was like, she wasn't used to it, she had no idea what it would mean or feel like or anything till it happened.

She truly hadn't thought of that…

"Mums are scary when their kids are in danger," Rose repeated, "They'll do anything to protect them. I've seen the Doctor go mad to protect you and you're his _Mate_. It must be worse for a mum to think they're baby's in trouble. The only difference with you Angel…is that you HAVE the power to protect her."

The Twelfth Angel smiled at that, she…she DID, didn't she? She did have the power to keep her daughter safe, to keep her Mate safe…she just…had to accept that completely. She had to accept that she could do it, that THAT was what the Vortex was trying to do. In fighting it, in pushing it to the back of her mind, in not understanding it…she had just made herself more frightened of it, made it less controllable, more powerful each time it happened. Maybe…if she accepted it…she could embrace it and learn to control it.

"Thank you Rose," the Twelfth Angel smiled at her, turning to hug her.

"That's what sisters do," Rose shrugged as she squeezed her, "You always used to come to me when things were bothering you Angel, when you didn't understand something. I get that I'm not there now, so…I'm glad I could help you understand this last thing."

The Twelfth Angel gave her an extra squeeze for that, it was true, she had always gone to Rose with things she wasn't sure of…and Rose always helped her, made things clearer…like she'd just done now. She pulled away, both women looking at each other a moment, smiling, before laughing and heading back over to the others.

"I don't suppose we'll know if we actually succeeded," the War Doctor remarked as the two rejoined the group, "But at worst, we failed doing the right thing, as opposed to succeeding in doing the wrong."

"Life and soul, you are," Clara murmured.

The Ninth Angel frowned at that, "But he was being very solemn and grim."

"Sarcasm," Rose offered.

"Oh," the Ninth Angel nodded, "Sorry."

"It's alright," Clara smiled, more amused by the Ninth Angel than anything else. It was…so weird to see the woman compared to the Angel SHE knew. HER Angel was so mature and knowledgeable, so calm and rational and motherly…this Angel was so innocent and naïve and almost lost, but still very sweet.

"What is it actually called?" the Tenth Doctor had to wonder as they looked at the painting, all of them looking now.

"Well, there's some debate," the Eleventh Doctor sighed, "Either 'No More' or 'Gallifrey Falls.'"

"Not very encouraging," the War Doctor frowned.

"Perhaps if you only look at it one way," the Twelfth Angel smiled knowingly, "In a different light…it might be quite hopeful."

The men looked at her, not quite sure how that was possible, though the Eleventh Doctor had a soft smile on his face, knowing that they'd find out eventually how that worked.

"What I want to know is how it even got here," Rose remarked, "I mean…how did Elizabeth even find it? We forgot to ask her before you used the worm."

"No idea," the Eleventh Doctor shrugged.

The Tenth Doctor grinned at that though, "There's always something we don't know, isn't there?"

"One should certainly hope so," the War Doctor smiled.

"It's the best!" Ayla cheered, "Not knowing! Means you get to learn something new!"

Rose laughed, shaking her head, "She's SO your daughter Doctor," she glanced at the Tenth Doctor who smiled at that.

That little girl…he couldn't begin to describe how much it warmed his hearts to know she was his, she was his daughter. Or she would be one day. She was just…the best of both worlds, the best of him and the best of Angel (though he was sure that there was no 'worse' part of Angel, she was just all the best). She was adorable like her mother, and brilliant like him, sweet and kind and compassionate like her mum, and curious and energetic and wanting to help like him. And she was just…so pure and innocent and…good. He hoped she never changed.

"Well, gentlemen," the War Doctor began, "It has been an honor and a privilege."

"Likewise," the Tenth Doctor shook his hand.

"Doctor," the Eleventh Doctor saluted.

The War Doctor smiled, turning to the Angels and Ayla, "And you, my dears," he looked at them softly, "The Sisters of Karn were right, more than right. You…you've restored my hope, brightened up the darkness, chase the shadows away," he gazed at them, "You have given me more hope for the future than I ever thought possible. I cannot wait to live it myself."

"I'm glad," the Twelfth Angel stepped up to hug him, kissing his cheek.

"It really was SO nice to meet you," the Ninth Angel told him, hugging him as well, kissing his other cheek.

He laughed heartily when Ayla latched herself onto his front legs and hugged him tightly till he crouched down to hug her properly, "I can't wait till you meet mummy properly," she told him, "And then you'll be really happy."

He smiled at her, "I can't wait to meet YOU properly," he told her, not seeing the sad look on the Twelfth Angel and the Eleventh Doctor's face as they recalled what would happen shortly after he did, "And," he pushed himself to his feet, "If I grow to be half the man that you are, Clara Oswald, or find myself with half your strength, Rose Tyler, I shall be happy indeed."

"That's right," Clara laughed, shaking his hand, "Aim high."

"Good luck," Rose grinned, shaking his hand as well.

The War Doctor nodded and turned to look at his future selves, falling a bit serious now, "I won't remember this, will I?"

The Eleventh Doctor fell quiet at that, he'd known from the start that his past selves wouldn't, but…when the Tenth Doctor had been shouting at him about how he'd forgotten the number of children…it had only reminded him of other times he'd forgotten, of the things he'd forgotten as well, and now…now it was hitting him harder, to know as soon as those two other TARDISes beside his own by the wall left…they'd have no memory of this at all.

"The time streams are too scattered," the Twelfth Angel told them for him, "I don't think you'll be able to retain this."

He sighed, "So I won't remember that I tried to save Gallifrey rather than burn it," he swallowed, resigning himself to that, "I'll have to live with that. But for now, for this moment, I am the Doctor again. Thank you," he looked at them all, earnest, before turning to the TARDISes, jokingly asking, "Which one is mine? Ha!" before stepping into the one that, despite being the younger of the three, looked oldest.

He walked up to the console and sent the box into the Vortex, having just let go of the lever…when he saw his hands beginning to glow with orange energy, "Oh yes," he murmured, "Of course. I suppose it makes sense. Wearing a bit thin," he sighed, moving his arms out on either side of him, "I hope the ears are a bit less conspicuous this time…"

He winced and groaned, throwing his arms out, his head back, as he began to regenerate…his nose and ears growing a bit bigger, his hair shortening…till a very familiar man stood in his place…

~8~

The Eleventh Doctor sighed, "Speaking of…of not remembering," he looked at the Tenth Doctor, "Doctor…a word?" he led the Tenth Doctor off to the side as Clara frowned, watching them go.

"He's not going to tell him, is he?" Clara asked the Twelfth Angel.

"Tell him what?" the Ninth Angel tilted her head at them.

"What is it?" Rose frowned, seeing the Twelfth Angel watching the men solemnly as the Eleventh Doctor bowed his head, speaking quietly, emotionally, as the Tenth Doctor stood rigid, listening, his expression growing more and more angry with each passing moment.

"Daddy forgot who mummy was," Ayla told them, "He forgot mummy was his Mate."

The Ninth Angel froze at that, "He…" she swallowed, "He…forgets?"

"Not for the reason you think," the Twelfth Angel looked away, turning to herself as she heard a tremor in her voice, seeing Rose had moved to hug her from the side, "He doesn't regret the Mating, he does love us very much, and he is…furious when he finds out what happened," she told herself.

"But…why?" the Ninth Angel shook her head, tears in her eyes to find out.

The Twelfth Angel sighed, she knew why the Eleventh Doctor was telling the Tenth Doctor this, it was his belief that…something small, some sort of sliver of this might sneak through. She knew it was because of his thoughts after he'd told her about the War and what he'd done. That incarnation of him had started to wonder if it would have been possible to save Gallifrey, but it wasn't till the Earth had been stolen that, in the back of his mind, it started to work out that as a possibility. He was thinking, the fact that he had even come up with the plan he had now, it was because he'd distantly remembered it as his Ninth self, that it had continued. He was hoping that, if he told the Tenth Doctor about it, that somewhere in his mind he'd retain a warning about the Silent, and that he'd be able to fight the control more or avoid the command all together. She knew it was a hopeless move, that the Tenth Doctor would literally forget everything, as would the Ninth Angel and even Rose as well but…she knew he felt he had to try, she knew that he would risk whatever changes happened to the timeline if it meant him remembering her.

"There are aliens that affect the mind," she tried to explain, "They can make you forget you've seen them. And if they order you to do something as you're looking at them…you have to do it. They ordered the Doctor to…"

But before she could finish…there as a crash to the side.

"Doctor!" the Twelfth Angel shouted, running over to them, pulling the Tenth Doctor off of the Eleventh Doctor as he lunged at the man and shoved him up against his TARDIS, his hands curled in the Eleventh Doctor's labels, nearly snarling at the man, "Let him go!" she pushed him back, moving to stand in front of the Eleventh Doctor.

"How!?" the Tenth Doctor shouted, "You can't…" he huffed, glaring, "So I'm just expected to go? To leave? Just like that, to know that I won't remember this? That I won't remember that I FORGET my MATE?! You really want me to walk out of here and let that just slip my mind?! Why shouldn't I just take both Angel with me so you can't hurt her again!"

The Eleventh Doctor felt his hearts freeze at that, at the threat that the Tenth Doctor he'd been having nightmares about had given him. He stared at the Tenth Doctor in horror, his mind leaping back to his first concern that this was a dream, that this was a test and that the Tenth Doctor was going to take her back…take her away…

"Because it HAS to happen," the Twelfth Angel said calmly as the others looked on, "You NEED to forget me. I…" she sighed, "I WANT you to."

Both Doctors stared at her for that, "What?" the Eleventh Doctor breathed.

"I mean, I don't…WANT that," the Twelfth Angel sighed, "I never would but…I want what comes after. Doctor," she stepped away from the Eleventh Doctor, moving to the side to look at both of them, knowing they BOTH needed to hear this, "Everything I am, everything I have, my Mate, my daughter, my Sister," she smiled, "Everything I have become, this…" she gestured at herself, "How strong I am and how confident I feel and how…secure and happy and…alive…everything came from that moment," she told them, "It came from you forgetting me. I grew stronger from it. I suffered, yes, I hurt terribly, and I endured things I never wanted to…but they were things I NEEDED to endure, to become the person I am."

"But…he said…" the Tenth Doctor swallowed, "He said you hurt so badly that you…you wanted to…"

"Die," the Twelfth Angel nodded, startling the Ninth Angel and Rose, Clara appearing more sad than anything, Ayla smiling at her mother, so proud that she was still there, "Yes. But I fought through that, I fought through a lot and I found strength and support I never would have if you hadn't forgotten me. So…" she nodded, "You MUST forget me…so that I can grow, so that I can be built up from when I shatter, so that I can reach this point where I am inordinately happy," she smiled, reaching out and took the Tenth Doctor's hand, "It is always darkest before the dawn," she told him, "Your amnesia was my darkness, and Ayla," she looked at her daughter, before turning to the Eleventh Doctor, "OUR daughter is my dawn."

The Eleventh Doctor swallowed hard at that, recalling a dream where Ayla had called herself 'the Dawn' before he took a breath, "How do you always know what to say?" he asked her, starting to smile.

She shrugged, "I'm psychic."

He laughed, knowing it was because she KNEW him, she knew how he felt and what he thought better than he did, "And I'm a thief."

"MY thief," she corrected.

"MY psychic," he looked at her softly.

The Tenth Doctor was silent a long while, "You're…you're really going to be ok?" he needed to know that, he needed to know that his Mate would be ok in the end, that she'd be as happy as she claimed.

She nodded, "Better than ok," she promised, crossing her hearts.

The Tenth Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry," he offered the Twelfth Angel, "For what I'll do when I regenerate."

She nodded, "I am too," she agreed, "But it's necessary."

He let out a breath and looked at his Angel, smiling as he saw her, he still had years with her and…he'd make them the best ever.

"We should go," Rose offered, seeing that the Eleventh Doctor and the Twelfth Angel needed to be alone and also that her own Doctor really wanted to be with his Angel at the moment as well, "You lot may be Time Lords and sleep once in a blue moon, but I'm human," she fake-yawned for good measure, "Need my beauty sleep."

"Why?" the Ninth Angel frowned at her, "You're beautiful already."

Rose smiled, "Thanks."

The Tenth Doctor sighed, but nodded, "Well…it's good to know my family's future is in safe hands," he turned to Clara, "Keep a tight hold on it, Clara."

"On it," she smiled shaking his hand before he headed to the TARDIS, leaving Clara to hug Rose goodbye and the Ninth Angel as well.

"What is it?" the Twelfth Angel asked when she saw herself hesitate, "I know there's something you want to ask."

The Ninth Angel turned to them, "It's…it's something for Ayla, actually."

The Eleventh Doctor gestured at their daughter and Ayla walked over, seeing the Tenth Doctor and Rose paused by the doors to their TARDIS, waiting, "What is it mum?" she asked the woman.

The Ninth Angel smiled a bit sadly at that, and knelt before her, taking her hands, "I…I know you can't tell me a lot about the future. But I just have to ask…um…" she bit her lip, trying to think of how to phrase it…before just going with it, "Am…am I a good mum?"

It was something that had worried her from the moment she found out Ayla was her daughter, or would be her daughter. She saw how the girl interacted with her future self but…she just…she'd never thought she'd be a mother and now she was one and…she had NO maternal instincts at all and she didn't know the first thing about being a mother and she knew she was better at caring for TARDISes than people despite having watched her nephew a few times…

"Mummy you're the best mother ever!" Ayla suddenly reached out and hugged the Ninth Angel tightly, "You always tuck me in and read to me and teach me about the TARDISes and protect me and kiss me and make the dark go away!" she pulled back, "You're the most wonderful mummy in the Universe!"

The Tenth Doctor smiled at that, seeing tears in the Ninth Angel's eyes at the girl's words, "I always said you were amazing," he held out a hand to help her up, "Brilliant, remarkable, wonderful…I didn't just mean in fixing TARDISes, I meant in everything," he touched her cheek, stroking it as he looked at her, "And one day we'll be them," he nodded to the Eleventh Doctor and the Twelfth Angel though he didn't take his gaze off her, "And we'll be…fantastic," he smiled, kissing her deeply, beaming when he pulled away. He looked at Ayla, "Thank you."

"Mummy says I should always tell the truth," Ayla shrugged as though what she'd done was simple.

The Tenth Doctor laughed, "Always listen to your mum," he told her with a wink, "She's the smartest woman ever."

"I know," Ayla nodded smiling at HER parents, "Daddy says that all the time."

The Tenth Doctor laughed and winked at them, taking the Ninth Angel's hand as he led her to their TARDIS, kissing the back of her hand before they stepped inside, the box disappearing moments later.

Clara smiled as she watched them go, before glancing at the Doctor and Angel, HER Doctor and Angel, both of them having turned to look at the painting, "Need a moment alone with your painting?" she guessed.

"How did you know?" the Doctor looked over, "You're not psychic too are you?"

"No," Clara laughed, "I just know you two," she nodded, "Come along Ayla, let's give your mum and dad a moment eh?" she moved to the tea on the tray, "Care to help me?" Ayla nodded and picked up the sugar as the tray was rather full of teacups before she skipped to the TARDIS doors and pushed them open, holding it for Clara as she headed over, calling out to the Time Lords on her way, "Oh, by the way, there was an old man looking for you. I think it was the curator."

"Thanks," Angel smiled, "Oh, Clara!" she looked back as Clara paused, "The Vortex Manipulator," she held out an expectant hand.

Clara sighed, "You know, that psychic thing can be annoying at times," she remarked walking over to slap the Manipulator she'd kept from UNIT into her hand.

Angel just laughed, watching as Clara headed back to the box, stepping inside and shutting the doors, leaving them alone. They looked at the painting, the Doctor moving behind her to wrap his arms around her, his chin on her shoulder as they stood in thought a moment, "It's odd…isn't it," she murmured, "Seeing our old selves."

"A bit yeah," he nodded, though he did have some experience in that…quite a lot in that really, "It was…amazing though, wasn't it? Not the…not the meeting our old selves, but…the other me, the interface for the Moment that he told us about…it was YOU, it was you Nella. It was the incarnation from the War, the one just before you fell to Earth."

"Yeah," she nodded, "Not quite so amazing though," she remarked, not sure why he sounded so breathless about it.

"Don't you see," he let out a soft laugh, "Don't you see what this means?" she shook her head and he kissed her cheek, "It means you've always been here for me. My sun in my sky. Lighting up my darkness, right from the very beginning. Right from when the darkness was at its strongest…YOU were there to keep it back."

"It wasn't really ME though," she reminded him.

"It was you enough for me," he laughed.

"That other me though, the real other me…" she tilted her head, resting her temple to his, "I can't believe _that_ was me."

The Doctor smiled, "You've come…a LONG way Nella, such a long way. Every incarnation you're stronger, faster, more brilliant, more sure, more…amazing than the one before," he turned his head, nuzzling the side of her face, "I can't wait to see what you'll be next," he whispered in her ear, "You know, in two of three millennia when you regenerate next."

She laughed, "I can't wait to see what you'll be like as well," she whispered…before blinking, her smile starting to fall…

'… _the Doc-tor is regenerating_ …'

… _explosions went off all around as snow fell to the grounds of Trenzalore, mixing with ash_ …

'… _if you want my life, come and get it!_ …'

She let out a breath at that, her hearts freezing in her chest as a feeling of dread settled over her, realizing what that was…the Doctor's death, his next regeneration…and she felt like…like it was coming soon, FAR too soon…

But the Doctor seemed unaware of her shock as he stepped back from her, his hand gripping hers as he led her to the bench to sit, staring at the painting still, "I think, next I'll be a curator! I could be a curator. I'd be _great_ at curating. I'd be the Great Curator. I could retire and do that. I could retire and be the curator of this place. What do you think?" he looked at her.

She smiled softly at him, "Whatever makes you happy," she told him, "Though…I think you might need to curate at a different museum."

"Why?" he frowned.

She just nodded behind him, "Because you're already a curator here."

He frowned, confused, before he turned…only to see an older version of his Fourth self standing there with a walking stick. He blinked and stood, Angel moving with him as he was still holding her hand to go stand before the old man, "I never forget a face," he remarked.

"I know you don't," the 'curator' smiled, "Oh…many more faces with your Mate at your side," he nodded at Angel, at all the many more people that had been saved because of her, "And in years to come, you might find yourself revisiting a few. But just the old favorites, eh?" he laughed as the Doctor winked at him, "You were curious about this painting, I think. I acquired it in remarkable circumstances. What do you make of the title?"

"Which title? There's two. No More or Gallifrey Falls."

The Curator laughed, "Oh, you see, that's where everybody's wrong. Well, everyone except the lovely Angel, eh?" he smiled at her.

The Doctor looked at her, confused, but she just moved to link her arm through his, "Look at the title a different way and it can give hope," she repeated, "What if…it was one title? 'Gallifrey Falls No More?'"

"Precisely," the Curator grinned, "Now, what would you thing that means, eh?"

"That Gallifrey didn't fall," the Doctor said promptly, "That Angel was right and it worked, it's still out there."

The Curator laughed, "You should know better than to bet against a psychic, especially one so powerful," he reminded the Doctor, "I, however, am only a humble curator. I'm sure _I_ wouldn't know."

"Then where is it?"

"Where is it indeed? Lost. Shush. Perhaps. Things do get lost, you know."

The Doctor glanced at Angel, "Do you…"

"No," she shook her head, "I can't see everything," she smiled, "Which will make for quite the interesting adventure no?"

The Doctor had just started smiling when the Curator spoke, "Now you must excuse me. Oh, you have a lot to do."

"Do we?" the Doctor turned to him.

"Mhmm," he nodded.

"Is that what we're supposed to do now? Go looking for Gallifrey?"

"Oh, it's entirely up to you. Your choice, eh? I can only tell you what I would do if I were you. Oh, if I were you. Oh, perhaps I was you, of course. Or perhaps you are me. Congratulations," he reached out to shake the Doctor's hand.

The Doctor could barely contain his glee as he took the offered hand to shake, "Thank you very much."

"Or perhaps it doesn't matter either way. Who knows, eh? Who knows?" he tapped his nose and winked, before turning to walk off, whistling, a skip in his step as the Time Lords stood behind, smiling at the painting.

~8~

"Daddy?" Ayla asked as the Doctor tucked her into bed that night, Angel leaning in the doorway, smiling as she watched them, "Do you dream?"

He smiled at her tensely at that, trying not to let on that his dreams weren't quite the best as of late, "Of course I dream, everybody dreams."

"What do you dream about?" she blinked at him innocently.

"The same thing everybody dreams about," he shrugged, "I dream about where I'm going."

It wasn't quite a lie, when HE was able to dream normally and not with one of his other selves controlling his dreams, he DID dream about that, about adventures he'd like to have, places he'd like to go, things he'd like to do with Angel, and…a place he wished he could return to.

"But you don't ever go anywhere," Ayla pointed out, "You just…appear. Mummy says you love the mystery tours."

"That I do," he laughed, nodding, "But you know…I think we all may have an actual place to go, a new destination to find."

"Where?" Ayla looked at him, for her father to WANT to go somewhere…it had to be monumental!

He smiled at that, thinking of the journey they'd be taking a journey as a family. It had taken him so long to work out that the destination existed, lifetimes even to remember it was possible…but it was, and now he knew it.

He looked back over his shoulder at Angel, "Where are we going dear?" he winked at her.

"Home," she smiled back at him, "Just…the scenic route."

He nodded at that, finally they had the chance to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^-^ I'm sad that the episode is over, but I hope you all liked it :) I really wanted Rose to be in this one because that was sort of her thing with the 9th Angel to help her understand things and I think, here, she helped 12th Angel understand some things too :) I hope you liked all the touching little moments ;)
> 
> We've only got 1 nightmare left...and then the last special!


	70. Endgame

"Did you really think I'd just…leave and not remember that I forget Angel is my Mate?"

11 closed his eyes, turning around from where he was standing in the National Gallery, staring at the painting of 'Gallifrey Falls No More,' alone. He was, or had been, completely alone, not a soul in sight, not Angel, not Ayla, not even the TARDISes. That was how he knew it was yet another nightmare happening, as he had no memory of how he'd even gotten there in the first place.

He remembered lying down in bed, Angel snuggled up to him, feeling…content for the first time in a long time. There was hope for Gallifrey, there was the knowledge that he HADN'T burned the planet to the ground, and there was his Mate, she'd said the one thing he had needed to hear even if he hadn't wanted to hear it. At first, oh, so long ago, he had truly believed that the nightmares were his subconscious trying to punish him in a way Angel hadn't. He had welcomed them, well…not welcomed, he wasn't fond of them, he hated them really, but…he thought they were necessary, he thought he deserved a punishment, deserved hatred of some form. To find out they weren't his subconscious at all but rather an entirely different conscious…it was quite another thing.

He did not like his mind being tampered with, especially not after what the Silence had done to him, and to find that it was one of his old selves doing the tampering? It alarmed him. It changed everything. The nightmares weren't punishments, they weren't his subconscious, they were being forced into his mind by his last self and that was something else entirely. This wasn't guilt, this was revenge. And that was different, that was something he would not abide by, that was something Angel had striven too hard to release him from and prevent him from being consumed by for him to see his last self sink so far into it that he would do this to them both.

"I hoped," 11 began, turning to face his last self as he stood behind him, really…could he even call his last self 10 anymore? He knew that the man was really 11, the War Doctor had proven that, reminded him of it, but…he'd spent so long thinking of himself as 11 in an attempt to bury that incarnation that calling his last self 10 just seemed…the thing to do, "That by telling you…you would stand a chance of fighting it better than me."

"But you would have known that, when you WERE me, that the future us told YOU," 10 pointed out, standing there with his hands in the pockets of his long jacket, "And that it didn't work. It still happened."

11 rubbed his head, "And now you remember."

10 nodded, "It's funny what you remember after you've died. I saw it, in your head. When you forgot, ALL of us saw it," he remarked, "Every Doctor before you saw everything you'd forgotten, it reminded us all of everything WE'D forgotten as well. You warned me," his expression turned hard, "You warned me even knowing it wouldn't work. Knowing that I would fail to hold onto it."

"So what are you going to do now eh?" 11 asked, shaking his head, "Take me over? Take over my life? Take Angel away? You threatened to do that," HE reminded his last self of that, "And she refused. She doesn't want YOU. She wants ME," 10's jaw tensed at that and 11 knew his hands were in fists in his pockets, "Everything, all things, must die. Everything has their time. And YOURS with her has passed. It's MY turn now."

"And a bang up job you've been doing with it," 10 glared.

11 let out a bitter laugh, "And whose fault is that? The Silence forced me to forget her, I couldn't be with her. When I'd remembered, they'd taken our child and I had to focus on getting her back, on getting Angel strong again. And now…now it's all over, we have our daughter back, Angel's happy, and me…I can't even enjoy this time with her because of YOU," his own eyes narrowed at 10, "So come on then. You said I get one more chance. Deal it and let me face it, I want this over, I want this done, I want to be able to enjoy my life with my Mate for once in this body."

10 looked at him a long while, "The National Gallery," he began, "While you were off gallivanting in the past with me, you left our daughter here, unattended, with Zygons running around."

"She was with Clara," 11 cut in, "OUR sister, if there is anyone I trust to protect our daughter it's our family."

10 scoffed, "Still leaving it to the companions to do the protecting?"

11 glared, "If I recall, YOU 'left it to the companions' plenty of times in the past when it came to Angel," he reminded 10, "Didn't you let her wander off with Mickey in a parallel world? Or what of the time you left Angel with Rose as the Ood and the Beast were attacking? No?"

"Stop it…"

"Or Martha and Angel being trapped with the Macra and the Hath? Let's not forget the time you left her in the TARDIS as it fell into the heart of a Z-Neutrino Star and Donna had to protect her."

"Stop."

"What about when you left Gwen to protect her when Gray was loose?"

"Enough!" 10 snapped.

11 smirked, "Not so easy to hear, is it?" he asked, "How much you've failed as a Mate, how you've had to rely on others to protect the person you SWORE to keep safe? So don't you DARE claim that I failed to do so, when YOU did the same."

"You have 1 hour," 10 cut in, "To find Angel."

"Angel's with us," 11 frowned, "In 1562."

"You really are thick aren't you?" 10 stared at him, "If this is a nightmare, _I_ control where she is. And she's not there."

11 stiffened, his hands clenching into fists as he stared at the man in horror, feeling his hearts race, feeling the Mating instinct rising in him, "What have you done with her?" he demanded, his voice half a snarl.

"Nothing," 10 smirked, "I've done nothing," he waited till 11 let out a breath before adding, "The Zygons though…ooh," he hissed through his teeth, "Now THOSE are the ones you should worry about."

11 stared at him, "Why would you DO that?!" he shouted, "You've been spouting about how _I_ put her in danger and yet you send Zygons after her!? How is that proving that YOU're better for her than me!?"

10 tsked him, "Because I control this dream. And if, oh, sorry, no, WHEN you fail… _I_ will save her."

11 let out an angry breath, "Is this going to be like the last one? Where you made it impossible? Where you sent me too far away for anyone to get to her in time? That was cheating you little Dalek."

10 scoffed, "Yeah, that's smart, insult the Dream Lord."

"What did you say?" 11 stiffened.

"I control the dream," 10 remarked slowly, as though explaining it to an idiot, "I'm the lord of it. It's a dream. YOU work it out."

11 let out a breath, realizing 10 wasn't LITERALLY calling himself the Dream Lord, but rather reminding him that HE was the one in control.

"But since you asked, oh so nicely," 10 rolled his eyes, "I will have no hand in it, for the next hour," he held out a hand, "It's all on you if, no, when you fail this time."

11 glowered at him but grabbed the man's hand, sealing the deal…and then 10 disappeared. 11 spun in a circle, momentarily looking for 10 before he shook his head, "ANGEL!" and ran out of the room, pulling the sonic out as he went…

~8~

11 checked his watch for the hundredth time, seeing the ticking grow close to the hour being up. He'd run everywhere, literally everywhere in the Gallery, every single room. The sonic was useless, 10 seemed to have managed to make it not work in a dream. Wonderful. But he'd run, faster than he ever had before in his life, and of course he would. His Mate's life was possibly on the line, and…he couldn't let 10 win, he couldn't let him prove that he had been right all along.

He knew he had failed Angel in the worst possible ways in this incarnation. He had forgotten she was his Mate and hurt her so badly with River. He hadn't been able to protect their daughter from the Silence, she'd been taken and they'd lost so many years with her. He'd left her alone and put her in danger and not cared for her the way she deserved. He had hurt her and ignored her and just…broken her hearts over and over. He had failed, he knew it, but he had sworn to her that he would make up for it, that he would be the best Mate he could possibly be, and he would, he would do it.

Now he just had to prove it to himself as well, literally.

He ran back to the main room of the Gallery, where 'Gallifrey Falls No More' was set up, before spinning around, running a hand through his hair trying to work out what to do, where she could be. He tapped his temples, thinking faster…he had mere minutes left and he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Angel in the Gal…

The Under Gallery!

He took off running, cursing himself for being so distracted, for the Gallery being so large that it had taken him this long to recall the Under Gallery existed. He ran to the door, to the painting of his 10th self and Angel's 9th that led to the path to the Under Gallery. He didn't even bother to try the sonic, just tore the painting apart and ran through it. He ran though the statue room, now empty save for the stone dust on the ground and nearly skid to a halt at the hall that had led to the painting that held the Zygon in it.

He could see her, she was there! Just at the end of the hall…

But she wasn't alone…

The Zygons were surrounding her, leaping out of the pictures, more than they thought possible, all hissing at her, closing in on her as she backed up. She looked scared, truly afraid and he knew that 10 wouldn't create an image of Angel for him to save that could use the Vortex. No…10 would want him to save her himself, to have her defenseless and NEED saving.

So he ran.

"Angel!" he raced for her, needing to get to her before the Zygons could hurt her. It wasn't even about the countdown any longer, he could care less about the hour he'd wasted, no…he just cared about her…

"ANGEL!" he shouted, seeing the Zygons had weapons the closer he got…he could hear them, he could hear them powering up and see them turn the guns on Angel and…

"NO!"

He leapt at her, shoving his way through the aliens and grabbing her, turning her to shield her…as the blasts hit his back…

He fell to the ground, groaning in pain, feeling as though he truly had been shot and he knew he had, he knew 10 could make him feel every bit of pain…but that wasn't what he noticed, no…he noticed that he didn't hear Angel screaming for him as he knew she would having seen him just attacked. He winced and forced his eyes open…only to see that Angel wasn't there, neither were the Zygons, he was alone.

He let out a breath, knowing what that meant…he'd failed…he'd failed and 10 had taken them away…but…why was he in such pain if he'd failed. He HAD been shot protecting her, she'd been in his arms till he'd fallen…why did it HURT?

"Because you just got shot," he heard 10 speak and cracked his eyes open again, seeing him standing there, looking down at him, "Honestly, has the mind really gone that much with age?"

And then he did something that left 11 speechless…

He held out a hand.

"I don't understand," 11 remarked, eyeing it.

"It's a hand," 10 stated, wiggling his fingers, "Usually offered as a helpful gesture."

"But you were trying to put our Mate in danger, keep me from helping her, just to destroy me moments ago," 11 reminded him.

"And now I'm offering you a hand up," 10 stated, as though it were perfectly normal.

11 eyed him a moment longer before taking the hand cautiously, getting up with 10's help. The two men stood in silence for a long while, "I don't understand," 11 repeated, "Does…does this mean I win?"

"There was nothing to win," he stated, before rolling his eyes at 11's confused look, "Come on, did you REALLY think I was gonna…take you over or some rubbish like that? Nah, you're you, I'm me, I'd no more take your body over than I'd want and of the other us-es to have taken me over."

11 stared at him, "But you…you just…and I…what?!"

What was 10 playing at!? He'd spent this entire time terrified he'd lose Angel to his last self just because the man could gain access to his body! He'd been frantic that he'd end up ripped away from his family by, well, himself. And now 10 was saying he was never going to do it?! WHAT?!

"Yeah, sorry about that," 10 smiled, "Angel does love it when we do the 'tall, dark, hero' bit."

"Tall, dark, hero!?" 11 scoffed, "You were the VILLAIN!"

"Now let's not jump to conclusions…"

"You sent me through hell!" 11 cut in, "You made me see all those horrible things with Angel, you made me feel unworthy for not being able to save her and just now you said this was my last chance to keep you out of our lives! At what point was ANY of that you being a hero!?"

"Because you saved her," 10 remarked calmly, not at all affected by 11's shouting.

11 shook his head, "Explain, 'cos I have got NO idea what you're talking about."

And that really was saying something that he couldn't understand himself.

10 sighed, "I had to show you all those things with Angel, because you really didn't understand just how close you'd come to losing her forever. Oh yeah, you did for a minute at the lake but…" he shook his head, "You had no idea how one little instant, one small change, could have taken her away from you in more ways than one. I needed you to see that, I needed you to realize how lucky you are…so you'd appreciate Angel all the more."

"You think I don't appreciate her?" 11 stared at him, unable to believe that.

"I think you do," 10 countered, "But I don't think you appreciated how lucky you were that what happened happened just the way it did. If you hadn't remembered right when you did, if Angel hadn't been as strong as she always was…I needed you to realize how badly we could have lost her, how completely. I needed you to realize that so that, in the future, you'd be aware of how important she is and how easy it is to lose the person you love."

11 let out a breath, "Well…" he swallowed, "Mission accomplished mate," he said a bit bitterly, "Couldn't you have just…written a book or something?"

"You'd have thrown it in a supernova," 10 reminded him.

11 shook his head, "But what about Gallifrey? What about all the times you made me watch her die, knowing I couldn't save her? Why put me there and tell me to, knowing that? Why tell me when the Cybermen were attacking that you wanted to take me over?"

"I needed you to be serious," 10 spoke, growing serious as well, "I needed you to really FIGHT. I needed you to fight ME. You know as well as I do Doctor…our worst, most deadly enemy isn't Daleks or Cybermen or even other Time Lords…it's US. If you could face me down, if you could fight me…then you could fight anyone who tries to take her from you."

"So it was a lie?" 11 remarked disgusted, he'd been terrified! "I was terrified!"

"Good," 10 nodded, "You should have been. You should be terrified of anything that has the power to take Angel from us. And you should fight it. Like you did me. You should stand up to it, you shouldn't care about anything else besides protecting her, and you should do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means at the risk of your own life."

"You don't think I wouldn't?" 11 gaped at him.

"I think you needed to be reminded that that's what it takes," 10 stated, "Angel is strong, she's stronger than she knows, and she's powerful enough to protect herself, but she shouldn't have to. It's OUR job to protect our Mate."

"Yet you put me on Gallifrey knowing I couldn't."

"I did," 10 nodded, "'Cos I wanted you to fail."

"How does that make any sense at all?"

"You fought harder this time, didn't you?" 10 smiled a bit, "You failed all those times to keep her safe, you felt unworthy because you couldn't save her. THAT'S what I needed you to realize as well…we don't deserve her. Doctor…" he sighed, "Everything I've shown you, were things you needed to remember, things you'd forgotten, things you'd grown too complacent in. Angel forgave you too easily, I agree with you wholeheartedly, so I needed you to see how lucky you were that Angel is who she is, because YOU needed to see just how badly things could have gone, so you'd appreciate what you have, so you'd appreciate Angel and Ayla more than ever, knowing every single possible way it could have all fallen apart. I needed you to feel that unworthiness, that fear of someone taking Angel away, because YOU needed to realize that no matter what Angel says, we're not and we will never be a man who deserves her, but we are infinitely lucky that she thinks we are. SHE is the thing that makes us better, that makes us strive to be that better man, that worthy man, that deserving man. You needed to be reminded how easily Angel could be taken from us, so you'd fight harder to KEEP her. You have to FIGHT Doctor."

"I DO fight," 11 frowned, "I have always fought for her. I always will."

"I know," 10 nodded, "Just now though, you pushed yourself harder than ever to get here, you threw yourself into a Zygon blast to save her. You didn't even think did you? You just…did it," 11 nodded at that, "THAT's what you needed. Everything I did, Doctor, was to help remind you how lucky you are. We…" he swallowed, sighing, " _I_ took Angel for granted. In the end, I was the one who took he for granted, funny considering she nearly died twice when she was with me," he shook his head, looking at 11 serious, "I couldn't let you make the same mistake."

11 stared at him, blinking rapidly at the revelation 10 had just given him. While this had been a sort of punishment for him, while it had been a means to make him appreciate Angel more, realize how lucky he was to have had things happen the way they had…true, what happened was terrible, the worst ever, but…it COULD have been so much worse…it had also been the guilt of a past self coming out. This wasn't just about him, because Angel wasn't just HIS Mate…she had been 10's as well. HE wasn't the only one who felt guilty about what he'd done and how he'd failed her…10 was as well.

This wasn't just a punishment or a reminder…it was a warning.

10 had felt he'd taken Angel for granted, and he was just trying to make sure that HE didn't as well. This wasn't about revenge, this was about strengthening the bond and the love he and Angel shared. This was about his last self admitting he wasn't a worthy Mate either. He agreed with 10 there, he knew they'd never be worthy of Angel, she was just so kind and compassionate and she pulled him out of the darkness on more than one occasion…and he just kept putting her in danger. But…she did love him, and he loved her, more than anything.

This entire thing had just been 10's way of making sure he realized how lucky he was, that he appreciated it all the more, and that…that HE didn't take Angel for granted ever again. Because he really was so lucky that everything had played out at it had, that he had Angel and their daughter and the life they shared.

10 nodded, seeing the realization play out across his future self's face, "Now you get it, don't you?"

11 looked at him, and gave him a nod, "Yeah," he let out a breath, "Um…thank you."

10 gave him a small smile in return, "No one knows us better than ourselves, well…"

"Except Angel," they both said, sharing a laugh.

10 sighed, "I was just trying to help," he told 11, "Probably not the best way but…" he shrugged, "All I can really do from here," he tapped his head.

"Yeah," 11 took a breath, "I get it, I do. We all make mistakes, you just wanted to keep me from making it. But uh…next time you want to issue a warning like that, maybe just use my hand to write it down?" 11 suggested, "Or, I don't know, we could chat over tea?"

The men shared a laugh before 10 nodded, "Goodbye Doctor," he held out a hand.

11 gave him a small smile back, "Goodbye Doctor," he replied, taking the hand to shake…as a bright golden light filled the room…

~8~

11 inhaled gently as he woke up slowly, to find himself lying in bed, Angel in his arms, snuggled up to him with her head resting on his chest…but this time, she was awake and smiling at him, as though she could sense a change in him, a…relief, which she probably could.

"Good morning," she whispered, leaning up to kiss him, to try and give him a peck.

But he reached out a hand to her cheek, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, needing this, needing to feel her and to kiss her, kiss her like he hadn't in a…very long while. He let out a content breath as he pulled away, resting his forehead to hers, his eyes closed as he smiled, "Yes…it is. It really is."

He started to laugh, happy, as he pulled her closer into his arms, just…holding her, so…thankful he had her, so…happy that it was all over, the nightmares he knew were at an end and…he felt closer to her, luckier, happier, and…infinitely more grateful for his wonderful Mate, the woman he loved, the mother of his child. He laughed even more, just…too pleased and happy to keep it in any longer.

It was over, the nightmares were over, and now…he could finally move on, and just…be happy with his Mate. The nightmares had ended and he felt like his life could truly begin again.

Everything had to end, otherwise nothing would get started.

And right now…he wanted to start with another kiss with his Mate…

Or eleven.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is one of the shorter nightmares, but I really sort of wanted 11 to realize that 10 could have made this horrible, made this unbeatable, yet he went for a simple Zygon in the Gallery, almost like he wanted to later prove his words were the truth. That he never really actually meant to take him over, but he needed 11 to believe it, so he'd try harder here. So that he'd be more frantic and more willing to just...act, so he'd truly believe this was his last chance...
> 
> I hope you liked 10's reasons, I sort of wanted him to be so dark in the prior nightmares, all threatening...when really he's just being the 'tall, dark, hero' and acting the part to get 11 into gear :)
> 
> But now the nightmares are over! And with a resolution for Angel and the Doctor at this point...many good things to come ;) Including...finding out what Ayla picks as her TITLE/NAME(!) in the next chapter ;)


	71. The Time of the Doctor: Naming Ceremony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will actually be almost entirely original ;) Sorry, I just really wanted to put this in, to give you all the good and happiness before the heartbreak of the episode. It will lead into the Time of the Doctor right at the end ;)

Angel laughed as she watched the Doctor officiating the tugging of a Christmas Cracker between Ayla and Jack as they gathered in the Temple-Noble household this time, for Christmas Eve with the rest of the family, the same Christmas Eve as the Christmas they'd originally set down for when they'd run into River that one time. Jack won the small TARDIS blue hat that came out of the cracker, but both men agreed that Ayla had 'won' it and so the little girl eagerly put it on her head, beaming at Jack and hugging him before she ran off to play with Jenny who was gathering her various cousins around her for a game…all 31 of the Ponds along with Luke, Sky, Rani, and Clyde, not to mention Anwen and Dylan as well and so many other children of their various companions. Oh the house was just FULL of children, which was just wonderful. It was a good thing there were so many adults there. They'd taken to doing a potluck for the holidays, everyone bringing something to eat, and with each of them doing so, there was more than enough food for everyone.

Angel glanced back towards the front door and smiled, getting up off the armchair that she'd been sitting on to go to it, sensing Clara about to arrive. The girl had insisted that she make her own way to the Pond house, having sworn off using the TARDIS for arriving at important destinations on time. Every time she tried, the Doctor ended up taking them somewhere else entirely and in a different time zone to boot. To make it up to her he'd use the TARDIS to make reservations and other things for the future so Clara could get there in peace in her own time. They'd given her directions to the little house and everyone was there already, just Clara needing to arrive. Which was just as well, they really wanted to introduce her to everyone in one go, it might be overwhelming to see the entire family at once, but it would be easier on Clara in the long run instead of having to meet each person as they arrived, over and over and over again.

She'd JUST made it to the doorway between the sitting room and the hall, when she felt arms wrap around her and tug her back, "And where are you trying to sneak off to?" a voice whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine as a nose gently brushed against her cheek.

"Well, I _was_ thinking that I'd tug my Mate off for a quick snog in the shrubbery," she joked, leaning back into the Doctor's embrace.

It was…different, this time, this hug, the way he was holding her. It reminded so much of how his last self held her but…different, a good different. There was a closeness there that had been missing for quite a while. Not a closeness that was lacking due to intimacy fizzling, but…because of the barriers and the obstacles that had been put in place that they were struggling to try and deal with themselves. First it had been Ayla being missing, her own sorrow and the Doctor trying to prove himself to her, then it had been her own struggles with the Vortex and the Doctor's own nightmares plaguing him. She truly hadn't realized just how distracting both of those issues had been till recently.

The Doctor had woken up after they'd fallen asleep shortly after dealing with the Zygons, all of them emotionally drained from the effort and the hope of saving Gallifrey, that they'd gone to bed early. He'd woken up and…it was like he was a new man. Well, not quite a new man, he was still the Doctor, still his same old self, but he'd been…lighter of hearts since then, he'd been much…happier, more carefree, and more…focused on her and Ayla than she'd seen him in a while, not a focus like he was frantic to protect them, but a focus like…he was seeing them for the first time, the way he looked at them…like they were the most precious things in the world to him…it warmed her hearts.

She herself had felt lighter of hearts since the Zygon incident. Seeing Rose again, being able to introduce Ayla to her Aunt Rose, seeing the girl get to hug her aunt for the first time…it had been remarkable. And Rose…she had helped her cope as much as she always did, she really hadn't understood what was going on with the Vortex but Rose had certainly put it in perspective. She felt that Clara probably could have done the same as well, but Clara had seen a version of her that had 'always' had the Vortex, been able to use it, but was just having problems with it. Rose…Rose was a fresh perspective, she was looking at it as the Vortex as a whole and why it happened.

The more she thought on what Rose believed were the reasons for the Vortex acting up…the more she was inclined to agree that Rose was right. She…had never been a mother before, never entertained the idea of being one, and to suddenly be one? Oh it was different than when she'd been pregnant with Ayla. She didn't quite count that as being a mother, she'd been so overwhelmed by other things happening and she'd been scared half to death the entire time that she'd lose her baby, she had sort of…distanced herself from Ayla for that period, living with half a mind expecting the baby to die, preparing herself for the crushing blow and trying not to see herself as a mother… It wasn't until Ayla had been born, that she'd held her, that she'd truly started to feel like a mother…and it had only been for an hour before Ayla had been lost. She STILL hadn't been a mother until the very end.

It was like Rose said, she had regenerated into being a mother. She had died with her last thought being that Ayla would be found once more, that they'd all be together and she'd be a mother to the girl. She had started this body as a mother, so suddenly, without preparation, without any experience at all save babysitting her nephew here and there and growing TARDISes. She hadn't had a clue what to do, had gone on instinct alone, and the Vortex was responding to that, to that instinct, to that natural maternal drive to protect her daughter and her Mate. The Vortex was stronger…because SHE was stronger. She had been subconsciously fighting it, trying to suppress it, and because of that…the Vortex lashed out. She'd been trying to control it too much…

"Oh if you tugged him off," the Doctor murmured, squeezing her tighter, "There would be nothing 'quick' about it."

She smiled, "Is that so my love?"

"Mhmm," he hummed, "Let's just say…we would be thoroughly missed we'd be so long."

She laughed lightly at that, "Pity," she sighed, turning just slightly in his arms to look up at him, "If only your tie was easier to tug," she joked.

He let out a hearty laugh at that, "As I recall, someone loves my bowtie."

She smiled, "I do," she leaned in to kiss his lips softly, "As I recall," she mimicked, "Someone firmly believes bowties are cool."

"Yes well," he smiled at her, reaching up to touch her cheek, "Ayla IS rather fond of bows isn't she?"

Angel laughed at that, the two of them joking. The Doctor knew she was being entirely lighthearted about the tie, she loved his bowtie just as much as she had his last self's actual tie. In fact, he'd tried to wear a regular tie once, a short while after he'd remembered, after they'd found out that Ayla had escaped. He'd just…put one on, hoping it would help her, show her he remembered every single promise he'd made to her…but she'd just taken one look at it and given him a peck, telling him the bowtie definitely had to stay. He had been relieved, he was rather fond of his bowtie as well. It was how he knew that she knew that he was joking about Ayla being the one to think the tie was cool.

"Really though," the Doctor began, "Where WERE you going?" he gently swayed them back and forth, "I need to know, you see, I should have fair warning of how long I'll be missing you for."

She smiled at that, "I'm only going to the door to let Clara in, you won't miss me at all."

The Doctor turned her slowly in his arms, "I will _always_ miss you," he told her, earnest, "The moment you're out of my arms, out of my sight, I miss you. Having you in my thoughts and in my hearts scarcely compares to the real thing," he winked at her.

She felt her breath catch in her throat at that, at how he was looking at her, the sparkle nearly dancing in his eyes. She had to admit, for how close they were now there was…one thing that bothered her. When she'd regenerated, she was…quite a bit older. She didn't look it much, but…standing side by side with the 'baby-faced' Doctor, as River once called it, it was easy to tell that she was older than him, quite a bit older. It didn't usually matter among their people, with regenerations and things like that, but…being around humans so often…well, she probably looked old enough to be his mother, and it was…odd. Their family didn't care, they understood regeneration, but she…she DID get the odd look every now and then when people saw her and the Doctor together, especially if it was after he'd acted childish.

It was a minor thing, really very small in the grand scheme of things they had to concern themselves with, but it _did_ bother her in some way. Sometimes she wondered how he could look at her with such love and not see her…

' _Because you are flawless,_ ' he spoke in her mind, _'Timeless. You have such a timeless beauty to you Nella, one that radiates from the inside out. And you…_ ' he leaned in to peck her lips, ' _Will never be old, you will be just…perfect. Perfect for me. And perfect TO me. Always._ '

She smiled, gently touching his cheek, about to kiss him when there was a knock on the door. She laughed as he groaned, his head hanging down and onto her shoulder, "I told you," she reminded him, "Clara."

He sighed, "Go on, go on," he lifted his head, his nose brushing against hers, "I shall have to endure till your return."

She rolled her eyes playfully and turned to go, only for him to tug her back and give her a quick peck, "To hold me over," her whispered, giving her one more wink, kissing the back of her hand before squeezing it, letting her go.

She smiled at him, ignoring the looks she knew a select few of her family were giving her, and headed for the front door. She pulled it open just as Clara, standing outside in a red, long sleeved dress that went to her knees and a black belt across it moved to knock, "Oh!" Clara gasped, not having expected the door to open so quickly, "Angel!"

Angel smiled, "Hello Clara," and gave the girl a hug, tugging her into the house and helping her take her coat off, the girl trying to balance an armful of presents at the same time. They managed to do it though, get the coat off without having to put down the gifts.

"Glad I'm in the right spot," Clara breathed, blowing a bit of hair away from her face, "For a second there I thought I'd taken a leaf out of the Doctor's book and gotten lost!"

Angel chuckled at that, reaching out to take a gift or two from the flustered girl to help her, "Come on, everyone's so excited to meet you."

"I bet I'm more excited to meet them," Clara countered, "Excited and nervous."

"You have nothing to be nervous about," Angel reassured her, "They'll love you."

"I hope so," Clara murmured under her breath, she was just a school teacher and she knew, within that room would be the woman who walked the earth, the most important woman in creation, the Doctor's other daughter, the descendents of the Girl Who Waited and her Roman husband, not to mention THE Sarah Jane Smith AND the entire Torchwood team! That was enough to make anyone's butterflies turn into bats. She was…terrified. What if they didn't like her? What if they thought she was too ordinary to be the Doctor's companion? How would they react to finding out she was his _sister_?!

"Clara," Angel's voice gut into her thoughts, "Trust me…they WILL love you," she gave Clara a reassuring look.

"If you say so," Clara breathed.

"I know so," Angel winked.

"And there's no use arguing with a psychic," the Doctor agreed with a grin, moving to slip his arms around Angel the moment she was close enough to him, having waited in the doorway so he could watch her down the hall. Oh he could have gone with her, but…the foyer of the Temple-Noble home was a bit cramped and while he would LOVE being that close to his Mate it would make it difficult for Clara to get out of her coat without dropping everything, so he'd waited, quite impatiently, for his Mate to return to him.

That was one thing he'd noticed when he'd woken up after the Zygon incident, he just…wanted Angel near him always. He had before, yes, he hadn't liked having her out of his sight or his grip, but this…this wasn't filled with a sense of foreboding, that something bad would happen to her if he let her go, but more…a sense of longing. He had been so consumed with keeping her safe, with protecting her, with making it up to her…that he hadn't realized…he just wanted to be with her and spend time with her. He just…wanted her in his arms for the sake of having her in his arms, because he loved her. He could keep her safe within his arms, yes, equally he could just…love her from his arms as well. And THAT was a FAR better reason to hold someone in his book.

Oh! That's what he should do, he should write a book, yes…that would be a lovely book, 'How to love your Mate!' …no, that was a rubbish titled. 'Mated Souls!' …no, even more rubbish. 'Mates for Life?' 'Soul Mates?' 'My Mate Angel?' No, all still rubbish, oh well, he'd get it eventually, he _did_ have forever to…

'Forever!' yes, THAT should be the title of the book he'd write one day. He could do that, he could write a book, he'd be brilliant at writing a book. He'd written a few before, one even had jokes! Oh, but this one shouldn't have jokes, this would be a serious book, the most serious one he'd ever write in his entire life. Because it would be about the most important thing in his entire life, his Mate and his daughter…his family.

"This is it," Clara murmured, pulling him out of his thoughts, "This is…really happening, isn't it?" she looked at them, "I'm…I'm really gonna meet them?"

"Right now," the Doctor grinned, before leading her into the room beyond, "Hello, hello!" he shouted to the companions, no…to the family, drawing their attention over to them.

Angel laughed, seeing Clara go wide eyed at the sheer number that had fit into the room, well…Donna had won the triple rollover, she could afford a rather spacious house. It was modest for the amount of money Donna had won, but she had known that a rather large dining room would be needed for just such occasions, the entire family fit rather comfortably within the confines of the room, without the need of any Time Lord science or other tamperings to expand it.

"Everyone," Angel began, "We'd like you to meet Clara Oswald."

"My companion," the Doctor nodded, smiling softly at Clara, "Well…um, actually," he let out a soft chuckle, "My…um," he nodded, "My sister," he looked at them with a wide grin, seeing all their eyes go wide at that, at the fact that HE had taken a sibling this time.

"Hi," Clara breathed, still in shock, staring at them all, "Oh my stars," she murmured, looking at every single face there, "It's you…it's…it's really you, all of you," she shook her head, realizing how rude she must appear, "Sorry, I…they talk about you ALL the time."

Martha was the first to speak, offering her a warm smile, "I dread to think."

"Oi," Donna laughed, "They'd better be telling her the best," she sent a mock-threatening look at the Doctor.

But Jack was the first to approach, getting up from where he and Ianto had been sitting on a loveseat, to walk over to her, "Welcome to the family Clara Oswald," he grinned, reaching out to hug her as the Doctor and Angel subtly pulled the presents from her arms so that they wouldn't be crushed in Jack's bear hug…

They looked down when they felt something latch onto their legs, to see Ayla had run over, dragging Jenny with her, and hugged Clara around the middle.

Jenny giggled, "It's very nice to meet you Aunt Clara," Jenny murmured, hugging her as well…the rest of the family getting up and heading over to envelope Clara in the biggest group hug of her life, the poor tiny girl getting especially lost when the ocean of Ponds joined in, the Time Lords smiling widely from the side, just so…happy to see their little family together and growing ever stronger, growing ever bigger.

~8~

"And then he broke it!" Jack groaned holding up his wrist to show Clara his Vortex Manipulator as they all headed into the sitting room where the tree and presents were, having finished up the last of their meals, "Said that he couldn't risk me popping back twice…"

"The second time to apologize?" Clara guessed from the stories she'd heard of him, making him laugh and nod, "Not that you'd be able to get there, that's a really outdated model," she eyed the Manipulator, recognizing it from her time as a Time Agent, "I'd be surprised if you even managed to land in the right decade."

Jack rolled his eyes at the Doctor and Angel, though he was unable to help the smile on his face when he saw the Doctor pick Angel up bridal style, making her squeal as he spun her around, before plopping right down on an armchair, his arms wrapping around her to hold her close, there was a sense of…something, with the two Time Lords that he could tell they'd been missing, "Did you have to tell her EVERYTHING?" Jack mock-grumbled.

"Oh we didn't tell her about that," Angel nodded at the Vortex Manipulator.

Jack frowned, "Then how did…"

"I was a Time Agent," Clara answered, "Or…" she frowned, "I will be? I am?" and then her eyes widened, "Oh my stars I'm turning into the TARDIS," Angel often interpreted for the TARDIS on adventures, unable to help laughing when the box grumbled away about tenses being tricky here and there.

"You're a Time Agent?" Jenny asked as she and Cline headed over to the armrest of the sofa, her sitting down on it while Cline stood beside her, an arm around her shoulders.

"It's…complicated," Clara frowned, trying to think of how to phrase it, "I was, but I'm not, but…I WILL be one day…"

"It wasn't just me that that made no sense to was it?" Mickey Smith looked around.

"Not at all," Donna agreed.

"Doctor?" Martha looked at the man for explanation.

"Hmm?" the Doctor looked up, having found himself rather distracted by Angel's hand, playing with it, tracing the lines of her palm, they were lines he'd traced thousands of times before yet they captivated him every time, "Sorry what?"

"Daddy that's rude," Ayla dashed over to the armrest of the armchair, climbing up to sit on it beside him.

Sarah Jane smiled at that, that little girl really was so much like the two of them, polite as Angel, yet climbing all over things like the Doctor, "How is Clara a Time Agent?" she repeated for him.

"Ah, right, yes," the Doctor nodded, "Had a bit of trouble with a…um…Time Tunnel," he offered, trying not to let on how terrifying that experience had been for all of them, it was Christmas and the last thing he wanted to do was sour the holiday cheer, "Clara got into it and it…sort of sent her whizzing about space and time, living different lives all over the place, as different people…"

"13 lives," Clara cut in, "Including this one," she gestured at herself, "One, um, the first, was a…um…Time Lady," she said, seeing the family's eyes widen at that, "Another, the last, was a Time Agent."

"You're kidding…" the eldest of the Pond children, Vincent, breathed, all of them staring at her.

"So are you a Time Lady then?" Gray eyed her.

"No," Clara shook her head, "No, just human," she nodded, "I've just um, lived 13 lives, like a Time Lord."

"I see why you're his sister," Jack remarked, it would be more like the Doctor to pick a 'Time Lady' or as close to one as he could get whereas Angel would pick the humans. The Doctor had always had a harder time letting go of the past, of the Time War and what he'd done. Oh they all knew that Gallifrey might actually NOT be destroyed.

Angel had called them all up…well…HE'D called them, in the TARDIS, Torchwood had been dealing with some Rift Activity acting up but they'd later gotten a report, seen a news footage of a man dangling from under a blue police telephone box in London and immediately called the TARDIS to make sure everything was ok as UNIT had been involved in bringing the Time Family in. Angel had told them about Gallifrey, about what they'd changed (or hadn't changed if the events that the Doctor had been involved in had really happened just that way when he'd been the 'War Doctor' as they'd called the man, and he just hadn't remembered). It surprised them all to find that out…and then they'd demanded that the Time Family come see them…they hadn't quite expected them to arrive so near Christmas though.

"Um…" Jenny began quietly, "Dad…you…you told us about Gallifrey, about what you did…is…do you think there's a chance that some of your, both of your," she looked between the Doctor and Angel, "Real family might have survived after all?"

Angel gave her a sad smile and shook her head, "Not for me, no," she sighed, "My mum was gone before my Naming Ceremony, dad in a battle, and…my sister she…" she trailed off, unable to really bring it up. Having seen it happen in that hologram…it had shaken her.

The Doctor took the hand he'd been fiddling with and clutched it in both of his, lifting it to his lips to kiss it before just…holding it, "There might be, for some of mine," the Doctor remarked, "IF we actually succeeded."

Angel had claimed they had, and he trusted her, he did…but he was leaning more towards cautious thought, taking into account it could potentially be wishful thinking for her, he just…he didn't want to get his hopes up too high, get Ayla's hopes up too high and have it fall apart again.

"But even if Gallifrey isn't back," Ayla spoke up, "You all ARE our real family," she looked at each of them, "You're my aunts and my uncles and my cousins and my sister and I love you. It doesn't matter if you're not Time Lords, not to me. Family doesn't end in blood, right?" she looked back at her parents as they smiled proudly at her, the rest of the 'family' in tears at her heartfelt declaration, to hear that reaffirmed, to hear their connection to the Time Lords verified, it meant the world to him.

"Correctamundo," the Doctor said softly, winking at her as he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"Well said sweetheart," Angel nodded at her daughter, SO proud.

"Well," Jack cleared his throat, "It would almost be bad news for us, if Gallifrey was back."

"What?" the Doctor looked at him, alarmed, "Why?" did they think that the Time Lords would attack the family? As though he or Angel would EVER let that happen…

Jack laughed, "That would be a hell of a Christmas gift to top," Jack finished, earning a small chuckle from everyone else, "I mean, this year we've just got this…" he moved over to the tree and picked up a small box about the size of a computer monitor, bringing it over to Ayla, "Merry Christmas Beautiful," he winked at her, setting it on her lap.

Ayla's eyes widened, "For me?!"

The family laughed at how she'd done the same thing the last Christmas she'd spent with them, she always seemed so surprised to get anything from them and no matter what it was she always treasured it.

"Open it," Sarah Jane urged.

Ayla opened it slowly, carefully, much to the impatience of her father who wanted to see what they'd given his daughter, and the amusement of her mother, who smiled secretly, as though already knowing. Ayla gasped, her eyes widening as she saw what was in the box, before pulling out a smaller version of K9!

"Really!?" she looked at her aunts and uncles with large eyes.

"Turn him on," Mickey called, beaming. Angel had mentioned the pet situation to them a while ago, expressed her regrets of always turning her daughter down for pets, her guilt, but expressing her concern and ill ease with keeping any sort of living creature contained within the walls of the TARDIS. This…was the perfect solution to it!

Ayla tapped the dog's nose and his eyes lit up, a sort of blue color, his tail wagging along with his ears, "Mistress!" it called in a small squeaky voice, much like what they thought K9 would sound like if he were able to inhale helium.

"Oh I love him!" Ayla cheered, hugging the mini-K9…MK9 to her, "I love him so much! Thank you!"

The Time Lords couldn't help but smile, K9 had saved many a day in his time, all four versions of him, they could just tell this one would do the same for Ayla. And that…was just spectacular. Their daughter had always wanted a pet and, as much as they stressed the 'no wandering off' bit, their daughter seemed about as likely to follow the rules as the Doctor was…but only at times. K9…even a miniature him, would be just what they'd need to feel just that tiny bit safer about that (not that they'd be happy she wandered off, but MK9 would protect her with its life they knew).

"From all of us," Martha told them, and it was. Sarah Jane had provided the schematics, being the only one to possess a K9, while she and Jack, using UNIT and Torchwood had provided the tech needed. Donna and Jenny had helped put it together while Mickey added some new programming and the Pond children offered some suggestions and alterations based on stories their parents had told them. It truly was a joint effort from all the family.

"Don't worry Clara," Donna told her, seeing the girl smiling a bit sadly and just KNOWING that it was because she was disheartened that she hadn't been able to be a part of it, not having met them yet, "Next year you get to pitch in."

"That's right," Jack grinned, "Tell me, how do you feel about Boxing Day?"

"Oi," Mickey nudged him, "Come on Captain Cheesecake, let the girl survive tonight first."

"What…what's wrong with Boxing Day?" Clara glanced between them, Ayla distracted as she and the Doctor scanned the little K9 with the sonic to see what features it had.

"We get together on the holidays," Jenny explained, "All of us."

"Boxing Day is open," Sarah Jane added, "If you'd like it."

Clara blinked, before starting to smile, "I'd love it."

It would probably kill her, having to host so many people make all the preparations and things, find a space to have them over in, but…she knew that they all brought their own food and…she liked the idea of having a designated holiday, of having a day that she could get to see them all again. It had taken her FAR too long to be able to meet them all this time, and…she didn't always travel with the Time Lords, what with her job and all, so it would be nice to have those holidays to look forward to, to have this support system of the family in place.

"Brilliant," Elizabeth, one of the Pond daughters, smiled.

The Doctor let out low whistle just then, seeing the readings on his sonic for just what the K9 unit was capable of, it seemed his companions had truly thought of nearly everything. He could think of a few more adaptions and tweaks but overall, this was a remarkable piece of craftsmanship. He was sure that Donna had likely had a hand in guessing what might be needed though, "Thank you," he smiled at them as Ayla leapt up, not letting go of MK9 though the doggie appeared a bit heavier than it looked, to hug each and every one of them, even the children.

"You know, Ayla has a gift for you all as well," Angel spoke when Ayla returned to them, turning the family's attention to the little girl, "Don't you sweetheart?"

Ayla nodded, holding up MK9 to her mother to hold before she turned to her family, fidgeting a bit as she moved her hands behind her back, nervous, making them all glance at each other for what it was she could possible say that was making her so, "Um," she began, swaying side to side, "There's a tradition on Gallifrey, mummy mentioned it before, called a Naming Ceremony. It's when a Time Lord or Lady gets to pick their title, or pick another name that they want to be called, or they can just keep whatever nickname they have. It's supposed to be this big old stuffy event with elders in their funny hats and recited in Gallifreyan…but daddy says I can cheat and it'll still be special and real, because it'll be with family."

"It'll be just perfect sweetheart," the Doctor winked at them.

Ayla smiled, "So…I wanted you all to be there for my Naming Ceremony, I…I want to do it right now," she nodded, "So that you can be the first ones I tell what my…my title will be from now on."

The room fell silent, waiting…till Jenny couldn't stand it any longer (10 seconds later), "Well go on," she grinned, excited to see what her sister was going to be called. She spoke with her father from time to time as well, he would tell her things about Gallifrey, about their traditions and their people, she knew ALL about the Naming Ceremony, what it meant, and she couldn't wait to see what her sister would be called…she assumed, given how eager her family looked, that her Aunts and Uncles and Cousins were just as excited to find out.

Ayla took a breath and began to recite, in English the proper phrasing, "I stand here, before my…my family," she smiled at them, "Before the ones I hold most dear. And I declare, by the ancient rites of Gallifrey, that, from hence forth," she nodded, trying to recall the exact words, "And for all times, I shall be called by my chosen title. And my chosen title, selected with great consideration, solemnity, and esteem, shall be…"

She took another breath…

"The Tailor."

"The…Tailor?" Sarah Jane blinked.

"Uh huh," Ayla nodded, before pulling her hands before her to tick off on her fingers, the reasons, "Because it's a name _and_ a title, like mummy's is, Taylor is an Earth name yes?" she looked around the room, a few of them nodding, starting to see it now, "And it's a profession that mends things and fixes things, like daddy mends people. And…and a Tailor helps make clothes that FIT people, it…it's like I can help people fit themselves, become the people they're meant to be. I DO like making things that fit JUST to that person, like cards and dollies and things. And…" she smiled at them with a little shrug, "If you say it a certain way, it sounds like Ayla but with a T in front of it, so it'll be easier for you all to call me that instead of Ayla."

The family stared at her a long while.

"Do…do you like it?" she asked, growing worried that, perhaps, the name she'd selected wasn't a good one.

"It…is PERFECT for you," Jack smiled at her, winking as he added, "Tailor."

And it really was. It was JUST like what the Doctor and Angel did on a daily basis, they helped people grow into the people they were always meant to be. They helped people see their strength, their value, grow into themselves. And…that was what Ayla wanted to do. She wanted to help people find the sort of person that they were inside, help them grow, help mend them, help well, tailor them, into the amazing people they were meant to be. And she was very much interested in 'custom making' things for others, she always said that everyone was unique and that one gift (even a card) for one person wouldn't suit or fit to another. She loved making things personal and unique and…she wanted to do that with people, she wanted to mend them and help them see how unique they were.

And that…was just so her.

Mickey let out a little laugh, shaking his head at the Time Lords, "Only your daughter Angel," Mickey turned to her, "Would try to think of names that would be easy for US to get used to."

And that was just like Ayla too, to be considerate of her family. Because it wasn't just a name that the Universe would call her by…but that THEY would need to get used to calling her as well. And…Tailor _did_ sound like T-Ayla if you said it right. It would take a while, they knew, but…it did make it easier.

"AND pick a title that's also a name," Martha joked. Oh she could see it already, people calling Tailor, Taylor instead, not that there was much difference to it, but…it was just like Angel. She was technically THE Angel, of Gallifrey, but almost everyone except their enemies called her just 'Angel' and she knew that would be the same for Ayla as well, she'd be THE Tailor, but be called simply Tailor.

"And one that helps people," Clara smiled at the little girl.

"So should I call you TJ then?" Jenny joked, sending a wink at her sister.

Ayla beamed and ran to hug her sister, pleased most of all that SHE liked it, being closer to a Time Lady than all the others, and being her sister.

Donna shook her head as she looked at the Doctor and Angel, watching their daughter, with such pride in their eyes, "You did a good job with this one," she told them, "She is…SO much like the two of you."

The Doctor grinned and looked at Angel softly, "She's as much an angel as her mother is," he whispered.

"And as brilliant as her father," Angel countered.

They looked over as Ayla walked back to them, "Did I do a good job?" she asked them, their opinion meaning more to her than anything else.

Angel slowly got up off the Doctor to kneel before her daughter, "You did perfectly," she whispered, hugging her tightly, "Your title is just…perfect."

The Doctor smiled and stood, scooping Ayla into his arms to hug her as she laughed, "We are SO proud of you," he told her, tapping her nose, "Your title is better than any we could have imagined," he winked at her.

The parents were not to know the title before hand, NO ONE was except the one taking it. It was meant to be a decision only the Time Lord in question could make, it wasn't meant to be influenced by any one comment or remark. The Time Lords believed that the name you chose, the name you wanted first, was meant to be yours, was meant to be the truest representation of who you were as a person, and that to have others remark on it before the Naming, well…that might lead a Time Lord to pick another name that wasn't quite…right for them. So it was forbidden to speak of the title selected till the actual naming. They had had no idea and, looking at it, they never would have picked it for Ayla…and they really should have, all the hints had been there, her cards, her dollies, the way she liked dressing up in outfits that fit her perfectly, it was just…all a part of her.

"I'm glad you like it," Ayla whispered, hugging him.

"It was the best present ever," the Doctor told her.

"And uh, speaking of presents," Tosh cut in gently, "We should be getting to the rest," she smiled at the children who were all eager for their gifts as well, "You may not need sleep, but we humans do."

"Right," Gwen nodded, taking charge, "ONE gift only," she pointed at the kids, "Those are the rules for Christmas Eve."

"Can I help!?" Ayla turned to Gwen as the Doctor set her down.

"Course you can," Rani smiled at her, waving her over to the pile of gifts to help sort them and distribute them.

"Mistress!" the little K9 called, wheeling off after her, surprisingly fast for such a small thing.

The Time Lords laughed at the squeaky voice of the dog and its eagerness to get to their daughter as she helped with the gifts, even with there only being one gift for each child, there was still more gifts and recipients than there were adults. The Doctor reached out a hand, helping Angel up from where she was crouched down, and tugged her to him suddenly, winding his arms around her as he just held her to him, her back to his front, his chin on her shoulder, the two of them watching the smiles on the children's faces as the gifts went around, the laughter in their companions…no, in their family's eyes. They stood there among the hustle and bustle, watching as the happiness just…surrounded them.

~8~

"Yes, yes," the Doctor called, "We'll be back tomorrow, promise," he crossed his hearts as they stepped out of the Temple-Noble home, him and Angel with a small gift each, a bowtie for him and a costume halo for her, small little joke-like gifts but ones that meant the world to them. Ayla had yet another stuffed animal, this time a koala bear with a stripped neon purple and orange bowtie, in one arm with MK9 in the other arm, beaming like it was actually Christmas.

"You'd better be Spaceman!" Donna pointed at him warningly as they stepped outside, her seeing them out.

"I'll make sure _I_ pilot that trip Donna," Angel promised as well.

"See you tomorrow Aunt Donna!" Ayla cheered, trying to wave but being unable to with her arms full.

Donna smiled at her, "You be good for Father Christmas," she yelled to them as they headed into the night, towards the illuminated TARDIS.

"Oi!" the Doctor pouted, "I'll have you know my daughter's ALWAYS good!"

Donna laughed, "I was talking about YOU Doctor!"

"Oh," he nodded, before frowning, "Oi!"

Donna just shook her head and gave them one more wave before shutting the door to her home as the Doctor opened the doors to the TARDIS, Ayla bolting inside to show her Aunt Idris the presents she got. The Doctor smiled as he watched her go, about to step in when Angel gently tugged him back, "My love you're about to make a very big mistake."

He frowned and looked back at her, concerned for a moment…when Angel merely smiled and pointed up. He lifted his head and couldn't help the smile that broke out across his face when he saw the mistletoe dangling above the door frame, "Now how did that get there?" he had to ask, looking at Angel with his arms crossed, an almost knowing look on his face.

"I haven't a clue," she said innocently, mimicking his stance, "But if I had to guess…I'd say Sissy's giving us our Christmas gift early."

"Oh, is she?" he nodded, reaching out to take her hand, tugging her closer, "Well, it would just be downright ungrateful if we didn't enjoy it when she's given it to us, eh?"

"Oh VERY ungrateful," she nodded.

He grinned and leaned in, kissing her deeply as one of his hands found its way to her cheek, stroking it gently before moving just a bit back, towards her hair, half cupping the back of her neck to kiss her more, her hands trailing up his chest to his lapels, clutching them a bit as she returned the kiss as good as she got.

"Aunt Idris is threatening to shut the doors on you," Ayla called from the console, seeing them STILL kissing quite a few moments later, "She says you were only meant to give mummy a peck daddy!"

The Doctor laughed as he pulled away, turning to look at the rotor, Angel chuckling softly in his ear as she rested her forehead to his temple, "Well your Aunt Idris should know that it is completely and totally impossible for me NOT to kiss your mum," he smiled, "And certainly NOT just give her only ONE peck," and with that he turned back and gave her another kiss, shorter than the first, more like an extended peck, followed by another, and another, and another, each of those, though, shorter than the last.

Angel laughed as she pulled away, giving him one peck herself, before taking his hand, "Come along my love," she whispered, pulling him with her to the console, "Have you finished telling your auntie about your presents dear?" she looked at Ayla.

The little girl nodded, "Yup! Aunt Idris likes MK9," she told them, "She loves your stray doggies daddy," she whispered, "But don't tell her I told you."

He chuckled, "Not a word," and zipped his lips, even as the TARDIS hummed quietly, clearly having heard them, "How as it sweetheart? Did you have fun tonight?"

"Lots of fun!" she nodded.

"Eh, that's good," he smiled, "Now," he crouched down, "What about tomorrow eh? Think you'll get everything on your Christmas list?"

It was a rather small list, very small actually, barely anything on it. Ayla kept insisting that she didn't need anything else, because she already had all she wanted and needed, but one or two things were jotted down here and there.

Ayla grew a bit quiet at that, "I…I don't think so."

Angel frowned, "What's wrong dear?" she knelt down beside the Doctor, seeing Ayla looking down.

"I…there was ONE thing I didn't put on my list," Ayla told them, shifting a bit, "So I don't think Father Christmas will be able to give it to me."

"Well what is it?" the Doctor smiled, "I have been known to pull a few tricks in my day," he winked at her.

Ayla smiled, "No, you and mummy would need time to give it to me too."

He tilted his head at that, curious, "And what is it? What did you want for Christmas sweetheart?"

She bit her lip a moment, before saying the one thing not even Angel saw coming, "A little brother."

The Time Lords blinked at that, before they stared at each other in more than a bit of shock at her request. It…it wasn't that they hadn't given any thought to that, to the idea of having another child. They had but…there were things out there in the Universe that they knew had a score to settle with them, or, at the very least, there were things out there that they hadn't dealt with completely yet. The Silence, Kovarian, the Question being only the most prominent. They…didn't want to risk bringing another child into the world until they were sure it was safe.

They had both failed rather abysmally in protecting Ayla in the past…they couldn't bear it to lose another child that way. They wanted to make sure it was completely safe for them, for their family, and, even having erased themselves from history…they DIDN'T know what the Silence were up to or why they were so adamant about the Doctor's name not being spoken, what it would mean if it was, what sort of Silence would fall and why. Trenzalore was still looming for them as well and…it just wasn't the right time…

There was also the fact that Angel had barely managed to carry Ayla to term this time. There had been so much danger and he knew that no matter how hard he tried to avoid it, the danger would always come. He answered 1 call from River Song…and Angel had gotten shot by a Dalek, Ayla had nearly died. If it hadn't been for the Pandorica he would have lost them both. There had been so many dangers they'd faced not knowing Angel was pregnant, so many where Ayla could have easily been killed before she was even born if even one thing had gone differently.

They had been so, SO incredibly lucky that things had worked out the way they had, that was one thing that he retained from his dealings with the 10 in his head, that they really had been so truly lucky that what happened had happened the way it had and not gone worse. They just…they couldn't risk it. They couldn't risk anything happening to another baby, they wouldn't survive that. It would shatter them to try and have another child, to get their hopes up to finally have another chance, to really and truly raise a child from a baby to an adult and…fail. Or to get their hopes up and the baby died before it was born. They wanted to make sure it would be safe, that the baby and Angel would be protected, that they would have time to ensure everything went fine, that there would be ample medical help should they need it…and right now…

They'd just recovered from the things that were haunting them. The Doctor's nightmares had finally stopped, the Vortex hadn't quite acted out as it had in the past, things were finally looking up and…they were afraid that what always tended to happen would happen again. That when things looked good…that was when it truly went bad. It had happened on more than one occasion, when she'd recovered from dying the first time…only to die again. When the Doctor had stopped the Master before he could knock…only for it to have been Wilfred the entire time. There had been even more instances of hope being so high…and then being crushed. They just…wanted to get it right this time…and this time it just wasn't the right time.

But before they could mention that to Ayla, to try and explain it to her…MK9 spoke up.

"Attention Mistress!" he squeaked, "Sensors indicate incoming signal!"

And then they heard a small warning go off on the monitor.

They frowned at each other and stood, making their way over to it with Ayla, pausing as they read the Gallifreyan symbols flying across the screen as the TARDIS picked up some sort of beacon. The Doctor reached out and flicked a button…

And a three-note rhythm began to play…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it's mostly original, but where I had it ending originally was awkward and I feel like this works better. I hope you like Ayla's title :) I will say now, I'll be calling her 'Ayla' up until a specific point in this story, and then it will change to 'Tailor' (lol Taylor) :) I hope you liked the little K9 too ;) I can't promise though if he'll survive the battle of Trenzalore, if he even ends up there }:)


	72. The Time of the Doctor: 3-Note Rhythm

" _Once there was a planet, much like any other...and unimportant. This planet sent the universe a message. A bell tolling among the stars, ringing out to all the dark corners of creation. And EVERYBODY came to see. Although no one understood the message, everyone who heard it found themselves afraid. Except for three. The man who stayed for Christmas and his family._ "

~8~

On a dark, deserted ship, a flash of light shot down in the middle of the room, expanding as a man in a cloak stepped out of the teleport, holding up a Dalek's eyestalk in his hand like a scepter, "I bring proof of courage and comradeship," the Doctor's voice called out into the dark recesses of the ship, pushing the hood of his cloak back to reveal himself, "What is this ship and why are you here? Identify yourselves by species and planet of origin!"

He looked around, waiting, thinking perhaps he SHOULD have let Angel pick the ship instead of the Cyberman head that he'd found and required to basically act like one of the Nodes from the Library, something that answered questions but did little other damage. The room was too quiet, it was almost like there was no one there…when he noticed a few round lights blinking on beside him, blue lights…familiar lights…BAD lights!

"Exterminate!" the Daleks shouted, starting to wheel out of the shadows, surrounding him, "Exterminate!"

"Handles?" he called into a comm., the name that he'd given the Cyberman head…well, the name Ayla, er Tailor, had given it, he'd wanted to call it Wilson but Ayla/Tailor had giggled and said it was silly, because the head looked more like a Handles than anything.

He ducked down quickly, trying to back up as the Daleks began to fire at him, "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

"Agh!" he jerked back but the cries of 'Exterminate!' echoed throughout the room drowning him out, "Handles? Agh," he rolled his eyes, knowing that there was only one name that could help, "Ang…"

He was teleported out as one of the Daleks gave a fierce "Exterminate!" and fired right where he'd been standing.

~8~

"…gel…" the Doctor finished, finding himself back on the TARDIS, still in his cloak, still holding the scepter-like eyestalk out before him, "I was mid-sentence!" he huffed playfully, smiling when he saw his girls before him, Angel at the console with Ayla/Tailor sitting on the side-chair MK9 in her lap, petting the dog despite it not having fur…though by the way it's ears wiggled and its tail wagged it was very much enjoying it.

"And about to be massacred by Daleks," Angel reminded him, making her way around the console to his side, reaching out to take the scepter from him, only for him to hold it back.

"Uh, uh," he gave her a smirk, holding the eyestalk far behind him, up in the air, out of her reach, "If you want it, you have to pay for it."

"What, _me_?" she smiled back at him, "Don't I get a special discount?"

"Hmm…" he pretended to consider that a moment, "I suppose I could shave a bit off…for a price."

She laughed, leaning into him, moving her arms around his neck as she felt him stiffen before her, his breath catching in his throat, "Well then, I shall gladly pay it if you would be so kind as to tell me what it is."

"I would say…a kiss for each credit this is worth," he beamed, wiggling the eyestalk in his hand, "Times 12."

She laughed, "If we do it that way we won't ever stop kissing."

"Perfectly alright in my book," he winked at her, winding his free arm around her waist, his other still holding the eyestalk out.

"I think I can manage one very nice one at the moment," Angel compromised, "We _do_ have quite a bit to do before Christmas," she reminded him.

He sighed lightly, "Alright, I suppose that'll work for now…" he looked at her, "But! I think it would be best if we pay by installment afterwards," he grinned, "One kiss every day till it's all paid off."

She laughed, "Perfectly alright in my book," she mimicked, leaning in to kiss him, spotting Ayla/Tailor covering her eyes and MK9's out of the corner of her eye as she kissed the Doctor deeply, the man slowly lowering the eyestalk, moving his arm back towards her as though about to wrap his arm around her waist…when she trailed her hand down his arm, to the eyestalk, and tugged it back, stepping away quickly with a playful grin.

He blinked a few times, staring at her, his mouth open, hair mussed, and swallowed, before he started laughing, it was JUST like when she'd managed to get the sonic off him in the Adipose office, "Well," he remarked, "That's one way to get that off me," he winked at her for effect, "But…" he eyed her, hoping she'd catch on.

Her smile turned mischievous, "But…" she laughed.

And the next thing she knew she was pressed against the console, thankfully on a rather smooth area and not one that would have a lever digging into her back, with the Doctor pressed against her front so close that his nose was touching hers, that she could feel his hearts beating in his chest, "But two can play at that game," he whispered, leaning into kiss her again…

When the TARDIS gave a loud hum, interrupting him, making him groan and drop his head on her shoulder, shaking it, hoping that this wasn't going to become some sort of pattern with them, to constantly be interrupted, "What is it now?" he grumbled up at the rotor, looking at it sideways, not moving his head way from Angle's arm.

Angel laughed, "She said that the ships have stopped coming," she answered, "It seems like everyone's here."

He sighed, forcing himself to pull away from her, but took her free hand in his, leading her over to the monitor to have a look, only to stop by a rather beaten up Cyberman head that was attached to the console, sticking up out of it on a pole, "And what was THAT about?" he demanded of the robot, "Every ship I go on they just shoot at me. Handles," he sighed, "I said 'Put me on a ship.' I didn't say 'Put me on a Dalek ship.' Don't put me on a Dalek ship when I'm holding a broken bit of Dalek!" he reached out to bash it with the eyestalk…only to realize at the last moment that Angel was still holding it, which meant he ended up smacking his hand on the metal man's head, "Ow!"

"Calm down my love," Angel placed the eyestalk down on the console and reached out to take his hand, her finger stroking over the red welt she could already see forming, the bruise that had just begun to form receding as she healed him with the Vortex, smiling as she did so.

It felt different as well, using the Vortex, it felt as different as hugging the Doctor did. It was…calmer, more…peaceful. She was sure that she'd be tested when next they encountered something that put her child in danger, she didn't doubt Rose was right about that (Jackie could be mad terrifying and she supposed Rose would know exactly what set her off better than anyone), but…until then she felt…confident once more, confident in her abilities, in her control of the Vortex. She was sure that, should that time come, she'd have more control of it then as well, now that she understood why it was happening. It was funny, wasn't it? How less scary something was when you understood it. It was like the Doctor said, fear bred savagery and hate, and the greatest thing people feared wasn't fear itself but more the unknown, not knowing what was coming. Being psychic, she supposed she was even more afraid of that than the normal person, it was her gift to see the future, her ability, and when she couldn't see it…she knew there was something she was missing or something she wasn't supposed to see or change, and those events were usually the most horrifying of them all.

"You did not indicate a preference," Handles spoke, his voice as flat as any other Cyberman's.

"Use your head!" the Doctor grumbled, "It's not like you've got a lot of alternatives."

"Daddy you're being mean to Handles!" Ayla/Tailor chastised as she hopped off the chair with MK9 in her arms and made her way over, "It's alright Handles," she reached up to pet the Cyberman's head as high as she could reach, "Daddy gets like that when he's worried," Angel smiled as she watched Ayla/Tailor lift MK9 up to 'lick' the Cyberman's head like a puppy would, the poor metal dog only managing to nod its head up and down a bit in the gesture, "Better?" she asked the robot.

"My comfort is irrelevant," Handles replied, making Ayla/Tailor shake her head at him.

Angel moved around the console towards the monitor as the Doctor soniced Handles, scanning it to make sure there wasn't some sort of bug in its databank that had made it send him to the Dalek ship…like some sort of lingering order to kill him. She frowned though, her smile fading as she saw a massive amount of ships hundreds, possibly thousands of ships surrounding a small, light blue planet that seemed to be surrounded by a sort of force field. She couldn't help her frown, looking down at it…she got the most terrible feeling about it…not about the planet itself, or about the inhabitants, but…there was something involving this planet that worried her. Probably just the massive amount of ships surrounding it, but…there was a pit in her stomach that she knew didn't mean anything good was about to happen.

"What is it?" she heard a voice whisper in her ear as she felt the Doctor wrap his arms around her from behind, he was rather fond of doing that wasn't he? But she enjoyed it immensely, "Something's bothering you."

She let out a gentle breath, "All of them are here," she murmured, "The Daleks and Sontarans and Terileptils and Slitheen and…" she swallowed, "It reminds me too much of the Pandorica," she glanced at him, "Of all those enemies that came after you."

He smiled at her concern, "It'll be alright," he kissed her temple, "The TARDIS isn't going to explode this time, I won't let it and…they don't seem to even notice us…"

"That's only 'cos mummy put us on invisible to be safe," Ayla/Tailor reminded him lightly.

"Well, yes," the Doctor conceded to that, "But, but! They'd still pick us up on their scanners, sort of, they'd know something's here even if they don't know just what, but they haven't attacked yet have they? See," he winked at Angel, "It'll be fine," he lifted her hand to kiss the back of it before nodding at the monitor, "See, they're not even fighting they're just parked."

"Yes but _why_?" she had to ask, "Last time they all came together without fighting…"

"Was and is different than this one," the Doctor cut in gently, "And I will make sure this stays different."

"I just wish we knew why for sure," she remarked.

"The message was received throughout the Universe," Handles called.

"Yes, yes," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "The message, the message. Even I can't translate it," he flicked a button on the console and the 3-note rhythm began to play throughout the room, echoing around.

Ayla/Tailor frowned, "It sounds funny," she scrunched her face, as though trying to place it but was unable to.

"It sounds familiar," Angel added, also frowning. That beeping noise, she kept getting the impression that she ought to know where it was from, and…not because of her visions but…because of the beeping. The beeping itself was familiar, it was…like the Master's Archangel beeps, she knew there was a message buried in the beeping, much like there had been with the Master's, but…they just couldn't seem to crack it. She looked at the Doctor, "And if WE can't translate it even with the TARDIS…the others can't as well. Why come here if they don't know what the message means?"

"You're here," Handles reminded them.

"Well, you know, I'm OCD," the Doctor waved him off, "And Ayla/Tailor was curious, eh sweetheart?"

"It's the Tailor now daddy," Ayla/Tailor reminded him, "But yes, I was."

"Sorry," he smiled apologetically at her, before he glanced at the monitor, "What does this message mean?" he wondered…

"Ring, ring," Angel and Ayla/Tailor muttered…a moment before the phone began to ring, the phone that was hidden behind the instruction panel, the Doctor already having started walking towards it the moment they called out, knowing that the phone was likely going to ring.

"Remind me we've got to patch the telephone back through the console unit," he called back to them, "This is getting ridiculous."

"Attention!" Handles suddenly shouted as the Doctor was halfway to the door, the girls nodding their promise to remind him later, "Information available."

"Ok," the Doctor spun around clapping his hands together as he returned to face the Cyberman's head, Angel and Ayla/Tailor joining him on either side…though he did take a tiny step closer to her, a tiny step nearer to the Cyber-Head incase it decided to alert the other Cyber-Ships floating around about their presence. He had ample experience with Cybermen and even as a head, they were bloody dangerous. He'd very nearly chucked this one till he'd seen the damage done to the rest of it and seen that its memory and brain activity were still perfect. Now it was just about extracting said information, which was, admittedly, taking him longer than he would have wanted.

Handles was quiet a moment, the three of them staring at him, before speaking, "You must patch the telephone device back through the console unit."

The Doctor blinked, "No, no. No, no, no, no," he shook his head, "No not now! Remind me later."

"When?" the robot blinked.

"I don't know just later just pick a time."

"When?"

"I don't know just any old time. When you think I've forgotten."

"When?"

"Just pick a random number!" the Doctor shouted, growing more than a bit exasperated with the metal head. Angel and Ayla/Tailor, who had been watching the small conversation going back and forth as though watching at tennis match, laughed heartily at it all. The Doctor's irritation with Handles slowly faded at that, at seeing his daughter looking up at him, it was just so special and so heartswarming to see her smiling and laughing, it was even more so to see Angel, the woman he'd hurt so terribly, be happy to be around him once more. That was…truly all he had wanted for Christmas and now he'd gotten it.

"Yes," the Doctor continued speaking to Handles, "Pick a number, express that number as a quantity of minutes, and, when that time has elapsed, remind us to patch the telephone back through the console unit."

"Affirmative," Handles blinked after a moment.

"How those Cyber-evenings must fly," the Doctor muttered, moving back to the doors and pulling one open, leaning out to grab the phone from behind the instructions panel and pulled it back in, its cord as long as it had been when they'd been in Cumbria in the 1200s…but before he could even answer, Ayla/Tailor had run over to take it instead.

"Hello!" Ayla/Tailor cheered, "This is the TARDIS. How can we help you?"

"Ayla?" Clara's voice came over the other end, high and frantic, causing the Doctor to sonic the phone to act as a speakerphone, "Sorry, Tailor," she corrected quickly, "Emergency, are your parents there?"

"Where else would we be?" the Doctor scoffed, "You think we'd just let Ayla wander off on her own?! She'd get lost in the TARDIS within the first five minutes!

"Oi," little Ayla/Tailor frowned at that, "No I wouldn't, Aunt Idris loves me, she just gets you lost to irritate you."

The Doctor pouted and turned to Angel, who was smiling amusedly, "Your sister is trying to irritate me," he pointed at her play-warningly.

"Yes, I rather thing she is," Angel laughed.

"Tell her to stop it!" he mock-whined.

Angel reached out and touched his cheek, "She's just picking on you because she loves you," she told him, "And she likes challenging you," she added, "Without challenges, we'd never grow."

He smiled softly at that, "YOU shouldn't ever grow," he joked, "You're so bright as it is…any more and you'll blind me."

She laughed, "And you shouldn't ever grow either," she joked back, neither of them actually being serious about it, "Because you're just perfect for me already," she squeezed his hand, "The perfect fit for me."

"Daddy?" Ayla/Tailor cut in to their moment, "Aunt Clara's still talking…"

"Right," he winced, having gotten a bit lost in the moment…which was understandable, he felt like he hadn't been able to truly and completely and deeply have a moment like that with Angel in…ages. They'd both been keeping things to themselves, both had been trying to work out what was wrong with them, but…now they knew, now there was nothing to really distract them or keep them apart any longer.

"Daddy," Ayla/Tailor huffed a bit, "Clara!" she tugged on the phone card. His mind had wandered again.

"Oh, ok then, sorry," he laughed, holding the phone up more.

"I need your help," Clara shouted through the phone.

"Well we'd assumed as much," the Doctor remarked, scooping up Handles and handing the phone to Angel to hold as he wandered around the room, "What about?"

"You're my brother now, yes?" Clara asked.

The Doctor smiled softly at that, it…it felt good to be someone's brother once more, he'd called Clara his sister often enough, it was…nice to hear her call him her brother. It made him feel like…finally things were coming together, coming around, getting better, that…that he was finally doing something good and right with his life if he was being rewarded with a family again. Oh he did consider the other companions to be family, but more through Angel than anything. He honestly hadn't thought himself deserving of the family she'd been building on the side. It wasn't till Clara had appeared in their lives, repeatedly saving their lives, it wasn't till he'd found himself considering her a sister before he'd even been consciously aware he was doing it that it hit him…he did deserve to be happy.

He tried his best to do the right thing, he tried his best to do good, and he tried his best to help…he had once remarked that the Universe owed him this one thing when Clara the Governess had been dying, that the Universe owed him this one life. And it had given it to him, and with it…it gave him a sense that, perhaps it hadn't been Clara's life he'd been bargaining for, but…in a way, his own. He was owed this one thing, to be truly happy for once. After all the fighting he'd ended, the wars he'd stopped, the people he'd saved…he may have even been able to SAVE Gallifrey instead of burn it (the guilt of which having been the major drive in his thoughts that he _didn't_ deserve to be happy)…if he could do all that, and keep doing it despite all the pain it could bring him…didn't he deserve to be saved, to be helped, to be happy as well?

Being a brother again…being part of a family like that…was…exactly what he needed. Oh he loved HIS family, his Mate and his daughter, to the farthest reaches of the Universe and back multiple times over. They were his everything. But it was a different dynamic with a sister, different dynamic with a sibling at all, and…he'd had in-laws, he'd had his Mate and child, now…it was like all he really needed to feel like he was part of a complete family was a sibling. And Clara had given him that.

"Yes," he nodded, "Yes I am, so…what do you need me to do?"

"Ok, so, Christmas dinner...me cooking…"

"So?" the Doctor glanced at Angel, a bit confused what that had to do with what she needed HIM to do.

Angel just smiled, understanding, "Clara are you alright?" she asked, able to hear the franticness in the woman's voice, the rush and the stress, "Do you need us to come and help out?"

"Yes!" Clara gasped, "Oh yes, please. Would you? If it's not too much trouble, I mean, if you're out facing down a civil war or trying to escape angry bakers again or…"

The Doctor looked over at the Cyber-Head when it beeped, "Yeah," he pat it on the top of its head, "Handles that's a new ship. Ok," he nodded to himself, "We'll take the TARDIS this time…"

"Doctor," Angel called quietly, holding up the phone, her hand on the bottom of it so Clara wouldn't hear him getting distracted in her hour of plight.

"I just need you to come for Christmas dinner," Clara was saying, "Please, you and Angel and Ay…Tailor, just do that for me. Just come to Christmas dinner? I've told dad loads about you all and he wants to meet you. I think my Aunt Linda thinks you're all not real and I…"

"Sorry," the Doctor winced, realizing he hadn't been paying attention at all, "Missed that last bit," he rushed over, "Got to dash!" before he moved to hang up…

But Angel nabbed the phone back, "Don't you worry Clara," she told the girl, holding up a finger to the Doctor, putting it on his lips to keep him stopped talking without even looking away from the monitor she'd wandered over to, "We WILL be there."

She knew why Clara was so frantic and she felt like they were partly to blame. Because the 'family' got together for Christmas Dinner, Clara had managed to convince her own family to do an early dinner. That was a main difference for the others. Torchwood rarely saw their families, having dedicated their time and effort and lives to defending the Earth, Gray and Jack especially had little blood family to speak of except each other. Donna and Martha and the Ponds, their real families were all aware of how close the entire 'family' was and understood how important spending those few holidays a year together were. They all tried to do early meals to leave their children time to meet with each other again.

Clara's family was unaware of her goings on in the TARDIS, of her time travel, or even where she'd be disappearing to for a few holidays a year. Clara herself was likely unprepared for how little time she actually had before she'd need to leave to head to the Pond House where Brian was. This was her first Christmas with the family after all, she was certain Clara felt rushed and it was partly their fault. The family got together so much around Christmas because it was the time THEY were likely to land on Earth, the time it was more likely to see them again. Well, they did make more of a conscious effort to be on Earth more for those holidays, but still…it had become a family tradition and Clara was now a part of the family.

"5 minutes," she promised.

"Thank you!" Clara breathed, before she gasped, "No! Don't boil ov…" and the line cut out.

"Poor Clara," Angel gave a soft laugh, "We should have let her cook her dinner in here," she remarked to the Doctor, setting down the phone, "She'd have had more time to get ready."

The Doctor smiled at that, pulling a lever to set them down, "We'll ask her next holiday if she'd like to do that," he agreed, holding out a hand, "Shall we?"

"Oh," she smiled, taking his hand as she stepped closer to him, " _I_ get to go this time?"

"Well, Handles isn't exactly the best at getting me out," he winked at her, "So I thought, why not take you with?"

"What about me daddy?" Ayla/Tailor blinked up at him, "Can me and MK9 come too!?"

"Sorry sweetheart," he smiled down at her, "But I've got a VERY important task for you…"

"What!?" her eyes widened, excited.

"YOU get to be in charge of the doors," he told her, leading her over to a small lever by the monitor, just near enough for her to reach it, "Now…when you see us coming back to the TARDIS…"

"Or running for the TARDIS," Angel added, knowing that she wouldn't be able to just teleport them out this time, not when it would be AYLA's job to help them out (they were always trying to think of new ways to involve her without putting her in danger), so she couldn't take this from her daughter and have them just appear instead of enter the TARDIS.

"Yes," the Doctor snapped a finger and pointed at her, before turning back to their daughter, tapping the monitor, "When you see us get close to the TARDIS, you pull this lever and the doors will open and let us right in. Ok?"

"Ok," Ayla/Tailor nodded, before focusing on the monitor and shifting MK9 under her one arm to grab the lever with her other hand, ready. She had not let go of that dog since she'd gotten him despite the fact he was more than capable of rolling after her.

The Doctor chuckled at that, seeing a bit of him peeking out in his daughter, she certainly could grab onto the things she loved and not let go, "Come on dear," he turned to Angel, squeezing her hand before they headed for the doors, Handles still in his arms.

Angel pulled the doors open, allowing the Doctor through…only to stop the moment she stepped out of the box and set foot on the latest ship…frowning as a feeling hit her…

"Ok!" the Doctor continued, heading down the hall, not noticing Angel had stopped, "Don't be alarmed I come in..."

"Doctor no!" Angel ran after him…but she was too late.

He'd just stepped into the room at the end of the hall…to see Cybermen in little nooks in the walls coming to life at the sound of his entrance, "Alert!" they cried, "Alert!"

"Peace…" he finished, before realizing that he had the head of a Cyberman in his hand, NOT good! "No!"

A golden wall flew up around them as the Cybers stepped out of their nooks and began to chase after them down the halls, firing at them, "Intruders detected. The intruders will be upgraded!"

"Come on!" Angel grabbed his hand, pulling him faster as they ran back towards the TARDIS…the doors opening as they neared it, allowing them in before closing right behind them, "Hold on!" she spun around and ran back to the doors.

"Angel no!" the Doctor cried, not sure what she was doing…

But Angel merely reached out and grabbed the phone from the instruction panel the moment it rang, pulling it back into the TARDIS and shutting the door all in mere moments, turning to see the Doctor gaping at her, "What?" she blinked at him, smiling innocently.

He let out a breath and walked over to her, taking her free hand in his own free hand, "Never do that to me again," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Sorry," she gave him a peck on the lips, about to answer the phone, when he lifted his hand to her cheek, pulling her back in for a second…and third as well.

"HELLO!?" a voice called on the other end of the phone, reminding them Clara was there, "Doctor? Angel?! Ayl…Tailor are you there?"

"Yes, hello!" the Doctor took the phone, exchanging it for Handles, Angel moving to place the Cyber-Head back into the console slot.

"You said five minutes!" Clara shouted, "It's been an hour!" the Doctor winced at that, he must have jumped a time track getting them onto the ship, sending them an hour into the future. He couldn't help but think of the last time he'd promised someone five minutes…well, he was determined NOT to make that mistake again, "I need you. I'm cooking Christmas dinner!"

"And we're being shot at by Cybermen!"

"Well can't we do both?"

He laughed, "Yeah why not? We're on our way," he hung up the phone and pulled a lever, sending them off…

~8~

Clara stood nervously before her small family as they sat gathered around the small table of her small flat, watching the telly as they waited for the turkey to cook. She was…dead nervous really, it was…odd, almost, being around her family again after what felt like so long away from them. She…she wasn't sure how to act around them because…she felt like a different person now. Well, she was, 13 different people really and only 1 of them knew these three people before her to be family. Her dad was there, with her Aunt Linda, and her Gran, really all that was left of her immediate family after her mother had passed. And she was just…worried, what if she slipped and mentioned something about time travel? What if she ended up speaking with that accent her Victorian self had had? What if she momentarily forgot her Aunt's name? …well, she supposed she could just call her auntie if she had to. But it was hard, having so many lives knocking around in her head, she didn't feel quite so nervous around the Time Lords, they understood how long it would take to process all of that, for a human to process all of that. She even felt pretty ok with herself around the 'family' as well, knowing that they all had experience with different Doctors and Angels by now, they'd understand if she randomly slipped the wrong facts in about her life.

If she messed up here…her family would know and that would open up a whole bucket of worms she wasn't prepared for. If she suddenly started talking like the Governess her and talking about tankards and bar fights, her Aunt would have her sectioned, no doubt. Her father would be really worried for her, probably think she was just getting in with the wrong crowd in this life and blame the Doctor or Angel and she didn't want that tension. Her Gran would probably think she was just getting ready for a role to audition for at the local theater or just having a bit of fun, playing a joke on them all. But their reactions alone…it would make them suspicious deep down.

It was…almost a bit sad that she didn't know how to act around her own family…which was why she couldn't wait for the Time Lords to get there and help distract from her nerves. That was why she'd really wanted them there, not because she needed any extraordinary help (though the turkey DID seem like it was going to be the death of her) but because she just…she wanted to make sure she had people there to keep her on track. She knew that the Time Lords had been watching over her, THIS her, for most of her life, they knew most of the details about it and they'd be able to stop her straying too far into territory her family (her father especially) wouldn't know about.

"Happy Christmas!" a TV advert shouted, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"How's the turkey doing?" her aunt Linda looked at her.

"Great," she smiled tensely, "Yeah, yeah it's doing great," she swallowed hard trying to keep herself from remarking that she was actually a vegetarian (from her Time Lady days), instead going with a strained, "Well, dead and decapitated, but that's Christmas when you're a turkey," she gave a small laugh at that…but no one else joined in.

"Actually," her Gran held up a small glass to her, "Maybe I will have a little more."

She let out a breath of relief for something to do and poured her grandmother another glass of the champagne she'd been standing there holding, a bright green paper crown on her head, "There you go Gran."

"Did you put it in early enough?" her father asked her.

"Dad I put it in when you phoned me."

"I emailed you some instructions."

"Oh, you certainly did," she smiled, looking down at her wrist, as though expecting to see some sort of device there that would show her her emails, before shaking her head…and then she heard it, the funny wheezing coming from outside. She put the champagne down and ran to the window, looking out and beaming when she saw the bright blue police telephone box appear in the middle of the courtyard, "Be right back!" she shouted to her family as she rushed out of the flat.

She bolted down the halls and down the stairs of the Powell Estate, down to the courtyard…only for her green hat to be blown away in the wind, "Whoops!" she reached for it, but let it go, needing to get to the TARDIS first. She half ran in, unlocking the doors as she went, "Thank you so much!" she called to the Time Lords as she raced up the ramp towards the console, "I so need you..."

And stopped dead at the sight before her.

"Clara!" the Doctor cheered, throwing out his arms…completely, stark naked.

"No!" she gasped, "Stop! Stop. Don't move, don't do anything!" and then she spun around, covering her eyes.

Well…she'd certainly gotten an eyeful of the Doctor…and it was like walking in on your brother when you needed to use the loo and he'd just stepped out of a shower! Oh my stars, she was going to be scarred for life, completely traumatized. She was sure there were people out there who would KILL for a glimpse of what she'd seen (namely River Song she thought) but…it was just…she shuddered disturbed at the thought, it was her BROTHER! It was just SO wrong and…uncomfortable. She'd glimpsed Angel and Ayla/Tailor off to the side, both of THEM dressed, which made her really rather alarmed that the Doctor was just walking around in the nude.

Mostly though…WHY?!

"Why?" the Doctor frowned, unknowingly asking the question in her head, but in a very different contest, "What is it?" he looked at Angel, "What's wrong?"

"You're naked my love," Angel told him, just shaking her head at him, unfazed, while Ayla/Tailor had mimicked what Clara had done and turned around, carefully avoiding looking at her father at all, covering MK9's eyes with her hand, the little robotic dog complaining that 'Mistress, vision impaired!'

"Yes I am naked," he nodded, "Good of you to notice Clara."

"No it isn't!" Clara nearly shouted, "It really, REALLY isn't! Doctor why are you naked?!"

"Because I'm going to church," he said, as though it explained everything, before sighing and pulling a lever, a small flash of light surrounding him, "Better?"

Clara braved a glance back to see he was once more standing there in his typical purple outfit and breathed a sigh of relief, not seeing Angel shaking her head off to the side, "Oh that was quick. Thanks."

"Not really," Ayla/Tailor turned, squinting at her father before shaking her head, "Daddy's wearing the Emperor's Clothes."

"What?" Clara frowned, seeing clothes there.

"Hologram clothes projected directly onto your visual cortex," the Doctor smiled.

Clara blinked, "Still naked underneath?"

"Everybody's naked underneath."

She grimaced at that, "Eugh don't say things like that, it's Christmas," and then she glanced at Angel and Ayla/Tailor, eyeing them carefully, seeing THEM in clothes as well, "Are you…"

"Yes," Angel sighed, "We need to head to a rather…specific church after this and we won't have time to change…the Doctor thought it would be best to do this," she gestured at her outfit, Clara looking away quickly, unable to really look at any of them for fear of picturing them naked even though it seemed like they were wearing clothes.

"Right then," she shook her head, "Not weird at all," she muttered, and the sad thing was…in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't weird considering how the Doctor could be, "Come and meet my family. Please come and meet them. I need something to get me through this dinner, I don't like Christmas."

Ayla/Tailor frowned as she jogged after her Aunt, taking her hand as she stepped out of the TARDIS, "You don't like Christmas?!"

"Nope," Clara said simply.

"But…but it's the best time of the year ever!" Ayla/Tailor insisted, "Even Aunt Donna's started to like Christmas! It's mummy's national holiday!"

The Doctor chuckled at that, recalling thinking the exact same thing, Christmas really was like a representation of Angel. It was all about good will and giving, family and love and peace and…it was everything he felt of when he thought of Angel. It really was like her own national holiday…much like he was sure Friday the 13th was his own. He wondered vaguely what Ayla/Tailor's national holiday would be? Hmmm…he'd have to give that some thought…

"Christmas is a whole year of my family in one meal," Clara sighed, "The turkey's only there to stop them eating each other."

"Do you read the jokes in the crackers?" Angel inquired as she and the Doctor followed after them, hand in hand, the Doctor swinging their hands between them with the largest grin on his face.

"Those are amazing!" the Doctor agreed, smiling as Ayla/Tailor set MK9 down to trundle after her.

Clara let out a small laugh and turned to look at them, "You know…I saw you barely 12 hours ago…and I already miss you," she told them.

"We missed you too Clara Oswald," the Doctor agreed, moving to hug her…only for Clara to hold up her hands to stop him, "What?" he frowned.

"You're still naked?" she asked, glancing at the clothes she could see.

"Yes he is," Angel laughed.

"Right, no hugs till you put on some proper clothes mister," Clara pointed at him warningly, before turning to head off with Ayla/Tailor.

"Don't worry Aunt Clara," Ayla/Tailor smiled at her, swinging her own hand with Clara's like her father had been doing behind her, "One Christmas dinner with our family and you'll LOVE Christmas!" she promised, crossing her hearts, making Clara smile.

"I'll hold you to that cutie pie," Clara winked at her, though…she felt a bit…sad.

She could remember her last Christmas as a Governess, how she'd…how she'd died. She…she wondered if maybe that was another reason why she just had never liked Christmas, even when she'd been a little girl she'd had a harder time getting into the Christmas spirit than the other children, even when her mother had still been alive it just…she never quite felt it. She knew the time tunnel had lasting affects on her, allowing her to remember her other lives. She wondered if it were possible for her to have had the vaguest recollections of those lives even as a child…it would certainly explain why she hated feeling lost, because she'd been so lost for all her lives, or why she would have dreams of falling and just…continuous falling…

But, with Ayla/Tailor there, squeezing her hand and smiling so widely at her, so sure that this Christmas would be different…she thought, maybe it would be.

The Doctor shook his head, watching them go, him and Angel walking just a bit slower behind, looking up at the Powell Estates fondly, recalling another companion/sister of theirs who had lived there ages ago, before he glanced at Angel, "What about you?"

"What about me?" she looked at him.

"Would you not hug me because I'm not wearing clothes?"

Angel laughed, "Oh my love, I most certainly would hug you...but then we might end up giving our daughter the beginnings of that Christmas gift," she winked at him, before tugging him on when he started to sputter and choke on air at her words, she liked that, she felt a bit more like…teasing him lately.

~8~

Clara smiled as she stepped into her flat, half-rushing to her small family to introduce the Time Lords, "Hello!" she cheered, grinning widely, "So er here they are!" she gestured to the side as the Doctor popped in, holding his hands up to wave, taking Angel's hand with him.

"Hello the Oswalds!" the Doctor cheered, reaching across the table to shake Linda's hand as she quickly averted her eyes, "Hello! Merry Christmas," before turning to shake Mr. Oswald's hand as well, "Hello, hello!" but the man tried to look elsewhere, the Doctor turning to give Gran two Gallic air kisses, the woman blushing, "Hello handsome," he winked at her, smiling at the table as they all tried to look anywhere but at him, "Anyone for Twister?"

Angel shook her head, "Hello, I'm Angel…"

"My Mate," the Doctor cut in, winding an arm around her shoulder.

"And this is our daughter A…" she cut herself off, "Tailor," she had to remember that. Even though she and the Doctor were more inclined to remember to call her 'Tailor' instead of Ayla from now on, well, they'd been calling her that for over a century, it would take a tiny bit more time to get used to, "Nice to meet you," she shook their hands, noting that they weren't looking away from her or Ayla/Tailor.

"VERY nice to meet you!" Ayla/Tailor grinned, doing one better and hugging each person at the table instead, MK9 being quite quiet so as not to draw attention to himself or how 'advanced' he was, having been asked by 'Mistress Clara' not to make her family suspicious.

"And this is the Doctor," Clara added with a gesture to the man beside her, "Um…he's the…um…" she glanced at the Doctor, not quite sure what to call him before shrugging, "The school nurse," she supplied, "Angel's the um, guidance counselor," she smiled, but her family remained quite silent, seeming to almost be ignoring the Doctor, "Isn't anyone going to say hello?"

"Hello," Gran gave the Doctor a flirty smile, giggling a bit and starting to think she may have had just a tiny bit too much to drink.

"Excuse us a moment," the Doctor smiled at them, before turning around, gathering the girls around him, "Listen," he whispered to Clara, "I've got an idea to break the ice. Why don't I project my clothes hologram onto their visual cortexes too?"

Clara blinked, wanting so badly to face palm at that remark, "So, to be clear, no one except me can see your clothes?"

"We can," Angel nodded at her and Ayla/Tailor, "And we took care to make sure that OUR projections were working just fine," she added, "It's just him, Clara."

"That doesn't make me feel better," Clara sighed, "If it were all of you I could pass that off as lifestyle choices much easier."

The Doctor chuckled at that, "Yes, I'm starting to think being the only one may be causing tension."

"Are we playing Twister now?" Gran called with a small laugh.

The Doctor started to blush a bit, realizing he'd turned his back on them and given them all a rather…early full moon apparently.

"Get in the kitchen!" Clara hissed at him, shoving him off, Angel laughing as she followed him, "Eh?" she turned to her family, having no idea what she could say to explain this, "Sorry. Sorry...he's…"

"Swedish," Ayla/Tailor supplied.

"That's the one," Clara pointed at her, before taking her hand, and rushing with her into the kitchen to see the Doctor was eyeing the turkey through the small window of the oven, "Doctor please! Angel do something!"

But the Doctor was a bit distracted by the turkey, Angel seeming distracted by a pink paper hat that was lying on the counter, one that Clara's aunt Linda had won but refused to wear, "Oh that's never going to work is it?" the Doctor muttered.

"What's wrong?" Clara tried to peer in at the turkey, "Do you not think it's done yet?"

"I think a decent vet would give it an even chance."

"Sensors indicate," MK9 reported, "Organic substance: turkey, will be safe to consume in...calculating...2 hours and 47 minutes."

Clara let out a breath at that, that was FAR too long to wait, "Ok…well use an app."

"An app?" Ayla/Tailor looked over from where she was leaning back against her mother, Angel resting against the counter and holding Ayla/Tailor close.

"On the sonic," Clara nodded, "App it Doctor!"

"Most certainly not," he laughed, "It doesn't do turkey. Nothing does turkey you'd need a…a…"

"A time machine?" Angel supplied with a smile, making Clara blink and look at them expectantly.

"What?" the Doctor looked at her, confused.

Angel laughed, "Oh my love," was all she said before linking her arm through his and heading out of the room, out of the flat itself as Clara carried the turkey behind them, Ayla/Tailor rushing to open doors for the woman

~8~

"You can't keep using the TARDIS like this!" the Doctor called as Angel pushed the doors of the TARDIS open, allowing them all in, the Doctor leading Clara down to the underside of the console.

"Like what?" Clara scoffed, the two of them having bickered the entire way there, much to the amusement of Angel and Ayla/Tailor.

"Missed birthdays, restaurant bookings…"

"As I recall, my love, those were YOUR doings," Angel remarked, "To make up for missing the other in the first place."

"Yes…well…but…" he tried to counter before just spinning around and continuing his mini-tirade against Clara, though the girl was grinning like she knew she'd already won…which she likely had, he was rubbish at arguing against Angel, he could barely stand to say no to the girl as it was, "And please just learn how to use iPlayer!"

"Here we are," Angel smiled as they reached the panels at the base of the pole that ran up through the console, "We just need to put it in here," she lifted one of the panels up, spotting Ayla/Tailor on the steps down, crouched there and watching them with MK9 in her lap.

"Ooh Vortex cooking?" Clara remarked, "Can't YOU just you know, snap your fingers and cook it?" she asked Angel.

"No," Angel laughed, "I mean…maybe…but I'd rather have time to practice, I wouldn't want to completely burn your turkey."

"Exposure to the time winds should either have it come up a treat or just possibly lay some eggs," the Doctor added, setting the turkey in the panel and shutting the door with a brush of his hands.

"Information available," Handles spoke from above them, making the Doctor grin and run for the stairs, Ayla/Tailor following him up with MK9, Angel and Clara behind them.

Clara stopped short though when she spotted the Cyber-Head on the pole, not having noticed it as she focused on carrying the turkey before, "Is that a…Cyberman head?"

"Yep," the Doctor grinned, "He'll get us to the church on time."

"I have developed a fault," Handles stated.

"The organics are all gone but there's still a full set of data banks," he knocked on the metal man's forehead, "Found it at the Maldovar market."

Clara nodded, "Is that where you found your necklace Angel?" she looked at the woman, "It's lovely."

Angel reached up and gently touched her Whitepoint Star Necklace, smiling, "No, um…it was a gift from the Doctor."

"Hold on…" Clara blinked, stepping closer as she squinted at it, frowning as though she were trying to place the stone, "Oh my stars…is that a Whitepoint Star!?" she gaped at it, vaguely recalling it from her time as a Time Lady, "But…but that's impossible! They could only be could on Gallifrey and…"

"We had a bit of a run in with the Master," the Doctor began, Clara's eyes widening, clearly she had heard of the man before in her memories, "He came into possession of one, nearly used it to break what we thought was the time-lock…" he sighed, not quite sure what to feel about that knowledge that they'd stopped it happening, that they'd stopped the Time Lords coming through.

He supposed, that he'd rather the War Council on his side than the High Council, the High Council had been the ones to issue the final sanction, he'd had to stop THAT at least. So it was probably for the best that his last self had stopped the Time Lords returning at that point. By doing what he had, he'd kept the ultimate sanction happening, made it impossible to happen now, it was too late, their opportunity had passed, and now…now it might be safe for the Time Lord if they ever returned in the same manner.

"He was lost and…I saw this little gem on the floor when we came to," he moved over to Angel's side, reaching out to gently touch the necklace she still wore, the necklace she had continued to wear in her last incarnation despite how much he knew it had to have hurt her to do so, to wear the reminder of his last self, a reminder of all the promises he'd broken, "I saw this little, beautiful diamond just…shining in the destruction, so pure and clear and flawless and just…perfect," his eyes moved up to Angel's, connecting his green with her blue, though his hand remained on her necklace, "It was like this one tiny sparkle in the devastation, this one little thing that held so strong it couldn't be cracked or destroyed even by that, it was just…everlasting," he breathed, his other hand moving to her cheek, "And it was mine," he smiled, "So I gave it to the only person worthy to wear something like that."

"Doctor," Angel whispered, smiling at him with tears in her eyes, so…touched, so incredibly touched that that had been the reason for him giving her the necklace. He'd said it was to remember him by, but…to see what had led up to that moment…to discover it…it was just incredible. She leaned in to kiss him…

When Handles spoke up, "Planet identified from analysis of message."

"Just one moment Handles," she called, seeing the Doctor about to turn to it, turning his face back to hers with a gentle hand and kissing him soundly, "I love you," she whispered as she pulled away.

He grinned dazedly at her as well, "I love you too."

"Planet identified from analysis of message," Handles repeated.

Angel let out a little laugh, "Exactly a minute."

He chuckled and turned to the Cyber-head, his arm moving around Angel's shoulders, "Right, cool, go on then. Ok tell us, what is the planet? Go on."

"Processing official designation," Handles spoke, "Processing…"

Clara laughed at that as she and Ayla/Tailor joined the Time Lords by the head, "Bit slow on the uptake innit he?"

"Yes, in your own time dear," the Doctor rolled his eyes, sighing as he stepped away from the head and over to one of the side controls, "Don't rush."

"So why haven't you just gone down there and had a look?"

"There's a force field around the planet," Angel explained.

"Not even Aunt Idris can get down there!" Ayla/Tailor told her, as serious as a little girl could be when talking about a bigger-on-the-inside wooden police box that travelled in time and space that was deemed such a member of a family that it had been given the title of 'aunt.'

"I can't help but feel like it's…"

"Gallifrey," Handles cut in to what Angel was about to say, making them all freeze.

The Doctor turned to look at the head, stunned, "What did you say?"

"Gallifrey," it repeated as Ayla/Tailor gasped.

"What do you mean Gallifrey?" Angel frowned, shaking her head, "It can't be."

"Confirmed. Planet designation…Gallifrey."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit more fluff for you ;) And a bit of a deeper look into Clara's past lives and how they are going to be affecting her :) I'm very excited for what's coming in this story ^-^ I hope you all are liking Ayla's title so far :) I sort of see a little joke developing with Tailor/Taylor and how people call/spell her title lol :)


	73. The Time of the Doctor: The Papal Mainframe

The Doctor's jaw tensed as he stormed over to the head, yanking it off of its post and carrying it to the monitor, nearly holding it pressed against the live feed of outside the doors, where all the ships had gathered around the planet, pointing at it, "You see THAT? Gallifrey is my home, it is OUR home, and we know it when we see it. THAT is not Gallifrey!"

"…is he ok?" Clara whispered to Angel as the Doctor went all stone faced.

"Yeah," Angel nodded, "Just…bit of a shock to hear that," she told the woman, before glancing at the doors and heading over to them to look outside at the planet below, Ayla/Tailor and MK9 following her.

"Scanners indicate planet is not Gallifrey," MK9 reported, which surprised the Time Lords a bit that it even knew what Gallifrey was, but apparently the family had made copies of K9's datacore and given it to his miniature as well, the dog was aware of the planet and could even scan that it wasn't it.

"Well of course it's not," Ayla/Tailor agreed, "It's blue!"

Clara frowned, an inkling of something stirring in her head as she joined the Doctor by the monitor, "It should be orangey, right?"

He sighed, rubbing his head as he nodded, "Right. So it's not Gallifrey," he let out a breath, "Gallifrey's gone."

"No," Angel shook her head, shutting the doors and heading back over to the console with Ayla/Tailor, "We DID save it my love, I…I can sense that, I KNOW we did…"

He moved over to her, setting Handles down and taking her hand, "Even if we did…it would be gone from this Universe."

"Then we just have to find it," she smiled giving him a peck, "And I know you will, because YOU…" she gave him another, "Are fantastic."

He chuckled at the familiar words, the words that, when said originally had carried the worst memories for him, of her dying, of her struggling just to make it past the events of the Crucible and failing, of her still having the utmost faith in him to save everyone else even when he couldn't save HER. He reached out and brushed his knuckles along her cheek, brushing a bit of hair behind her ear, before stroking her face, "And I know you'll lead me right to it," he murmured, staring into her eyes, "Psychic."

"Thief," she nudged him in the stomach, making him laugh at bit.

"Tailor!" Ayla/Tailor cheered, pleased she finally had some sort of title to go with her, even though she knew it wasn't what her parents meant when they called each other that, as it was more playful nicknames, well…she'd always wanted to be included in it.

Her parents laughed at that, turning to her…when a large blaring horn sounded that reminded them very much of what had been blasted just before the TARDIS crashed into the Titanic.

"What's that?" Clara frowned.

The Doctor quickly moved to the doors, throwing them both open as the four of them and MK9 gathered in the doorway, "Papal Mainframe!" he cheered when he saw the rather large ship drift up before the TARDIS, "It's like a great, big, flying church!"

Angel blinked, "They got here first…" she murmured, before looking at the Doctor, "THEY put the force field around the planet."

"That means they can get us down!" Ayla/Tailor gasped, fidgeting with excitement, "Can we go meet the Mother Superious daddy!? Can we!?"

The Doctor's smile was a bit tense at that though, he'd wanted to just contact them from the TARDIS and request permission to land…but…how could he really say no with Ayla/Tailor looking up at him with such…wide, hopeful eyes? Oh he was sorely tempted to take the TARDIS back in time to stop Clara ever teaching his girls the 'puppy dog eyes' look. It was FAR too much of an advantage to them, it was cheating! So he really struggled with this.

The…Papal Mainframe…they weren't his friends in his book. Oh they might have been once but…ever since Demon's Run, finding out just how involved that particular church was in what had been happening to him and what was going to happen to Angel and Ayla/Tailor and even River Song…it bothered him, it made him tense, it made him wary of their entire organization. Oh the Papal Mainframe had tried to make amends, tried to explain that it wasn't THEM that had allowed everything to happen with Kovarian and the Silence…

He found it rather hard to believe though, he'd BEEN there, in Demons Run, he'd heard the entire speech that Manton had given, how THE PAPAL MAINFRAME herself had given him permission to reveal the Headless Monks to the army. They honestly didn't think he was stupid enough to believe that the Mainframe had NO idea what Kovarian was doing? And with an organization as powerful as the church, they couldn't expect him to believe that the Mainframe wouldn't have been able to STOP Kovarian if they really wanted to. It made him suspicious that they were more…sitting back to see if Kovarian would succeed than actively fighting against what they knew was the wrong thing to do to him and Angel.

They had had dealings with the Mainframe after Demons Run but…no experience with them had been good in his memory, none at all. Though the last encounter seemed to have made the Mainframe even more determined to side with HIM, he just…he couldn't bring himself to trust it, he couldn't bring himself to feel comfortable being around them or near them or in their 'clutches.' He really didn't want to go down there…but…Ayla/Tailor had never been and she was as curious as he was and…

' _Everything will be fine my love,_ ' he heard Angel in his mind as he glanced at her, ' _This time…it'll be fine._ '

He frowned at that, ' _What do you mean, THIS time?_ '

She sighed and glanced at the ship as a face-hologram of an almost stern looking woman with brown hair and a black stripe across her eyes appeared, ' _Just what I meant, going down there THIS time will be ok…_ ' she turned back to him, ' _But the time after…_ ' she shook her head, ' _I can't see that far ahead but…it will not be good._ '

He swallowed at that and took her hand as Clara spoke, "A friend of yours?" she asked, seeing the woman in the hologram smirk at them.

"Tasha Lem," Angel murmured as the Doctor sighed not quite happy it was that particular woman, that it was STILL that woman, "She's the Mother Superious."

The Doctor ran a weary hand through his hair when Tasha beckoned them over with the crook of a finger, "And she's inviting us aboard."

Clara frowned at his less than excited reaction, "Why?"

"No idea."

"Because I sent her a message," Angel answered, shocking the Doctor, "We'll need HER help to get down there my love," she smiled, squeezing his hand, "And with your charm…" Clara let out a rather loud snort at that, before covering it up with both her hands over her mouth and amusement in her eyes as the Doctor pointed at her like he was going to say something before turning back to Angel, smiling when his back was turned as he heard Ayla/Tailor giggle, "She won't be able to say no."

"So we get to meet her?!" Ayla/Tailor gasped, reaching out to take her father's other hand, tugging on it excitedly.

He smiled down at her excitement, "Yes, yes we will," he told her, "But first, Miss Clara Oswald, you need to swallow this…" he looked down at himself, then his hands, both of which were being held, both of which he refused to let go of and pouted, "Ah…" he nodded, quite the dilemma he had…he needed more arms.

Angel laughed and reached into his inner coat pocket, pulling out a small pill and handing it to Clara, "This," she told the girl.

Clara swallowed it, only asking, "What is it?" after she'd done so.

"Your hologram projector," the Doctor smirked, "You can't go to church with your clothes on!"

Clara blinked and stared at him as Angel shut the doors.

~8~

Clara walked cautiously behind the Doctor and Angel as they led the way down the halls of the Papal Mainframe, Ayla/Tailor just behind them as MK9 trundled beside her, Clara fidgeting and looking around nervously, trying to cross her arms and tug her skirt down only to be reminded constantly that she wasn't wearing a skirt apparently, "I don't feel like I'm wearing anything," she hissed at them as they reached a sort of aisle, with people lining either side of it, the woman Tasha Lem, standing at the end with a guard on either side of her.

"I know," the Doctor smiled, though it was a rather tense one, "Relaxing isn't it?"

Not at all really, but it had nothing to do with the clothes. He just…he hated being there, he hated being in this place, the place he associated with the Silence and Kovarian and the hell that they had put them all through. He knew that the main sect wasn't responsible for what had happened (or so they claimed) but it didn't change the fact that they had all the power and ability in the world to have stopped the events that Kovarian had instigated and refused to do so.

"What is this place?"

"Sensors indicate we are located in…" MK9 began, "The Church of the Papal Mainframe!"

"And what is that, exactly?" Clara glanced at the Time Lords, though she was smiling a bit now, that dog…its squeaky voice was just adorable.

"Security hub of the known Universe," the Doctor remarked, keeping his eye on Tasha.

He was not about to let anyone try and pull a fast one on them…not that they really could with Angel there, but…he was always more on edge when it involved anything involving the church now. He couldn't help but keep wondering just how much of a hand had they had in things? The more he thought about events he himself had been involved in involving the church the more suspicious he got. Like…dealing with the Weeping Angels, RIVER had been there, she'd been left in the hands of the church, the CHURCH had released her from Stormcage. And then there was just Demons Run in general…it bothered him, to know the church had had a hand in River Song's release that one time though…how much of an alliance did they have with HER? Even knowing who and what she was?

"A security church?" Clara frowned.

"Yep. Keeping you safe in this world and the next!"

"Calm down, my love," Angel whispered to him, linking her arm with his and leaning on him a bit, she could feel him getting tenser and tenser beside her as they walked, the nearer they got to Tasha, "She owes you," she reminded him.

And Tasha most certainly did.

When they had been searching for Ayla/Tailor after having lost her to the Silence and Kovarian, they had, at one point, gone to the Church to confront them…well, the Doctor claimed it was to confront them, really though it ended up more like he'd taken Tasha hostage and demanded information or else he wouldn't return her. And in that time, they'd ended up on an adventure or two and saved Tasha's life when she tried to escape. The woman had witnessed firsthand both the fury the Doctor felt and the heartbreak she herself had felt over the loss of her daughter. She had gotten to know them as people and, when they'd saved her life…had swore to help them locate their daughter…but hadn't been able to see through that promise as Kovarian had fallen off the map by that point. It had ended up being good for them, in the end, Tasha had felt such a guilt at what Kovarian had done and what she had failed to be able to do for them that she often would give them whatever they requested, within reason, which explained why they had been allowed there.

Angel gave the Doctor a kiss on the cheek as they came up to Tasha. She smiled back at Ayla/Tailor, "What do you say sweetheart, want to try?"

Ayla/Tailor nodded and stepped before her parents, the two of them smiling as MK9 kept right beside her the entire time, that dog refused to leave her side which was all the better to them. Ayla/Tailor came to stand before Tasha, the woman looking down at her with a curious but small smile on her face, already knowing who she was, but curious as to what she'd do, "I venerate the exaltation of the Mother Superius," Ayla/Tailor stated, repeating what her father had told her to say, giving a small curtsey with her really-not-there-tunic.

"Welcome to the Church of the Papal Mainframe," the guard to Tasha's right stated, "Your nudity is appreciated."

"Hello Doctor," Tasha greeted, "Angel," and nodded at Ayla/Tailor, "Ayla."

"It's the Tailor now actually," Ayla/Tailor smiled up at her.

"Ah," she nodded, "My apologies Taylor."

Ayla/Tailor blinked, "No, no…it's the TAILOR."

Tasha frowned, "That is what I said, is it not?"

"No, like…THE Tailor…" she blinked and pouted, looking at her parents as they watched her amused, "I didn't think of that," she admitted.

She knew Taylor was an Earth name, but she had thought that it would just mean people would assume it was just a normal human name, like they did her mother…but there were very, VERY tiny differences in inflection between Tailor and Taylor, at least to her, and Tasha had called her Taylor. She hadn't quite thought THAT would happen. She assumed humans would call her Tailor, at the very least, mimicking her inflection of it. Like…how people would call someone Ta-mara or Tam-ara or even Ta-mera depending on how they introduced themselves as Tamara.

"It's alright," Angel smiled at her, crouching down to her daughter's side, "They'll just think you're even more human now."

Ayla/Tailor smiled at that, pleased. She was rather proud to be a Time Lord, it was exceptional, but…she knew that on Earth at least in the past or present, it was easier to be called a name than a title. She couldn't begin to count how many times her father had been asked 'Doctor who?' when he said he was just The Doctor. At least with her name, and her mother's, they could just be 'Angel' or 'Tailor' even if it meant people called her 'Taylor.'

She blinked, "Does that mean I get to be… _Taylor_ Jones when we pretend to be human?"

Oh THAT was perfect! And she hadn't thought of that either! Her mother was The Angel, of Gallifrey, that was her title, but people called her just Angel because it was a name, but…when she pretended to be human she was Angel _a_ Jones! She rather hoped it would be the same for her, that she would be titled The Tailor, but be called just Tailor, and that would mean she could be TaYlor Jones as a human! That would be wonderful! She'd be even more like her mummy then!

Angel smiled at that, "It could," she agreed, "Though I think your father would love it much more if you wanted to be Taylor Smith."

Ayla/Tailor shook her head, "No, I can't be that."

The Doctor frowned, "Why not?"

Ayla/Tailor looked up at him, "Because when I get a little brother, HE can be Smith! Girls make the best Joneses, like Aunt Martha!"

"And what about your Uncle Ianto?" the Doctor joked.

"Oi!" Angel laughed, standing up, "What about her Aunt Sarah?" she countered, reminding him of a female Smith, "It doesn't matter either way, Smith and Jones, best team ever," she winked at him.

He smiled at that, winding his arm around Angel to pull her to his side, gazing at her, "Oh yes."

"Speaking of new things," Tasha cut in lightly, smiling at the two so…relieved to see them like this. The last time she'd seen them, Angel had been just…devastated, in a truly bad place in her life, having suffered and endured more than any should be expected, to see them both like this, so close and affectionate and…in sync…it truly did warm her heart, "Is that a new body Angel?"

"Oh," the Doctor laughed, "She's been rocking it for centuries," the Doctor winked at Angel, "And doesn't she look just beautiful."

"It's barely been a century my love," Angel reminded him, blushing. She'd regenerated at the lake, and it had only been about a century, perhaps a tiny bit more, since then.

"And you look wonderful for it," he told her, kissing her hand.

"You look lovely," Tasha agreed.

"So," Clara murmured from behind them, trying to be polite and introduce herself, while not wanting to expose herself to the others now that she knew that they knew she was nude, "Hello! Um…"

"Ah yes!" the Doctor cheered, stepping away from Angel to reach back and bring Clara right beside him as Angel chuckled at that, "Clara this is Tasha Lem," he introduced, "The Head of the Church of the Papal Mainframe. Tasha, this is my..." he smiled at Clara, "My sister, Clara Oswald. Miss Clara Oswald."

"Honored to meet you," Tasha nodded as Clara nodded as well, trying to do a small dipping curtsey like bow, "We'll go to my chapel," she informed them, before calling out to the others gathered there, "All honors in place, no sacrifices required."

~8~

Ayla/Tailor half skipped down the halls as MK9 followed after her, rolling along quite a bit more silently thank his larger self did, it seemed the family really had thought of quite a bit when it came to the miniature. He could run on silent, which was good for sneaking, he was small and unassuming which hid the fact that he DID have lasers inside him rather well, he was faster and able to keep up with Ayla/Tailor and his scanners and sensors were even more remarkable, designed to pick up things that would be more common in space and on their adventures than just what was out of the ordinary on earth.

"You were the one who put that force field on the planet, weren't you Tasha?" Angel asked, just wanting to be sure, as they followed Ayla/Tailor down the halls, she, the Doctor, and Clara walking behind the woman as she led the way.

"Then you'll be able to sneak us down there, wouldn't you Tasha?" the Doctor glanced at her.

"I would have conditions," she agreed, warning them at the same time, pausing when they came to a set of double doors. She glanced at Clara and Ayla/Tailor a moment, "I have confidential matters to discuss with the Doctor and Angel. Would you...excuse us?"

The Doctor stiffened at that, at the thought of leaving his daughter outside the doors and not with them, "Anything you have to say to us you can say in front of our daughter and Clara," his eyes narrowed.

"Dear," Angel cut in gently, resting a hand on his arm till he looked at her, seeing her shake her head gently, before he looked at Tasha, her solemn and tense expression, ' _She doesn't want to worry them,_ ' she told him, sensing that off the woman, ' _What she has to say…it will put Clara on edge and it might frighten Kitta. WE should be the ones to hear it. We can tell them later._ '

He sighed, not liking that, but…he didn't want to scare his daughter, not at all, and…the fact that Tasha, KNOWING how important Ayla/Tailor was to them, and now aware of how close Clara was to them, was asking them to please come in without them…it had to be as Angel said, "Clara?" he looked at her, "Would you mind waiting out here and watching A…Tailor for us?"

"Not at all," Clara smiled, reaching out to take her hand, "She's still got to show me all the upgrades to K9 right?" she asked the girl.

"He's brilliant!" Ayla/Tailor cheered, "Go on daddy," she smiled, "Clara will take care of me, and we'll be right outside the doors."

He smiled, leaning down to drop a kiss onto her head, "Be good for your auntie."

"I'm always good," she blinked up at him, "Except when there's too many rules.'

Angel smiled, "Oh yes, that's just you my love," she laughed, "Never ever tell you the rules."

He laughed, winding his arm around her waist as they followed Tasha into the room, the doors shutting behind them.

"Well, come on then," Clara turned to Ayla/Tailor, kneeling on the floor as the girl plopped down, pulling MK9 into her lap, "What's new with the old tin dog?"

Ayla/Tailor grinned, about to answer…when MK9 spoke, "Mistress! Scanners indicate lifeforms approaching!"

Clara tensed at that and stood, moving before Ayla/Tailor to look around, not sure if it would be another nun-thing or a priest or…

She gasped, seeing a slim alien with a large white head, no mouth, and long white hands dressed in a black suit before her, "Oh my stars…" she breathed, recognizing the Silent from a description Angel had given her once…

~8~

The room, it turned out, wasn't just a chapel, but Tasha's personal quarters, completely with an altar-like bed set up in the middle of the room, near the front though, with a long table behind it, between the bed and a device with curtained compartments in the back, "That altar looks like a bed," the Doctor remarked, pointing at it as he and Angel walked up to it.

"That bed looks like an altar," Tasha countered, moving to a small cupboard to the side and pulling out a glass and some sort of drink, holding it up to them.

"No thank you," Angel shook her head.

"For either of us," the Doctor agreed, not at all trusting the Church with anything he was going to eat or drink ever again after River and their various attempts on his and Angel's lives. He hopped back to sit on the altar…only for it to bounce beneath him like a mattress, "Yep…"

Tasha nodded and poured a drink for just herself, before she moved over to the bed, "Excuse me," she nodded at Angel, who was leaning on the bedpost, the Time Lady stepping away so she could press a button in the headboard, turning on the comm., playing the 3-note rhythm, "That message…is transmitting through all of space and time," she leaned on the post herself, looking at the Doctor as he sat to the side, Angel beside him, his arm around her waist as she placed her own around his shoulders, "What did it make you feel?"

"Feel?" the Doctor frowned.

"Every sentient being in the universe who detected that signal felt something. Something overpowering."

"What?"

"Fear," Angel whispered, making him look at her as she gave him a sad smile, "Overwhelming, crippling, fear."

"Angel…" he began, shaking his head, completely thrown that she was feeling THAT scare…

"Not _me_ ," she cut in, reaching up her hand on his shoulder to run it through his hair, "I'm fine," she told him, truly meaning it, "I've felt…worse fear than that, it's…everyone else who's afraid."

~8~

"Ayla," Clara swallowed, reaching behind her to take Ayla/Tailor's hand, the girl standing, but keeping behind her as she placed MK9 on the ground, "Stay behind me cutie pie."

"Why?" Ayla/Tailor frowned, not correcting Clara that she was the 'Tailor' now as she could tell something else was bothering her aunt. She wasn't sure what the woman had seen that was scaring her so, she could hear it in Clara's voice.

Clara kept her eye on the Silent, refusing to look away, they had told her what happened when you looked away from one of the Silence, you forgot them, and she had sworn to protect Ayla/Tailor, she was not going to risk looking away and forgetting them. The Time Lords had told her how Ayla/Tailor had been kidnapped, how the Silence were involved, she was not going to let them touch a single hair on her niece's head…

"Just…stay there…"

But Ayla/Tailor peered around Clara's legs, gasping when she saw the Silent there, tensing when two more stepped out to join it, the three starting to walk closer to them…

~8~

"Right," the Doctor frowned at that, at the fact that a simple 3-note beat had the ability to cause such fear in others, "What's the signal, where's it coming from?"

Angel swallowed, it…was odd and not odd that she wasn't scared. It was odd in that, every other being in the Universe was, but yet she, the Doctor, and Ayla/Tailor (possibly even Clara) weren't. But, it wasn't odd in that…the 3 notes, felt more…familiar to them than terrifying, it was like they should know what it was, like they DID know what it was and it was more…one of the greatest things they could hope to hear…but they just didn't know what it was.

"It's a settlement," Tasha stated, sipping her drink, "Human colony level 2. A farm basically."

"Right. Anyone been for a look?"

"Any one ship lands the rest will follow."

"It would be war," Angel frowned at that, knowing that all their enemies…it really WAS shaping up to be like the Pandorica again. All those enemies there, willing to fight over what was in the box…and now they were all willing to fight for what was on the planet making that signal. She looked over when she felt the Doctor start to run his hand up and down her side, trying to comfort her, sensing where her thoughts had gone.

"Fortunately we got here first," Tasha agreed, "Shielded the planet. We maintain the truce by blocking all of them."

"Daleks, Cybermen," the Doctor shook his head, "One of that lot could break through your defenses."

"Perhaps," she smirked, "But they're afraid remember? Nobody wants to go first."

The Doctor nodded at that and stood, smiling, "We do."

"I was counting on it," Tasha laughed.

~8~

"Confess…" the Silence rasped as they drew closer, "Confess!"

"It's the Silence…" Ayla/Tailor gasped, and Clara could feel her starting to shake behind her, feeling her clutching her hand tighter, hear the tears in the girl's eyes as she faced down her worst fear ever…and without her parents there.

"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress!" MK9 called.

"Good idea," Clara nodded, "Ayla run!" she turned and urged Ayla/Tailor off, hoping she could do it before she forgot the Silence were behind them, managing to burst through into Tasha's room, the doors falling shut behind the two of them and MK9…before she blinked, confused as to why they'd just burst in there like that…

"Clara?" the Doctor turned to them, "Are you ok?"

"Sweetheart what happened!?" Angel gasped, rushing to Ayla/Tailor as the girl started to cry, running for them.

"There are Silence out there!" Ayla/Tailor sobbed, clinging to her mother, shaking as Angel looked at the Doctor over her shoulder, the man running to the doors and looking out them…but the Silence had disappeared, "They…they were heading for us and…and I thought…I thought they were going to…" she started crying harder at that, hardly able to breathe she was so scared.

But she didn't need to say, because her parents knew exactly what she feared, that the Silence (Kovarian's Silence) had found them and had come to steal her away again.

The Doctor tensed and spun around, Tasha letting out a breath of fear as she saw the absolute fury in the man…no…in the _father's_ eyes as he stormed towards her, "How dare you let them anywhere near her!?" he demanded of Tasha, striding towards her so quickly she stumbled to get back, only to hit the wall, "Did you not think to order them to keep back!? To stay away from your chapel! I swear to you Tasha Lem if you are trying to betray us to the Kovarian Sect…I will…"

"No," Tasha swallowed, shaking her head, "I had no idea they would make their way here, they are not authorized to approach my personal chambers…"

The Doctor was breathing heavily, trying in vain to hear the logic and the truth in her statement, that she hadn't thought to order them away because they weren't supposed to be there…but all he heard was that they weren't supposed to be there and WERE. His mind had gone right to, why else would they be there if not to take Ayla/Tailor?

"Then why were they there? Hmmm?" he glared, "If they were there for MY DAUGHTER you and your entire establishment will…"

"Doctor," Angel's voice called out, before she stepped beside Tasha, into the red haze that was his vision, reaching out to place a hand on his chest and another on his face, "They were drawn to the life signs standing outside the door," she whispered to him.

Tasha nodded, not bothering to ask how Angel knew it, but was just grateful she had, "They are meant to be a comfort to those in need," she told him quietly, "They seek out others should they need confession…" it was like a preprogrammed part of their nature. If there were people, they just gravitated towards them, commanding them to confess and those that needed to would.

The Doctor continued to breathe heavily, till Angel began to stroke his cheek with her thumb, turning his attention from a glare at Tasha to a softening look at her, "And right now, love…I think there's a little girl who would rather have her daddy hug her than watch the Oncoming Storm rage before her."

The Doctor felt the breath leave him at that as he looked back to see that Clara was holding Ayla/Tailor's hand as the girl stood beside her, trying not to cry though she still had tears in her, her face scrunched. Angel had been comforting her before, had been holding her and hugging her and soothing her…but she'd had to stop…to stop HIM. He turned without another word to Tasha and made his way to Ayla/Tailor, "Come here sweetheart," he whispered, crouching down to her, the girl throwing herself into his arms and holding him tightly as he stood, wrapping his arms around her, swaying her as he whispered in her ear, rubbing her back, "Shh…it's alright," he murmured, before his words became that of a language only one other person beside him and Ayla/Tailor could understand, " _It's alright Kitta,_ " he murmured in Gallifrey, " _I swear, nothing will ever hurt you. You're safe…_ "

"But…but the Silence," she sniffled, choking on the last word.

" _Will never harm you again,_ " he continued in the language of their people, " _Your mum and I, we remember them now, we can remember them, and they will never, ever EVER hurt you, they will never take you from us, we won't let them,_ " he leaned back to kiss her temple, brushing her hair from her face and using a thumb to wipe away her lingering tears, "Eh?" he shifted back to English, "You're safe, and you always will be, because we're here, your mum, me, and your aunt Clara. You're safe," he hugged her once more as she buried her face in his neck, no longer crying, but still very frightened, "You're safe," he shot Tasha a glare over Ayla/Tailor's shoulders.

"I am sorry," Tasha murmured to Angel, "I had no idea…"

"Nor did I," she sighed, unable to blame Tasha when she herself hadn't seen it coming, if she had she would have requested the woman order the Silence away. She stepped away from Tasha, to Ayla/Tailor and the Doctor, resting a hand on Ayla/Tailor's back as she gave the Doctor a peck, placing a kiss on the back of Ayla/Tailor's head as well.

"Mistress!" MK9 squeaked and the Doctor looked down as he felt the small robot dog bump his leg…before starting to roll onto his foot and as far up it as he could, "Mistress! Cannot engage climbing mode Mistress!"

Ayla/Tailor let out a little giggle at that, looking down at how the small dog was trying to climb up to her, not wanting to be separated from her, "Can't you hover?"

MK9 was silent a moment, "Engaging levitation mode!" it cheered, before the sound of a small hum emitted from it and the little dog began to lift off the ground, up to Ayla/Tailor where it bumped into her arm a few times till she shifted to let it closer, ending up carrying the dog in her arms, while she herself was still in her father's arms. MK9 lifted its head to her and nudged her chin, "Engaging comfort mode!"

Ayla/Tailor let out a real giggle this time, realizing that the dog was trying to 'lick' her to comfort her, "I'm alright now daddy," she whispered to him, petting MK9 on the head as the Doctor set her down.

"I…" Tasha called, swallowing a bit, hesitating, when the Doctor shot her a less than pleased look, "I can put you down just outside the town," she told him, gesturing to the very back of her room, where the curtained device was, "This is my personal teleport," she led them over to it, "I will send you down to find the source of the message, but you must report back to me in one hour," she pulled one curtain open, allowing Angel and Clara into one section, "And on your life Doctor," she opened another one for him and Ayla/Tailor, "You will cause no trouble down there."

"When do I?" he smiled…before reaching down a hand to cover Ayla/Tailor's mouth, pointing his other hand at Angel warningly as she peeked her head out of her compartment, "Don't answer that," but then Tasha held out a hand, "What?"

"I'm not an idiot," she told him, "Everyone in this church is trained to see straight through holograms."

"Ah great," he heard Clara's voice murmur from the other compartment.

"Give now. You are taking no technology of any kind down there. Which means your pet must also remain…"

"No!" Ayla/Tailor cried, clutching MK9 closer.

"You really think that's wise to bargain with ME right now Tasha Lem?" the Doctor glared at her, "After the trauma you just put my daughter through?"

Tasha hesitated at that, looking down at the girl as she looked at her with wide, sad eyes, and sighed, "She may bring it ONLY," she added, "If the toy does not use any of its applications. No hovering, no speaking, nothing. Understood?" she looked at Ayla/Tailor, who just nodded as she held MK9.

"Affirmative," MK9 spoke, before adding, "Arf!" in an imitation of what sounded like a real dog.

"But you Doctor…" Tasha gave HIM a hard look now, holding out her hand higher.

"What can I do with a key?" he countered.

"Knowing you my love?" Angel laughed.

"Oi, shut up," he laughed good naturedly.

"You could summon your TARDIS," Tasha replied.

"I haven't actually made a TARDIS remote just yet," Angel remarked to the woman, "It really can't summon the TARDIS down."

"But fine," the Doctor grumbled, knowing that they'd need Tasha's clearance to make it down to the planet, "If it makes you feel any better there we are," he slapped the key into her hand and shutting the curtain.

"Remember, I want you back in one hour!" she called, moving to the controls and pulling a lever, sending them down to the planet below…before sighing, praying that the Doctor's reaction when he discovered the name of the planet wouldn't be quite as…frightening as when he'd discovered the Silence were still there…

~8~

Clara gasped as they appeared in a flash of light in the middle of a forest that was covered in snow…it wasn't so much from the sudden teleportation that did it, no, she'd had experience with that with Angel and even with a Vortex Manipulator…it was more…

She was stark naked in holographic clothes and standing in the middle of the snow!

"Oh cold," she wrapped her arms around herself, looking over at the Time Lords who didn't even appear fazed! Oh that was so not fair, stupid aliens, "Very cold."

"Sensors indicate temperature is…" MK9 began, his ears twitching, "Negative 1 degree Celsius, 30.2 degrees Fahrenheit."

"It'll be alright Clara," Angel stepped over to her, knowing that was likely the temperature given the snow around them, "Here," she reached out and took Clara's hands, a gentle golden glow starting to waft off of Angel's hands and seep up her own arms, to her body, surrounding her, making her shivering lessen as she started to feel more warm than cold.

The Doctor smiled, scooping Ayla/Tailor into his arms, even though they were more prepared to deal with extreme weather he didn't want his daughter standing barefoot in the snow, "There's a heat loss filter in your hologram shell," he added, "It'll kick in, just give it a moment. So!" he cheered, spinning in a circle, making Ayla/Tailor giggle, "Sweet little town covered in snow," he could spot a town in the distance, "Half the Universe in terror. Why? Hmm?" he looked at Ayla/Tailor, starting to make his way towards the town, "Why?" he glanced back at Angel as the golden glow started to fade, the heat loss filter kicking in for Clara as she made her way over to him.

Clara looked around at where they were for a moment, about to follow when she spotted something in the distance, "Oh my stars!" she gasped, seeing what looked like a frozen arm sticking out of the snow.

"What?" the Doctor called as Angel stiffened…

… _a Weeping Angel was lying half in the snow, it's arm out, gripping Clara's ankle_ …

"There's something under the snow," Clara shouted back, "It's..."

"What is it Aunt Clara?" Ayla/Tailor asked.

'… _the oldest question in the universe hidden in plain sight_ …'

"It's cold," Clara frowned, kneeling down to look at it closer, relieved to see it was more gray than peach or blue.

"Ok," the Doctor glanced back to see her examining something, "Just stand back please Clara…"

… _blasts went off as Cybermen attacked, Daleks attacked, Sontarans…everyone launching battle after battle_ …

Angel flinched, gasping at what she'd seen, turning to the Doctor to warn him…when Clara shouted out something that made her hearts freeze.

"It's stone!" the girl told them, "It's just stone. It's only a statue."

"Clara get back!" Angel gasped, running for the human, "It's a Weeping Angel!"

"Clara step away from it!" the Doctor called as well, running over with Ayla/Tailor as Clara turned to do that…only to nearly topple back as something grabbed her ankle.

Angel made it to her in time to help her catch her balance, wrapping an arm around Clara's shoulder to steady her, "Don't look away from it Clara," she warned her, staring at the statue, "Just…keep looking at it."

' _Can you_ …' she heard the Doctor speak in her head.

' _I'm not sure,_ ' she shook her own, she…last time they'd encountered the Weeping Angels, she had managed to disintegrate it. But…she was more sure that it was largely because of the paradoxes and the fractures in time that was surrounding it, making its natural power weak and allowing her to tap into it that had allowed her to destroy it by means of the Vortex then. She honestly wasn't sure she'd be able to do it this time, and even if she could…it was holding Clara! She couldn't risk harming her.

"What's a…a Weeping Angel?" Clara gasped.

"It's an alien," Ayla/Tailor told her, wiggling in her father's arm so he'd set her down and help Clara, "It looks like it's a statue but it isn't."

"Can you get your foot out?" the Doctor soniced the arm, leaning in to examine its hold on Clara.

"Only if I get it out of my shoe," Clara panted.

Angel let out a small, relieved laugh as the Doctor reminded her, "You're not wearing one."

"Good point."

"Right then, Clara," Angel moved to secure her grip, "On three…one…two…three!" she pulled Clara back, the girl yanking as well…the two of them stumbling back into the Doctor as he steadied them, keeping them from falling down a hill behind them.

"Run!" he shouted, picking Ayla/Tailor back up as they all dashed down the hill.

"Engaging levitation mode!" MK9 followed after them, avoiding toppling down the hill by rolling.

They reached the bottom only for Angel to pull Clara back, seeing more statues everywhere, in various stages of being buried in the snow…no, in various stages of climbing out.

"They're climbing out of the snow!" Clara gasped.

"Keep looking at them," the Doctor warned as they gathered together, their backs pressing to each other, "At all of them."

' _Angel?_ ' the Doctor called, glancing up, ' _Do you think you can…_ '

' _Teleport four of us and a dog off a planet that's surrounded in a force field and into a small blue box that's hovering thousands of miles above the planet?_ ' she countered.

He winced, yes…she wasn't quite at THAT point in her abilities just yet…

"Why?" Clara asked.

"Quantum-locked life-form."

"They can only move when they're not being seen," Angel explained quickly, all of them looking around, trying to keep the statues from moving.

"What are they doing here?" Clara shook her head.

"They wanted to find the note things," Ayla/Tailor said.

"Must've got past Tasha's shield," the Doctor remarked, "Keep looking!"

"I can't," Clara gasped, "I can't see, the snow's in my eyes!"

"We have to activate the emergency protocols!" Angel called, "That way the TARDIS can come down…"

"You can't fly it remotely!" Clara reminded them.

"Not yet," Angel agreed, "But she should be able to home in on the key!"

"Oh brilliant!" the Doctor cheered, turning to kiss Angel quickly, despite the fact it allowed one of the angels to pop up more.

"But she took your key!" Clara shouted.

"Like I'd give any member of that church the real one!" the Doctor grinned, setting Ayla/Tailor down, reaching back with one hand and ripping a key from the back of his hair…

~8~

Inside the TARDIS, Handles activated as a faint humming started, "Engines activating…"

And moments later the three Time Lords and Clara appeared before the console…in a very comedic scene. Ayla/Tailor was standing with MK9 in her arms, staring up at her father with wide eyes while Angel shook her head at him. Clara, on the other hand, had one hand on her mouth, the other pointed right at the Doctor, her own eyes wider than ever as she stared at him standing before them…holding the key in one hand…completely bald with a wig in his other hand.

"The old key in the quiff routine!" he cheered, "Classic!"

"Oh my love," Angel laughed, moving to the console and starting to put in coordinates, "I'm going to set Sissy to home in on the beacon."

"Ah yes," he moved to follow her, sliding his arm around her waist as he stood beside her, "The mysterious message. Ooh," he turned to point at Ayla/Tailor, still staring at him, "Yes I like that, the mysterious message."

"Daddy…" Ayla/Tailor began, blinking at him, "What happened to your hair?"

"You've shaved your head?" Clara shook her head, both of them in shock.

"Yep," he winked, "Clever plan to get us past the shield."

Angel gave a small snort at that which made Clara cross her arms, "You got bored one night, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he winced, "Tiny bit bored."

"Which is why I tend to remove all sharp and pointy objects from the TARDIS," Angel called, "Last time he got bored he decided he wanted to try his hand at sewing, using old curtains for material," she glanced at Clara, "I still can't find the remains of those curtains."

Clara laughed at that, laughed even more when Ayla/Tailor walked over to the Doctor and tugged on his coat to get him to look down at her, "Did you do that to your eyebrows too?"

"Oi," he laughed, kneeling down, "What's wrong with my eyebrows?"

"Sometimes I don't think you have any," she whispered to him.

"No, sweetheart," he tapped her nose, "They're just delicate."

Angel leaned over and twisted a knob, "Ok, I think I've got it…" she smiled, "I should be able to set us down near the signal source."

"Turn the engines on silent dear," the Doctor stood, "We don't want to make a fuss."

"Oh, of course not," Angel rolled her eyes, knowing that all he ever did was cause a fuss.

"Put it back on," Clara tossed him the wig, not sure how Angel could look at him as though he wasn't completely bald, but she supposed the woman might have had more exposure to it, she had obviously known about it before.

"Why?" he took the wig.

"Your ears stick out like a pixie," Ayla/Tailor told him.

"Yeah," Clara nodded, "They're like rocket fins."

"I know!" he laughed, smiling widely at that for some reason, before putting the wig back on his head.

~8~

The TARDIS silently faded into existence in the center of a quaint little village, everything decorated for the holidays from what they could see as they stepped out to find themselves before a large clock tower, "Oh, it's good to be wearing clothes again," Clara smiled, no longer needing to rely on Angel or the heat loss filter for warmth, "That's so much better don't you think?"

The Doctor shrugged, "I wasn't complaining," he shot Angel a small wink.

Angel blinked, "Hold on…did you cancel out projection to your visual cortexes of my hologram?"

"No!" he said quickly, FAR too quickly to be innocent.

"Oh my love," Angel shook her head at that, starting to blush to realize he'd seen her like that the entire time.

"Hey," he walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her closer, "I love that blush," he remarked, "I remember a lovely ginger girl I constantly tried to make blush, just to see if it could match her hair…never quite managed it," he whispered, leaning in, "Her hair and blush were far too lovely to match the other."

Angel smiled at that, "Well," she remarked, reaching up to tug on his bowtie, straightening it, "We shall have to see if you can manage a blush like that again then, and…" she looked up at him, "I think I might try my hand at seeing if a rather foxy man in a bowtie can blush like that as well."

"I look forward to it," he murmured, kissing her quickly.

"Daddy?" Ayla/Tailor called, "Is that clock right?" she tilted her head at it, it was reading 2 o'clock…yet it was dark enough to be midnight.

"Calculating time…" MK9 reported, "It is 2:03pm, Mistress."

"Really?" the Doctor looked around, distracted by that, "Must be very short days here."

"According to the TARDIS," Angel took his hand as they started walking, "The message was coming from the clock tower."

"Hello!" the Doctor cheered, waving to a couple walking ahead of them, towards them, "Hello there!" he grinned as they waved back and headed for them, "Right," he whispered to them, "We're a family from the next town," he gestured to him and Angel and Ayla/Tailor, "Visiting with my sister," he gestured to Clara, "Who is considering moving and we want to check out the two. My names probably Hank or Rock something like that."

"Or Captain Troy Handsome?" Angel nudged him.

"Ooh, yes I like that one!"

"Or Daisy?" Clara joked.

"Shut up," he muttered to Clara.

"Hello!" Ayla/Tailor cheered as they walked up to the couple, "I like your snow!"

Angel laughed at that, "Nice to meet you," she reached out to shake their hands.

"Most pleasant to meet you too," the man of the couple greeted.

"Most pleasant," the woman agreed, "Most pleasant."

"I'm the Doctor, and this is my Mate Angel, and our daughter the Tailor," the Doctor began, speaking so fast neither Angel or Ayla/Tailor could stop him, "We're Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey. I stole a time machine and ran away and I've been flouting the principal law of my own people ever since…" he covered his mouth quickly as the couple laughed, "That wasn't quite what I was meant to say!"

"I'm an English teacher from planet Earth and I've run off with a bunch of aliens from space because I really fancy adventure and now I've got an alien for a brother and…" Clara blinked and slapped a hand over her mouth as well.

"I'm Angel," she began, only to frown when she kept going, "I'm a Visionary who can see the future and used to be absolutely terrified I'd go barking mad because of it, that or the power of the Vortex inside me would one day consume me and cause me to wipe out all life in the known Universe…" she blinked, "Oh…well…that's new…"

"And I'm the Tailor!" Ayla/Tailor smiled, "I got a robot doggie and a koala for Christmas!"

They blinked and looked down at the girl, "That's…that's it?" Clara stared at her, wondering why she hadn't ended up rambling like they had.

"I think perhaps you should stop talking till you get used to it," the woman warned them.

"Used to what?" Angel frowned at her.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Bubbly personality masking bossy control freak!" Clara stated promptly, before gasping and covering her mouth again, Angel biting her lip though the feeling to answer wasn't quite as…strong as before.

"I'm absolutely besotted with my gorgeous Mate and I'd love nothing more than to give our daughter the Christmas gift she asked for!" the Doctor stated, before slapping his hand over his mouth, actually starting to blush a bit at what he'd said.

Angel stared at him a moment, blinking at that, before she smiled, "Oh I get it…we're in a truth field, aren't we?" she asked the Doctor, knowing that what he'd said just then had been the entire truth, exactly how he felt…and for him to just blurt it out, blurt the truth out, like that…it had to be something making him say it.

"Scanning," MK9 spoke, completely disregarding the warning that Tasha had given him, and why wouldn't he? It was not a command from his mistress, "Confirming. Sensors indicate truth field in this area."

"Oh that is so quaint," the Doctor spoke up, seeing that the couple didn't even seem fazed by the talking dog, before he looked at Angel and pointed at Ayla/Tailor, "I haven't seen a truth field in years!" and then his pointing finger moved up to his head, "I'm wearing a wig!" he declared to the couple.

The man chuckled at that, "No one can lie in this town. Especially this close to the tower," he added, before the two continued on with their walk.

"Doesn't that make life a bit difficult?" the Doctor called to them.

"Not at all," the man stated, at the same time the woman remarked, "Yes."

"What's this town called?" Angel asked them.

"It's Christmas," the man told them.

The Doctor frowned and looked at his watch, at the date they'd set down on, "It's July."

"No, the town," the woman smiled, "The town is Christmas, that's what it's called."

"Be happy here," the man beside her offered, "Be well," he gave them a wave before they headed off once more.

"How can a town be called Christmas?" Clara wondered.

The Doctor shrugged, "I don't know, how can an island be called Easter?" he turned to her, "Maybe it's just nice here. I almost hate to find out what's wrong."

"Come along love," Angel squeezed his hand and led them all towards the clock tower, the Doctor opening the lock on the door to let them in.

It was rather dark inside, hardly any light at all, save the sonic the Doctor was using as a torch. They walked through, only for Ayla/Tailor to stop, "Mummy?" she called, a note of fear in her voice, "Daddy!"

They turned around and headed back to her, seeing her standing there pointing at something and stopped dead at the sight of the room beyond…

"There you are," the Doctor muttered, "What took you so long?"

"What's wrong?" Clara rejoined them…only to blink when she saw a rather large crack in the back wall of the next room, "It's only a crack in the…wall…" she trailed off, frowning when she saw that the crack had an almost eerie white light shining through it, an unnaturally bright light…

"I was afraid it wasn't over," Angel whispered as they slowly stepped into the room, closer to the crack, "We never really found out what blew up the TARDIS…"

"What is it?" Clara blinked, at it, squinting against the light.

"A split in the skin of reality," the Doctor reached out and ran his finger along it, Angel moving to kneel before it, holding up a hand at it, "A tiny sliver of the 26th of June 2010. The day the universe blew up."

"Missed that…" Clara frowned.

"We rebooted it put it all back together."

"That's good."

"It was my…our TARDIS that blew it up in the first place," he shrugged, "I felt a degree of responsibility and…" he reached out to take Angel's upheld hand, tugging her up, "I wasn't going to let Angel do it alone," he whispered, giving her a kiss, winding his arm around her as they stared at the crack, "But the scar tissue remains. A structural weakness in the whole Universe…"

"A weakness someone's trying to get through from somewhere outside this Universe," Angel murmured, "I could feel it…there's someone on the other side…"

"Of course," the Doctor nodded, "Of course. It makes sense!"

"What does?" Ayla/Tailor looked up at them.

"If you tried to break through a wall you'd choose the weakest spot," the Doctor explained quickly, "To break into this Universe you'd choose this crack because..."

"No," Angel shook her head, "No. Not…not break into…" she looked at the Doctor, "Break BACK into…Doctor…" she breathed, "It's Gallifrey!"

"Analysis of message," MK9 called, "Composition indicates Gallifreyan origin."

"You said Gallifrey was gone," Clara reminded them.

"No," the Doctor let out a breath, realizing what Angel was saying, she had been insisting they'd done it, they'd saved Gallifrey…and…now he knew…they HAD, they really had, "We said it was in another universe. The message is coming through here. The truth field is too at a guess. If it's the Time Lords..."

"That's why we weren't afraid," Angel remarked, "Because it's Gallifreyan, it resonated with us more than the others, WE feel safe and comforted, because it's OUR home. And we couldn't translate it because we weren't thinking it could be Gallifreyan!"

"Right," the Doctor nodded, pulling out a round sort of token from his pocket, "Seal of the High Council of Gallifrey, nicked it off the Master in the Death Zone," he knelt down and pressed it to the side of MK9's body, "There is an algorithm imprinted in the atomic structure, use it to decode the message."

"Orders accepted, Master," MK9 nodded his little head, "Decoding message…message analysis proceeding…the message is a request for information."

"So it's a question?" Ayla/Tailor frowned up at her parents.

"Scanners indicate it is being projected through all of time and space on a repeating cycle," MK9 added.

Angel blinked, "The oldest question in the universe," she murmured, repeating what she'd heard herself say in her vision, "Hidden in plain sight..." she looked at the Doctor.

"Translation available," MK9 called.

"Play it," the Doctor ordered.

"Warning…translation will be available to all life-forms in range."

The Doctor sighed, "We know," he squeezed Angel's hand, "Go on."

"It's ok K9," Ayla/Tailor knelt beside the doggie, petting its head, "Play it please."

"Translation," MK9 translated, "Doctor who? Doctor who?" they frowned as its squeaky voice began to deepen, not just translating but projecting the actual message, the voice that was saying it, "Doctor who? Doctor who?"

~8~

The Daleks stopped short in their ship, their eyestalks turning as they head the transmission echoing, "Doctor who? Doctor who?"

~8~

The Cybermen looked up as it too reached them, "Doctor who? Doctor who?"

~8~

Tasha gasped and spun around, halfway up the stairs to take her position in the meeting hall…when the voice began to call out, "Doctor who? Doctor who?"

Her jaw tensed as she turned to one of her guards, "Patch me through to the Doctor. Now!"

~8~

The Doctor stiffened, recognizing the voice…the General, from Gallifrey, the one they'd spoken to just before saving the planet. And he realized, the General (and Androgar) was the only one who knew he'd taken a Mate. THAT was why he was asking the question, because there was only one time he could speak it…TO Angel. But Angel…she could say it to whoever she pleased. But…he didn't understand why the General was asking it.

Angel could say it, yes, but it was almost as forbidden for her to speak it as for him to. Their names…they were the MOST sacred secret on Gallifrey. Why ask Doctor who? When Angel would no more be able to answer than HE could? So why ask THAT one?

"A question only one person could answer," he murmured, looking at Angel.

She nodded, "And a truth field to make sure I won't lie to them…"

"As though you would," he tried to joke, tried to take away from the terror of it, of having the knowledge that…if she didn't share his true name with their people that their people would forever be trapped, but in knowing that to do so she'd be revealing something that was so intimate ONLY she was meant to know it. He knew Angel didn't often lie, it was why she'd been able to handle the truth field better after blurting out that bit about her visions and the Vortex, but this…this was something else entirely.

"If I say your name…" Angel swallowed, "Then they know we're here, that it's safe to come out…" she shook her head, "But it's not, is it?"

"What do you mean?" Clara frowned, seeing the three of them, even Ayla/Tailor, stiffening, "If you answer the question and they come back, what happens?"

The Doctor looked at Angel a moment, then down to Ayla/Tailor, before taking a breath, "Ah," he smiled, reaching into his pocket to hand Clara what looked like the base of his sonic, "You need to take this to the TARDIS and put it in the charger slot for the sonic."

"Why?" Clara gave him a look as she took it.

"Hell," the Doctor said, wincing and shooting Angel an apologetic look before cursing in front of their daughter, "All hell, that's what happens if the Time Lords come back."

"You saw the ships Clara," Angel reminded her, "All our greatest enemies are up there just waiting to fire on us. They worked it out before us, that the signal was Gallifreyan, they know the Time Lords are on the brink of returning."

"They've had a lot of problems with mummy and daddy," Ayla/Tailor explained, "I don't think they want more than just three Time Lords…or even one Time Lord, to exist."

"Yes," the Doctor swallowed, "Now please, go to the TARDIS and just do as I say!"

"Please," Angel looked at Clara.

Clara nodded and rushed off, she hadn't exactly known that the sonic needed to be charged every now and then, and…if it was really THAT serious as they'd made it out to be, the Doctor would need it at full power. So she ran, she ran as fast as she could to the doors, out into the town…just as a hologram of Tasha's head appeared in the sky.

"Doctor!" the hologram called, "Speak with me. Doctor!" Clara paused just outside the TARDIS, to look up at it, before rushing inside, "Face me now! Doctor!"

The Doctor though, slowly stepped out of the clock tower's base with Angel and Ayla/Tailor, making his way to the stairs and climbing up it with his girls, MK9 in Ayla/Tailor's arms. The three of them making their way to the top and looking out at the hologram of the woman.

"Mother Superious," the Doctor greeted, his expression hard, "There is only one thing I need from you…" he looked down, watching as Clara unlocked the TARDIS doors and headed in, "This planet...what's it called?"

Tasha was quiet for a long moment, before speaking the one word that the three dreaded to hear, "Trenzalore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, I love little K9 :) But poor Ayla, she's so scared of the Silence :( I think she has every right to be, even if those particular Silence aren't the 'Kovarian sect.' I did find it a bit odd that Tasha claimed they had nothing to do with Kovarian and what she did...except that they didn't stop it and that she, apparently, gave permission for Kovarian's colonel to reveal the Headless Monks. So she WAS involved, in some small way, I think, and I wanted to touch on that :) The Doctor definitely won't trust the Papal Mainframe, which might just prove beneficial later ;)


	74. The Time of the Doctor: Trenzalore

Clara smiled as she reached the console, putting the half of sonic in the slot, and waiting, looking up at the rotor, "Ok is that it? Are you doing a clever thing?"

But the TARDIS just hummed quietly around her.

She frowned at the tone of it, "What's wrong?"

~8~

"If you speak your name the Time Lords will return," Tasha stated, warning him of what would happen.

"If they return they will come in peace," the Doctor argued.

Angel was quiet, she couldn't honestly say whether the Time Lords really would or not, the War had truly been hell and it had changed their people. She couldn't see so far ahead as to see which version of their people would be coming, the ones who wanted peace or the ones who craved war. She liked to think it would be the first though, she liked to think that there was still some good in their people, especially in the children, that the children would force the adults to be kind and grateful and loving once more. Looking at Ayla/Tailor…she knew her daughter had helped the Doctor feel as much peace as SHE had been able to bring to the man. He didn't want to disappoint his daughter, he wanted to set a better example for her, he wanted her to be a better person than he was. He tried harder, for her, she hoped the other Time Lords would do the same, teach their children the horrors that war could bring.

"It doesn't matter," Tasha shook her head, "They will be met with a war that will never end. The Time War will begin anew! You know that Doctor! And if you should deny it…I am certain your Mate has seen so."

The Doctor looked at Angel as she frowned, "I…I DID see a battle," she admitted, "I saw our enemies attacking but…" she shook her head, "I couldn't see who they were fighting, it could have been each other, or the town or the Time Lords, I can't be certain."

That doubt though, was enough for the Doctor, enough for him to believe that there wouldn't be another war, at least not now.

But still…that doubt was also what had made him decide to send Clara to the TARDIS. Because he knew as well as Tasha that there was a possibility of a fight to happen, and Clara…as much as she held the memories of a Time Lady and a few others, she wasn't one. It was only the fact that Ayla/Tailor's presence would make him fight harder to keep the town safe and prevent war that let her remain by his side.

That and he was certain that his daughter had guessed what he was planning to do, she'd clung to them as he'd offered Clara the sonic and refused to let go. And…he…he had already lost his daughter once, been apart from her and he'd sworn never to do it again. Ayla/Tailor would remain with him, no matter if a battle broke out, he trusted Angel to keep her safe if he couldn't. But he would, he would keep everyone safe, the town, his family, even the Time Lords themselves.

~8~

Clara grinned widely as the console beeped, "Done?" she asked, grabbing the half of sonic out of the slot and rushing for the doors, throwing them open and dashing out…only to freeze when she came face to face with the Powell Estates and NOT the Christmasy town she'd just come from.

Her heart stopped dead when she heard the wheezing of the TARDIS start up again, "No!" she spun around and ran for the box, "Don't you dare," she grabbed onto it, sliding the key into the lock, "No! No!"

…just as the TARDIS disappeared.

~8~

"Tasha they are asking for help!" Angel argued alongside the Doctor, "You can't just ask us to refuse that. That is NOT something we want our daughter to learn, that you turn you back on the people who need your help."

And it wasn't, that was the farthest thing from the lesson they wanted Ayla/Tailor to take from this. She had already selected her title, she was the Tailor, she'd picked it because she wanted to mend things and patch things up and help people grow into the ones they were meant to be. She wanted to help people…and this…this was like asking her to look away, to not even try. And that wasn't something they could condone. As the Doctor had said once on Akhaten, they DON'T walk away.

"Yet if you give your help…war will be the consequence" Tasha countered, "Is THAT what you wish to expose your daughter to?" she asked, knowing that was the one thing that would truly make them reconsider what they were doing, "If you speak the name, war will be unleashed. Your daughter will be trapped within the middle of it," she glanced to the side where the TARDIS was missing, "You have no means of sending her away this time. And I…I will not that let a war happen at any cost. Contrary to what you might believe, our Church is peaceful…"

The Doctor scoffed, "And yet your bishops and your clerics form armies."

"To maintain the peace," Tasha cut in, "Speak your name and this world will burn!"

"No it won't!" Ayla/Tailor stated, getting in on the argument as well, stomping her little foot, "Because mummy and daddy won't let it happen!"

The Doctor nodded, "Right you are sweetheart," he stood tall.

"This planet is under our protection," Angel agreed as the Doctor took her hand and flashed the hologram, disrupting the signal and making it disappear.

The Time Family turned ringing the clock tower bell to gather the townspeople, before they rushed down the stairs, heading for the center of town, to the town square as the villagers gathered.

"So," the Doctor smiled as he took the center stage of a small platform, Angel and Ayla/Tailor standing with him, behind him, supporting him as he did this, "You lot, a quick word, thank you. Spot of news. Christmas has a new sheriff and deputy," he grinned at them, "Hello everyone I'm the Doctor, and this is my Mate the Angel, and our daughter…the Tailor."

~8~

Tasha stormed down the aisle of the main hall of the Papal Mainframe, taking her place before her gathering congregation, "Attention!" she called, "Attention all Chapels and Choirs of the Papal Mainframe. The siege of Trenzalore is now begun. There will now be an unscheduled faith change. From this moment on…I dedicate this church to one cause. Silence. The Doctor's name shall not be spoken and war will not begin. Silence...will fall!"

"Silence will fall!" the gathered men and women recited, "Silence will fall!"

~8~

" _In the time that followed, the Papal Mainframe strove to_ _maintain_ _the peace between the Time Lords and their enemies._ "

~8~

Angel sighed as she shook her head, leading the Doctor through the town and towards the edge of it where a flicker in the golden wall had been reported. She'd sensed it before it was brought to their attention, before that report had been made and was now heading there, only to stop as she spotted what looked like tire tracks being made in the snow…but without anything there to make them.

"We remain undetectable to the Papal Mainframe," they heard the voice of a Sontaran speak, before the sonic whirred to life as the Doctor aimed it in that direction.

"Commander Skarr!" a second Sontaran reported as they both became partially visible, sitting in some sort of still-invisible vehicle, "That's the detection warning. Our invisibility cloak is compromised!"

"What's wrong with it?" Skarr glanced at him.

"I don't know, I can't see it."

"Well it looks invisible to me," the commander reached out to knock his fist against the side of the vehicle, making a clanging noise that had them freeze…

A small, strawberry-blonde girl turned away, into Angel's arms, so as not to see a disintegrator beam blast from the sky and strike the Sontarans, destroying them.

"The Church of the Papal Mainframe apologizes for your death," a computerized voice called from above, "The relevant afterlives have been notified."

~8~

" _As the days passed and the years, the Doctor, his Mate, and even their daughter stayed true to their word. On the fields of Trenzalore they stood as protectors, both of their own people and their new home."_

~8~

The Doctor ran out of the woods, locking eyes with two strawberry-blondes before him, standing on either side of a large mirror, as he ran past it…skidding to a halt and looking back over his shoulder when he heard a whooshing noise…to see the Weeping Angel that had been chasing him was now frozen, caught in is own reflection, forced to look at itself forever more.

He grinned and walked over to them, kissing one on the lips and the other on the top of their head for a job well done.

~8~

" _Over time the Doctor's enemies would find new, stranger ways to enter the town called Christmas._ "

~8~

A young boy spun around in a circle, a cloth tied over his eyes as he held his arms out, the other children he was playing with scampering off to start the game of Blind Man's Bluff, a game that the fantastic Doctor and his daughter had taught them. He walked around for a little bit, but there was no one within reach and…he couldn't hear them anymore, "Are you there?" he called, "Hello? Am I getting warm?"

He frowned, hearing a sort of…stomping noise. He swallowed hard and reached up, gently pulling down his cloth to see what he'd heard tales was called a Cyberman, but one made of wood. They'd been given lessons, all the children of town, to recognize the various monsters that might try to hurt them, so that they could warn the Doctor or Angel or Tailor about it and they'd know how to fight them.

But…he'd never seen a monster in real life before, it was…enormous and scary and looking at him and…

"It's alright," a voice whispered in his ear as he felt hands come to rest on his shoulders, gently tugging him back, "Go warn my father."

He glanced back to see it was Tailor and nodded rushing off as the girl slowly backed away, keeping her eye on the Cyberman, tense, ready to jump away if it attacked. He ran through the town crying, "There's another one! There's another one! There's another one!" he ran to the bells and rang them, calling all the townspeople to take arms, "There's another one! Doctor! Angel! There's another one!"

"Incinerate!" the Cyberman called, lifting its arm to shoot flames out.

"Oi!" Ayla/Tailor frowned, throwing a rock at it, knowing it wouldn't hurt the beast but that it would at least distract it, keep it from hurting the others of the town and destroying their belongings, "Don't you dare!"

The Cyberman turned to her, "Incinerate!" it cried at her, lifting its arm…

Only to get thrown back by a blast of gold, "Try that again," Angel stepped beside her daughter, looking exactly as she always had, putting a hand on her shoulder, "And I will try to spark the wood next time."

"The Doctor is required…" the Cyberman stated as he tried to stand.

"He's busy at the moment," Angel told it, "You'll have to give him a bit more time."

No sooner had she spoken, the doors to the clock tower opened and the Doctor, a bit older, just…a bit a gray at the edge of his hair and a few more lines on his face, appeared, "There you go," he laughed, holding up a toy, "There you go Barnable," he leaned down and handed him the toy.

"Thanks," the small boy who had alerted the town smiled, taking it.

"Working fine, nice action. Don't leave it out in the rain again. Fixed the wheels and the anti-gravs."

"The anti-whats?" Barnable frowned.

"I think you outdid yourself this time my love," Angel smiled at him as he walked down, leaning on a cane, heading for her.

"I think I might have," he agreed, moving beside her, winding an arm around her waist, "But it was a project with my special girl eh?" he winked at Ayla/Tailor, "She built them just perfectly, all by herself."

"Dad," Ayla/Tailor blushed at that.

"Now," he squinted at the Cyberman, the…wooden Cyberman, "Then what do we have today?"

"Don't," Angel warned, holding up a hand as the Cyberman took a step towards them, her hand sparking gold and it stopped, having finally worked out that sparks and wood did NOT work.

"Wooden Cyberman," the Doctor remarked as he eyed it, "Nice like it."

"It makes sense," Ayla/Tailor shrugged, "The low technology wouldn't set off the alarms."

Angel nodded, "And the shield," she looked at the golden wall around the town, "Wasn't made to burn the trees…"

The Doctor nodded and eyed the Cyberman, waiting to see what it would do…only for it to lift its arm, about to fire, but the Doctor pulled out the sonic and flash the robot frozen, already knowing it would try that, one of the many benefits of being Mated to a Visionary. She'd seen this coming. She had sent Ayla/Tailor out to go help Barnable while they prepared to stop the Cyberman, "Only bit of tech allowed in," he told the robot, "Got in before the truce. Now," he flicked it, "I just sent an instruction to your firearm to reverse the polarity and fire out the back end. As were standing in a truth field you will understand I cannot be lying. If you like you can scan my screwdriver, verify that's the signal I sent," he held it up.

The townspeople watched as the Cyberman's arms device swiveled to face itself, "Signal verified," it confirmed, before it blasted a hole into itself, making Angel and Ayla/Tailor wince at the sight.

"Yes," the Doctor sighed, hating to have to do that, but knowing that it was the kinder alternative than letting the townspeople tear it apart with hatchets, "I probably should have mentioned, this doesn't work on wood," he tossed Ayla/Tailor the sonic to hold, "You send your friends up there a message from us," he began, "You tell them we stay," he reached out his cane and pushed the Cyberman back onto the ground, smiling as he looked at Angel, "Next?"

Angel smiled and shook her head, moving over to him as he held out a hand to her, taking his arm as they walked off, Ayla/Tailor standing there, looking at where the TARDIS had first set down and smiling…

~8~

" _With every victory the town celebrated._ "

~8~

The Doctor and Angel smiled as the children of the town gathered around them and Ayla/Tailor, handing them pictures of all the monsters they'd managed to save the town from over the…well, quite a few centuries.

"Ooh there's me arm-wrestling a Draconian!" the Doctor cheered, "I remember that."

Angel winced at the memory though, "You got rather badly scratched," she remarked, taking his hand and running her hand up his arm, the same arm she'd healed for him.

He smiled, "Good thing I had my angel there watching over me," he gave her a peck, so…relieved when she didn't pull away. He understood how she felt about her appearance age now, being a bit older he sometimes feared it looked odd to see him kissing her, but the townspeople were aware of how truly old they were and it didn't bother them.

It was his opinion though that Angel had a sort of timeless beauty to her, that despite being older in appearance, she still appeared youthful as well. He on the other hand, wasn't aging quite as gracefully, but he knew why…it was because HE was aging and Angel was not.

"Look mum," Ayla/Tailor smiled, holding up a picture one of the children had given her, "I think it's supposed to be you putting the shield up."

It was an expected representation for a child who hadn't been there when it happened. It was a tale, she knew, a bedtime story of sorts, how the angel had come and put up the wall that protected them. The stories got it a bit wrong, she didn't have wings or a halo, she hadn't flown down from heaven or hovered over the town and blessed them with the wall. She'd been a simple woman standing at the base of the clock tower, using that as a sort of lightning rod to send the shield up and out.

But this picture…it was just as the stories described her, a true angel flying over the town, spreading golden light everywhere.

"Thank you dear," she gave the small girl that had drawn the picture a hug.

"You know," the Doctor remarked as he looked at the picture, squinting at it till Ayla/Tailor reached into his coat pocket and put Amy's old glasses on his nose, "I think this is EXACTLY how it happened."

Angel laughed and shook her head at that.

~8~

" _In time, one would think the Doctor would forget he'd lived any other life, had it not been for his Mate speaking fondly of their family and friends…_ "

~8~

Ayla/Tailor laughed as she watched a puppet show of her and her parents going on before the children of the town, "Christmas is defended..." the puppet version of her father shouted.

She looked back to see some of the other children gathered around her parents, listening to them tell tales of their life before Christmas, while they'd been in the TARDIS, that magic blue box, and all the family that they had out there among the stars.

She smiled, glancing back over to where the TARDIS had first touched down, any day now…

~8~

" _And the people of the town came to love the family that stayed for Christmas._ "

~8~

Angel laughed as she stood to the side, watching the Doctor doing a rather infamous dance he'd originated during Amy's wedding. One thing could be said about the time spent in Christmas, she was able to look back on that time now, that time so long ago, nearly 3 centuries, when he had forgotten her and…not feel as much pain as she had. She looked back on it as a moment in her life where she'd been at her lowest, and then she would remember that every pain that time had brought had given her the greatest joy to make up for it. She was doing better, she was content, she was alright, and that was all that mattered. The past was the past, it was the present and the future to be looked towards.

"You've got to BE the drunk giraffe," the Doctor was cheering, "You've got to commit!" he threw his arms above him, cane in hand, and wiggled them back and forth, "Don't be cool guys. Cool is NOT cool."

"Cool is not cool!" the children recited, doing the dance as best they could.

"I wonder what he'll say about the bowtie then," Angel remarked to Ayla/Tailor, laughing at that.

"And what's the dance were doing?" the Doctor called.

"The drunk giraffe!" the kids cheered.

"The drunk giraffe! Yeah it is! Merry Christmas," he smiled as the song came to an end, "Give me a hug," he held his arms out wide, "Bring it in!"

"Yay!" the children shouted, rushing towards him, gathering him in a great big group hug as he smiled over their shoulders at his Mate and daughter as they watched him.

"There we go," he gave the children one more hug before stepping back and making his way to Angel and Ayla/Tailor, "And now for the best hug of my life," he held his arms out wide, the two of them laughing and moving to hug him tightly. He breathed a content sigh and pressed a kiss to their temples, holding them close, "Fantastic," he smiled, pulling away, "Just brilliant, YOU," he pointed at Ayla/Tailor, "Still give the best hugs ever."

"Your uncle Rory would be proud," Angel winked at her.

"Thanks," Ayla/Tailor smiled, blushing a bit as she looked down.

"Oh," Angel looked down suddenly, when she felt someone give HER a hug as well, "Hello Barnable," she smiled at the boy.

"Yes, hello Barnable," the Doctor laughed, "Say, how's your father's barn?"

"You've fixed the leak alright," Barnable nodded, "But he say it's bigger on the inside now!"

"Shh," Ayla/Tailor put a finger to her lips, "You must keep that a secret," she winked.

"Or else they'll all want one," the Doctor laughed…only to yawn halfway through.

"Come on my love," Angel moved to his side, "I'm rather tired too and I know I'd like at least an hour to nap before Tasha calls for us."

She'd seen that as well, seen the holographic face they hadn't seen in centuries hovering over the town, she knew it was coming that night, but she just didn't know when. And she was rather tired, she wanted to get a quick nap with her Mate in.

"Ooh, but, um…" he frowned, looking around.

"Go on dad," Ayla/Tailor nudged him on, "I'll keep an eye on things, you're not as spry as you once were," she joked, "Leave the guarding to me for a while. I AM your daughter," she winked at them.

"Come along," Angel laughed, tugging him on as the Doctor chuckled heartily at that.

Ayla/Tailor watched them go till she saw her mother look over her shoulder at her when they'd reached the clock tower, nodding at her. She smiled and nodded back, before turning to head to the place the TARDIS had first landed in Christmas.

"What is it?" Barnable frowned, walking with her, starting to hear a faint wheezing noise, "What's that noise?"

"My Auntie's come back," Ayla/Tailor smiled as she watched a blue box starting to appear in and out of existence before her, "She's a bit late though…"

"That's your…aunt?" Barnable frowned at the ship, not quite able to make out the figure clinging to the front of it just yet.

"It's actually a spaceship," Ayla/Tailor looked down at him, "The best one in the Universe," she winked, and turned back, "It's called a TARDIS, but I've always called her Aunt Idris…it's how mum and dad and I got here."

Barnable frowned, watching the box become solid, "Does this mean you're leaving?"

But Ayla/Tailor couldn't answer, just…stare at the box with mounting horror, "Oh my stars…" she breathed, seeing a young woman with brown hair clinging to the outside of the box, "Are you alright?" she ran over, reaching out to gently help the girl off it.

Clara gasped, unnaturally pale, shaking, in shock, "I...I was in space."

"I'm so sorry," Ayla/Tailor frowned, "You got pulled through the Time Vortex," she looked at the box with a fond smile, stroking the corner of it, "Aunt Idris must have extended the force field to keep you safe. Which explains why you're so late…took too much power…"

Clara blinked, "Aunt…Idris?"

Ayla/Tailor looked over at her, nodding, "Hello Aunt Clara."

Clara blinked, "No…" she shook her head, "No you…you can't be Ayla…Ayla's just a little girl!"

And that was most certainly not the woman standing before her, for she was in fact a woman. Well, a young woman at least. She appeared almost 15 or 16 years old which, going by the bits she remembered of being a Time Lady, meant that…about 300 years had to have passed in Christmas! She knew that Time Lords, once they reached their 8th year, their aging slowed. They aged about 50 years and only looked like they had grown 1 year by human terms. The Ayla/Tailor she'd left had been about 105ish, around the time she'd pick her name, and…she'd looked about 10, which made sense. 8 years old, then aged 2 years (really nearly 100) put her around the age and appearance Ayla/Tailor had been before. But now…this girl…she looked like she'd aged about 6 more years since she'd last seen her, which was really about 300.

But…she could see it too, in Ayla/Tailor's eyes, in her hair, in the little locket she wore around her neck…it really WAS Ayla/Tailor. It was so weird to think she'd been a little girl five minutes ago and now…now she was like a teenager. She was standing there, wearing simple green dress, long sleeved, with buttons up the front, a skirt flowing out around her knees and small black boots, a small black bag draped over one shoulder and across her chest. She looked very much a part of the town, which made sense as the girl and her mother DID love to dress up…

"Ayla?" she breathed, staring at the girl.

Ayla smiled softly at her, almost sadly, "It's Tailor now," she told her, "Well, TaYlor here," she gestured at the town, they seemed to think that was her name and not her title, all the drawings and little stories that had HER in it, spelled it 'Taylor' and she didn't have the hearts to correct them.

"I don't..." Clara shook her head, "I don't understand..."

"Come on, Aunt Clara," Tailor took her hand, "We need to get you warmed up, and mum and dad will be thrilled to see you."

Clara could only nod dumbly as she let the girl-who-wasn't-a-girl-anymore take her hand and lead her off, through the town, towards the clock tower.

~8~

Clara wandered around the base of the clock tower, inside it, looking at the various pictures hanging on the walls, all of the adventures she'd missed, of the adventures that the Doctor and Angel and Tailor had had without her. She felt sad as she saw it, the progression of the little girl with orangey-yellow hair growing older. She knew she should likely be furious with the Doctor, hardly speak to him OR Angel for how they'd tricked her, how they hadn't said goodbye…especially Angel, but…she was in too much shock. To return and see Tailor was older, to see the Doctor…oh THAT had been a shock, to see him graying and wrinkling, the man who was just…so old already. She should be mad, but there was too much to take in and, she supposed she could understand. If they'd said goodbye or given a hint of what they were planning…she would have refused, she'd still be there and the Time Family would have buried her a long time ago.

She wandered over to a small desk with some broken bits of toys on it and smiled "Oh Doctor, fixing toys and fighting monsters."

"I brought you some tea," Tailor smiled as she entered with a tray of tea, spotting Clara with the blanket she'd gotten her over her shoulders, "Mum made it so it should be MUCH better than dad's parsnip one," she grimaced, "Never let dad try to cook."

Clara laughed, "Is that one of his rules?" she walked over.

"Nah," Tailor shook her head, "It's one of mine."

"Look at you," Clara watched her pour the tea, the young adult she'd become, "All grown up and making your own rules," she reached out to take a cup, sipping it, "What's next, get your own TARDIS? Fly…fly away?" she didn't want that to happen as selfish as it probably was given that Tailor really was a young lady now.

"Oh no," Tailor shook her head, "No, I…I spent six years away from mum and dad, spending even six hours away from them is hard. I'm sure, one day, I will, but…" she shook her head again, "For now I just want to spend time with them," she sat down and took a cup herself, "And besides, in Gallifreyan terms, I'm still not at majority till I'm about 500, still got another 100 to go."

"Good," Clara reached out and touched her arm, "Don't…don't grow up too soon though, yeah?"

"I promise," Tailor nodded crossing her hearts.

"The turkey isn't done yet," the Doctor called as he entered the room, his cane in one hand, his other holding Angel's, now dressed in a dress similar to Tailor's but in a more dark red color, with a black trim, as she carried something under her arm.

"K9!" Tailor gasped, getting up and rushing over to her mother, taking the small dog, one that seemed really quite small now that Tailor was bigger, "Oh you fixed him!"

The poor doggie had shut down and stopped working only about 50 years ago. She'd been devastated, hearts broken about it, had cried for ages. It was…it was her own K9, it was her doggie, the pet she'd never thought she'd be able to have. And then…he just…pfft, one day, just stopped. Much like Sarah Jane's own K9. They just…hadn't been able to get the parts and it hadn't sat right with either of them to attempt using the parts from their enemies that they could salvage, it felt like it would cheapen MK9 in some way, make him less…magnificent to use enemy parts. Tailor had agreed, saying that MK9 wasn't a Cyberman, he wasn't going to be made of the spare parts of their enemies.

But it had meant being without her companion for decades after. Still, she'd had hope, even more the last few days when she kept getting sensations that the TARDIS was coming back, sensations that her mother had confirmed as well. Her abilities had grown quite a bit in the 300 years she'd been with her parents. She…she didn't attempt the Vortex, no, not at all, she knew she was by no means ready for that, but…her psychic abilities were getting stronger. She felt like…like her mother when she first started travelling with her father. She sensed things stronger than before, it was like her…her mother's 10th self, she sensed things and she felt things and when she talked it wasn't nonsense words, but…she couldn't see the future and she couldn't access the Vortex. And that was fine for now, she was letting it happen when it was ready to.

"Yes," the Doctor grinned, "We found all the parts we needed in the TARDIS," he patted the dog on the head as it waggled its tail, its eyes lighting up.

"Mistress!" MK9 called, excited to see her again, "Apologies, Mistress. Batteries were low."

"It's alright," Tailor smiled wiping below her eyes to brush her tears away, just so pleased to have her dog back, "Thank you dad," she got up and went to hug him.

"Ooh," he laughed.

"Careful," Angel joked, "Not so tight or you'll break something."

"Oh dad's stronger than that," Tailor smiled, pulling away to look at him, "But really, thank you."

The Doctor just winked at her, "Early Christmas gift," he leaned in and kissed her forehead, "Merry Christmas sweetheart."

"Merry Christmas dad," she whispered.

Clara smiled at them before glancing at the crack, "Is it still asking the question?" she murmured to Angel as she came up beside her.

"It hasn't stopped," Angel sighed, "But that's not why we're here," she reached out and took the tea tray, "Come with us."

"What for?" Clara blinked as the Time Family made their way to the doors, heading for the stairs outside.

"Dawn," the Doctor smiled, "The light here lasts only a few minutes, you don't want to miss it."

~8~

The Time Family gathered on the top of the tower, a small fire going between them and Clara as they roasted marshmallows on sticks, looking up at the stars. Clara had to smile as she saw them, able to see the Time Family she always knew and loved in them. The Doctor was sitting on a small bench, Angel beside him, his arm around her waist as she held out a stick that had to marshmallows on it at the fire. Tailor was sitting on the floor, her legs tucked to the side, one arm resting on her father's leg as she rested her head on that as well, holding her own stick, as the Doctor gently ran his hand through her hair, smiling down at his daughter. Even MK9 fit the picture as he rested between Tailor and the Doctor's leg, an antenna sort of device sticking out of him, on which a marshmallow was also roasting. She giggled at that, her own held absently in her hand as she turned it above the fire.

"How…how is everything?" she asked them.

"Well it's a standoff," the Doctor shrugged.

"They can't attack us incase mum lets the Time Lords out," Tailor explained.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "And we can't run away because they'll burn this planet to stop the Time Lords. Hey," he laughed, "After all these years I've finally found somewhere that needs me to stick around. A town called Christmas! Could've been worse."

"Oh my love, you've always had that," Angel remarked, winding her arm through his, "Right here," she squeezed it, "I'VE always needed you to stick around."

"And I always will too," Tailor lifted her head to smile up at him, "You're my dad, I'm always going to need you."

He smiled at her for that, reaching out to tap her nose, "Then I shall have to stick around even longer then eh?"

"Oh forever," Angel laughed.

"Sounds like a plan," he grinned.

Clara pulled her stick to her and picked off a bit of marshmallow, eating it, "Where do you get these?"

"I have a supplier," the Doctor smirked.

"The pink ones are best," Tailor whispered to her.

"I love the sunrise," Angel remarked, "The pink in it," she added as the light started to seep across the sky. She turned to the Doctor, helping him up as Tailor stood, MK9 in her arms as they headed over to the ledge of the clock tower's balcony, smiling out as they watched the sun come up, Clara moving to join them.

"What do you think of our new place?" the Doctor smiled at the land below, watching as the light touched everything, "We come up here once a day for a few minutes...remind ourselves of what it is we're protecting."

Angel smiled and nudged him, "Everything the light touches is our kingdom."

"Mum," Tailor laughed, "Really? The Lion King?"

"Oi," she laughed back, "I'll have you know your father once quoted the Lion King to the Sycorax."

"Really?" Tailor looked at him, "Every day you tell me a new story, and I still don't know all of them."

"Ah well, that's good," the Doctor smiled, "Wouldn't want to turn into a boring old ninny."

"You'll never be boring," Angel told him.

"Or old," Tailor moved to link her arm with his.

He sighed though, "You remember how the rest of that line went, eh dear?" he looked at Angel.

She nodded, more sad now, "A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king."

He nodded, patting her hand as it clutched around his arm, "Everything ends," he looked at her, "Everything, all things, must die eh?"

"Except you," Clara called, seeing that his words were putting Angel and Tailor in a rather solemn mood.

"Have you been paying attention?" the Doctor gestured at his hair, his face, "I'm an old man now."

"But you don't die," Clara argued, "You change. You pop right back up with a new face."

"No," he sighed, "Not forever."

"Do you remember, Clara, how many times one of us can change?" Angel looked at her.

Clara frowned, thinking on that, "12," she nodded, "12 times you can change. For...13 incarnations."

"Yes," he smiled ruefully, "13 silly Doctors."

"And you're number 11…"

"Pops," Tailor murmured, "You're forgetting pops, the War Doctor."

"Yes, Captain Grumpy," the Doctor nodded, "I didn't _call_ myself the Doctor during the Time War but it was still a regeneration."

"Ok," Clara shook her head, still not seeing the problem, "Then you're 12 number, like Angel."

The Doctor fell silent at that.

"There was one time," Angel began, "The 10th Doctor almost regenerated, but didn't. He poured his energy into a spare hand and stayed the same. But…it took all the energy spent for that regeneration out of him.

"I had vanity issues at the time," the Doctor shrugged in defense, "Didn't want some new man to go walking off with my Mate," he winked at Angel, "But it was a regeneration, 12 regenerations Clara. I can't ever do it again," he swallowed hard, squeezing Angel's hand, "This is where I end up. This face, this version of me. We saw this planet in the future remember? All those graves...one of them mine."

"And Angel's," Clara breathed, reminding him of that.

"He dies…I die," Angel nodded, looking at Tailor, they had talked quite a bit, during the time that they'd been there, as Tailor grew older and older. He had told her quite clearly that, if she had ever died in the enemy attacks, that he wouldn't want the Dampening Bracelet to save him, not just because they didn't have access to it (what with it being in the TARDIS) but because Tailor was old enough now. He'd told her once, centuries ago, that when the day came where Tailor was old enough to make her way in the Universe…that he felt they should destroy the Dampening Bracelet, so that they could always be together.

She'd been touched to hear him speak so passionately about how he wanted his life tied to hers in every way, so deeply connected to her that they would always be together. But she'd reminded him of Tailor's request, her Christmas gift, one they still had yet to give her, for a little brother. They hadn't been quite as careful as they had been, while they'd been on the TARDIS. They'd been careful enough because of the Silence, because they were sure Kovarian's sect were still out there. They hadn't wanted to bring a child into the world knowing there was that danger looming over them. Being in Christmas…it had been almost worse. They were intimate, yes, they were Mates after all, there was only so long he could go without touching his Mate (a sense that had just gotten worse over time). They had been together in that way throughout their 300 years on the planet, but they were careful. The attacks from their enemies were continuous, never ending and they feared every day for their safety and for Tailor's safety. It faded a bit more as Tailor grew, as they taught her about being a Time Lord as she helped them and proved herself to them, proved herself capable of handling herself in situations and danger. But they couldn't bear to bring a child into the world where it was constantly in such danger.

So they had been careful and, as a result, Tailor was still an only child. They hadn't counted on the TARDIS needing to protect Clara on the way back, on it taking so long. They had fully intended to give Tailor that gift, but…things got in the way.

"So change the future," Clara urged them.

"We can't," the Doctor shook his head, Angel looking at him solemnly.

There was one thing they could do that would change that…Tailor. She could give him her regenerations. Or give him some of them. But he absolutely refused to do so. She had actually never seen him shout at their daughter before until one year when she had brought that up, just to see his thoughts on it and…it hadn't been pretty. It was probably the only time he'd every truly yelled at their little girl. It had ended in tears for both sides, Tailor and him, with him begging her not to do it, begging her to keep living, wanting her to cherish every single life she had yet to live. Because having reached his end, he knew how precious they all were and he would not begrudge his daughter of a single one of them, ever.

"You've got your TARDIS back," Clara argued.

"Ha," the Doctor smiled, looking at her, "You think we're just going to fly away and abandon everyone?"

"Of course not. But you've been protecting this town for over 300 years. Do you not think it's anybody else's go yet?"

"There isn't anyone else to protect it but us," Tailor remarked, "Up there," she looked up, "Are all our enemies…the second we leave…" she shook her head, "There is no one they're frightened of enough to not fire at except us."

"But it won't be you forever," Clara countered, "It'll end the same way whatever you do."

"Life is precious Clara," Angel looked at her, "Every single one, and every one that we save is a victory in itself."

"What about your lives?" Clara blinked back her tears, seeing that Angel would die with the Doctor, that Tailor refused to leave her parents, that if the battles got too big…they might die there together, "Just for once, after all of this time, have you not earned the right to think about that?" she looked at the Doctor, "You die here, you take your Mate and daughter with you," she reminded the man, swallowing hard when she saw him flinch, "Sorry," she whispered, "Wrong thing to say. We shouldn't be having an argument."

"Clara," the Doctor looked at her, "I've been having that argument with myself for the last 300 years," he admitted.

And he had. Every single day, with every new attack and every enemy that broached the shield…he worried about Angel and Tailor. Every gray hair he found reminded him that Angel was going to die with him, because they didn't have the Bracelet, and even if they did…Tailor was grown now, she was nearly at her majority by their people's terms. She was nearly an adult…oh how the years had flown. But he knew she was more like a teenager at the moment, but…still…she WAS old enough to get by on her own, not that they wanted that to happen. He truly would love nothing more than to leave, to fly out among the stars and spend his remaining centuries or decades or however long they had, with their daughter. This wasn't how he'd wanted her to grow up, to spend so much time on one planet and not whizzing about the stars, but…things happened.

He wanted to take them both away…but this town and these people were important to them. It was playing out almost exactly like Angel had once remarked to Jack, that he would get to watch his daughter and his grandson grow, his grandson love and marry and have children, watch those children grow, and just…be a guardian angel to them, watching over the family. While the villagers were not 'family' to them, they had seen so many of them grow, so many of them wed and reproduce and grow and…to see that end…they couldn't bear it.

"But you didn't have your TARDIS," Clara tried to argue once more.

"Ah!" the Doctor nodded, "Yes, well, that made it easier to stay. True."

"Hello Tasha!" Angel turned and called out, out of nowhere it seemed…

Only for MK9's ears to wag, "Mistress! Scanners indicate incoming message!" the robot declared, a moment before a hologram of Tasha's head, the woman unaged, appeared in the sky.

"Angel," the hologram greeted, "Doctor. Tailor."

"Look who's woken up," the Doctor frowned, suspicious now, it had been 300 years, why contact them NOW?

"The Church of the Silence requests parlay. Your rights and safety are sanctified."

"We'll be there in a mo," Angel nodded, squeezing his arms, sensing the same thing.

300 years and not a hide nor hair of the church contacting them, and then…suddenly, out of nowhere, they wanted to talk? It didn't make sense and she could feel a pit forming in her stomach. She had an idea of what had happened, of why this might be happening but…she didn't want to voice it. The Doctor had gotten even more protective of her and Tailor over the centuries, with all the constant attacks, she didn't want to worry him. She glanced at Tailor to see her frowning up at the hologram as well, clearly unsettled about it too.

She reached out and touched Tailor's shoulder, the girl looking over at her and offering an unsure smile, patting her mother's hand. She could sense it…Tasha…it wasn't her, and not just the hologram, but…it wasn't her talking. She didn't know what it was though but she could tell her mother felt the same.

"I'm sending a transporter," Tasha called.

"Nah don't bother," the Doctor waved her off, "We've got our motor back."

Tasha nodded and the hologram disappeared, making Clara frown as she noticed how dim the lighting had gotten, "It's gone dark."

"Well the sun's gone down," the Doctor countered.

"Already?"

"Everything ends Clara," Angel sighed, "Sometimes…sometimes sooner than you think it will," she swallowed hard and smiled at the Doctor, "Come on."

~8~

The small Time Family and Clara walked through the town, heading for the TARDIS, when Angel smiled, "You go on my love," she smiled, kissing his cheek as Tailor took his arm and led him into the TARDIS, Angel making her way around the one side to peer around the back at Barnable as he sat against the back of the TARDIS, "Thank you," she spoke, making him jump, "For guarding Sissy," she told the boy, moving around to sit beside him, "She's very grateful."

Barnable looked at her, "Are you and the others coming back?"

Angel gave him a sad smile, "Yes," she nodded, "Yes I quite think we are," she told him.

"Ok then," he nodded as well, "I'll wait for you."

Angel gave him a wink and helped him up, "We'll see you soon," she promised the boy, before heading into the TARDIS once more.

~8~

Clara frowned at Tasha as they walked through the halls of the Papal Mainframe, though this time all of them in their actual clothes, not really at the point of caring whether or not they offended the religious order, "She hasn't aged much," she remarked, seeing that Tasha looked exactly like Angel, unaged.

"No," the Doctor agreed, "She's against it."

"And Angel?" she glanced at her, curious as to why the Doctor was aging when she wasn't.

"It's his last body," Angel remarked, "The last and first are the ones that tend to age most."

Clara nodded, "Right…"

"Approach!" Tasha shouted, cutting off their discussion.

"Confess…" the Silence whispered as they stood among those lining the aisle, Tailor swallowing and moving closer to her parents.

She had seen much during the 300 years on Trenzalore, she'd seen enemies come and go…but never the Silence. She'd…gotten braver, when it came to them, having faced and seen so much, and knowing her parents were there to help, but…the Silence were the one enemy she was still frightened of. A little girl's fear, she knew, but one that was well founded.

"It's alright," Angel whispered to her, reaching out to take Tailor's hand, squeezing it, sensing her daughter's fright.

"They are really creepy," Clara remarked to the Time Lords, making sure to keep the Silence insight as they passed.

"Confess…" the aliens rasped.

"They're confessional priests," the Doctor shrugged, "Genetically engineered so you forget everything you've told them…of course they're creepy."

"Follow me," Tasha ordered, turning to lead them away.

~8~

They had returned to Tasha's chapel, moving to the long table in the middle of her room, Tasha sitting at one end, the Doctor at the other end, though with Angel and Tailor beside him, on one side, Clara on the other side of him. Tasha had offered Clara and Tailor a seat in the middle of the table, but both women refused, not quite trusting the woman for some reason.

"Satisfactory?" Tasha nodded at the box before the Doctor.

He opened it and peered in, seeing marshmallows there, "Where are the pink ones?"

"E-numbers," Tasha remarked, "You're hyper enough as it is."

The Doctor frowned and closed the box, it had been Tasha's way of trying to offer a sort of 'peace token' to them, supplying them with random things they needed or wanted here or there. But they'd been wary of it for quite a long while, they still were actually.

"So this is sweet," Clara remarked, "Middle of a siege and you all are having little chats?"

"She's right. This situation cannot continue."

"It can't end either," the Doctor shook his head.

Angel shivered a bit and looked to the side, to the doors that led to the room, feeling…that pit in her stomach growing a bit more. Tailor reached out and took her hand, squeezing it before she looked at her mother, nodding, she felt it too.

~8~

"Report!" a Dalek called as it wheeled into a room of the Papal Mainframe, a row of soldiers, guards, priests, and even Silence gathered with in…all of them with an eyestalk sticking out of their foreheads, Dalek puppets the lot of them.

"The Time Lords have entered the trap," a young woman reported.

~8~

"Why did you ever come to Trenzalore?" Tasha shook her head at them, looking at the small Time Family across from her.

"Well, I did come to Trenzalore," the Doctor stated, not answering, "And nothing can change that now. Didn't stop you trying though did it?"

Tasha's jaw tensed, "You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"They took my daughter and killed my Mate," his eyes narrowed, "So no, I will not EVER 'let it go.'"

Tasha sighed, "I have told you repeatedly Doctor, the Kovarian Chapter broke away. They travelled back along your timeline and tried to prevent you all ever reaching Trenzalore."

He shook his head at her, "And blew up my TARDIS with my Mate in it…"

"They blew up your time capsule and created the very cracks in the universe through which the Time Lords are now calling," Tasha nodded, "A Destiny Trap, they didn't realize they were unable to change history as they were a part of it."

"I wasn't finished," he cut in, "They did all that and made me forget my Mate was my Mate, and tried to marry me off to a complete and total psychopath…who, by the way, killed my Mate, twice! And you had the chance to stop her Tasha Lem."

She had too, she could admit that. It wasn't quite…HER though. When Kovarian had gone to the past, the her of the future, the her of the now, had sent word back along the timelines, a sort of…time capsule, literally, but one that went to the past. It had all the information about what was coming, about what Kovarian was trying to do and why…it had begged her past self to stop the woman…and her past self had refused. Her past self had even enabled the woman for a short while, giving the Headless Monks permission to lower their hoods at a base called Demons Run. She'd allowed it all to happen…and then when the fury of the Doctor had been unleashed, when she'd seen what the plans Kovarian had for Tailor had been…she'd turned her back on Kovarian, had tried to stop her…but it was too late. She had sent the capsule back only a few short years ago, knowing that it was an established event, that even if she didn't want to send it back, even if she knew it would make no difference…that it HAD to be sent back.

She had become a part of the Destiny Trap too, she was part of the events that led to the Doctor and his family being where they were now.

The Doctor had never forgiven her for the small role she'd played in Tailor's capture and Angel's death. Nor should he, she did not deserve his forgiveness, but she tried, every day, to make amends.

"I am not interested in changing history anymore Doctor," she sighed, "I want to change the future," she looked at Angel as the woman returned her attention to her, "The Daleks send for reinforcements daily, they are massing for war. Three days ago they attacked the Mainframe itself."

"They attacked here?" Tailor's eyes widened as she looked at Tasha, but not in alarm that it happened, but more in dread of what that could mean…

Daleks left nothing alive unless they needed them.

"How did you stop them?" Clara wondered.

"Stop them?" Tasha scoffed, "It was slaughter!"

"Why didn't you call us?" the Doctor frowned, "We could have helped."

"She did," Angel blinked, looking at Tasha, "She tried…"

… _Tasha ran to the teleport, frantically trying to punch in the commands but her hands were shaking, covered in blood_ …

'… _Exterminate! Exterminate!._..'

… _Tasha gasped, spinning around as the Daleks fired at her, her falling to the ground, her eyes wide in fear_ …

"She died," Angel let out a breath, "She died in this room…"

The Doctor stiffened and looked at Tasha as the woman convulsed, "No…" he stood up, Tasha falling face first onto the table, twitching…only to lift her head…a Dalek eyestalk sticking out of her forehead…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all not too disappointed that I made Ayla stay and become a 'teenager' :) I fully intended to show her growing up in this story, but when Moffat throws a curveball sometimes you have to adapt lol. As I was writing it and I got to the point where Ayla either went with Clara the entire time or only partly I started to think that I'd actually like to see a 'teenage' Ayla, especially with PC's Doctor being older. I can only imagine HIS reaction to Ayla the teenager lol ;) And I thought it would open up some more father/daughter moments :)
> 
> ...O...M...G...one chapter left. One single chapter until the end of the story O.O But then we get Series 8! :)


	75. The Time of the Doctor: The Fall of the Eleventh

"No, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor reached out and grabbed Angel, pulling her and Tailor behind him as he backed them up, "Tasha fight it!" he shouted at her, not about to let her harm his daughter or Mate, not while he still had breath left in his old body.

"Mistress!" MK9 reported, "Scanners indicate Dalek nano-genes!"

"Yes," Tailor pet MK9 on the head, her eyes locked on Tasha, "Yes, we know..."

"Clara, come here," Angel held out a hand to the woman, tugging her back behind her as she stepped beside the Doctor, holding out her other hand, the tips of her fingers sparking gold in case the woman should attack as she stood. She closed her eyes and a golden wall flared to life around them, moments before the doors crashed open, well...were more blown open by a laser blast, and three Daleks wheeled into the room, the Time Family and Clara gathering together as they faced their enemies, the golden wall holding true and holding strong as the Daleks fired at it, but made no blast through.

And of course they wouldn't. Angel had ample experience with shields thanks to their time on Trenzalore, her golden walls were stronger than ever when she was fully able to concentrate on them. Nothing and no one was going to get past THAT shield unless she wanted them to, and a Dalek was the LAST thing she wanted to bypass that wall, especially not with her daughter and her Mate gathered with her.

"Step away from the Dalek unit!" the Daleks ordered them, "Step away Doctor! You and your Mate and your daughter!"

The Doctor frowned, looking at the pepper pots, horrified, "You shouldn't even know who we are!"

"They took it from Tasha!" Angel told him.

"Information concerning the Doctor and his Mate was harvested from the cadaver of Tasha Lem!" the Dalek agreed, it and the others surrounding them as they slowly backed up closer to each other, the aliens blocking the path to the teleports behind them.

"Bet she never told you how to break the Trenzalore force field though," the Doctor scoffed, "She'd have died first."

"Several times."

Angel swallowed hard at that, she could imagine it, Tasha being tortured, and that was terrible. For all the woman had done to them, the hand she'd had in letting Kovarian loose, _no one_ deserved that sort of fate, not even River, not even Kovarian herself. She had seen what it did to Darla, how it had emptied her of everything, even the thoughts of her daughter...she couldn't bear it when the Doctor had forgotten her, to imagine forgetting every single aspect of her life and be controlled by the Daleks? It was a fate worse than death.

"Well it's not like you can kill us," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "Not only is my magnificent Mate protecting us," he beamed widely at Angel as she managed to actually keep the wall up without her eyes glowing golden, without the swirl of the Vortex surrounding her, which was quite something given how the Vortex had been before they'd arrived on Trenzalore, "And even if she wasn't…" he pulled out the sonic and flashed it up.

"Doctor who?" the General's voice repeated out to them, "Doctor who? Doctor who?"

He grinned, "I'm a tough old bird. I'll be ages dying. Way enough time to answer a question. And, oh dear, what happens then boys?"

"You will die in silence Doctor!" the Daleks threatened, "Or Tasha Lem shall die!" the Daleks swung their laser arms over at Tasha.

"Fine," the Doctor shrugged, "Go on. Kill her. Kill her! See if I care!"

"Dad," Tailor murmured, looking at him, "I know you don't like her, I'm not fond of her either…but she HAS been helping you," she reminded the man, knowing that (as much as they hated to admit it) his mind was slowing just a bit.

His mind…it kept getting stuck on the bigger emotions. Usually it was love, love for her and her mother, fondness for Christmas, a sense of protectiveness for the people in it. But there were times, when he got angry, when he got upset, that the negative emotions stuck, when the Oncoming Storm came out to play and raged full force against the thing that had set him off. He often felt terrible after it happened as it seemed his emotions were just a bit harder for him to control at the moment. He apologized (if it wasn't an enemy that had done it) and he would try to make amends. But while he was angry, and while he was raging…he often needed someone to…pull him out of the darkness. It was usually her mother but…she liked to think she could help too.

The Doctor sighed and nodded, "You're right," he agreed, "You're right," he looked at Tasha, the woman just standing there, blank faced. The only good thing that had come from kidnapping Tasha Lem all those years ago, had been that they knew what she as like and what got to her, "You see Tasha," he called to her, "Look at you! Just standing there, hardly a fight in you. That's what I'm talking about! I always knew you were a bit spineless, you and your pointless church! Why did we ever rely on you? Never trust a nun to do an angel's job…"

They ducked down instinctively when Tasha turned and suddenly began to fire at the Daleks instead, only Angel remaining standing, conscious of the power of her shield and, for once, fully confident in her control of the power it took to form it. She knew that nothing was going to breach those golden walls unless she let them. And so they stood, watching as Tasha blasted one Dalek after another using the laser arm that was sticking out of her hand.

"Welcome back," Angel remarked as she dropped the golden wall when the last Dalek had fallen.

"You and your church," the Doctor grumbled, Tailor helping him stand again, his mind going to Demons Run, "You lot can't seem to resist a battle can you?"

"We need to get back to the Aunt Idris," Tailor looked at her parents, "But I don't feel like it's safe in the halls…" she glanced at them, fearing that, if the Daleks had managed to take over Tasha…who else had they gotten their hands on? She swallowed hard, fearing that…that it might be the Silence as well, if the Silence were now the Daleks' puppets…she was truly scared. She was already scared enough of the memory-proof aliens, to think that the greatest enemy of their people had control of them? It would give her nightmares she was sure of it.

Tasha winced, a hand to her head, "You must go, quickly," she warned them, "The Dalek inside me is waking…it will want to attack you."

Angel looked at her, "Fight it."

"I can't," she grimaced.

The Doctor reached out for Angel as she turned to walk over to the woman, but had just missed her, forced to watch as she moved right before Tasha, placing both hands on the woman's shoulders so she'd look at her, "You listen to me, Tasha Lem," she looked into the woman's eyes, "Everyone has a darkness inside them, and everyone fights it as hard as they can. You do the same. You fight it, you fight the Daleks and you win."

Tasha swallowed hard and nodded, "I shall try."

Angel gave her a smile and squeezed her shoulders, heading back for the Doctor, taking the hand he held out to her, letting out a small gasp when he pulled her to him quickly, hugging her tightly as he rested his temple to hers, ' _You just lied to her,_ ' he remarked in her mind.

' _No, I didn't,_ ' she frowned, trying to think of what she'd said that could in anyway be seen as a lie. She'd learned that, in dire situations, the honest truth was always the best means to engender trust and faith, two things Tasha had seemed to have lost sight of.

' _You told her that everyone has a darkness in them,_ ' he remarked, ' _YOU don't._ '

She smiled softly at that, hearing one of their conversations that they'd had at the start of their Mating coming back into play, ' _I…I think I do,_ ' she countered, ' _Even I have a darkness._ '

He laughed in her mind at that, ' _When did 'light' come to mean 'dark?'_ ' he asked her, pulling back and reaching up a hand to touch her cheek, stroking it, ' _Your 'darkness' could light up the blackest sky,_ ' he winked at her, ' _I know…it lights mine up,_ ' he leaned in and kissed her gently, still speaking in her mind even as he did so, _'The light that shines in the heart of time._ '

She let out a breath at that, resting her forehead to his as she pulled away, "We need to go," she told him, sadly bringing them back to the moment, "Now."

He nodded, holding out a hand to take hers, reaching back for Clara's as Tailor scooped up MK9 and took Angel's other hand, Angel closing her eyes, ready to concentrate to teleport them…

When Tasha called out, "The force field will hold for a while," she warned them, "But it will decay and there are breaches already."

The Doctor looked over at her, solemn, "Then this isn't a siege anymore, it's a war," he sighed, "It's all up to you now. Fight the Daleks, inside and out."

"You can do it Tasha," Tailor offered, smiling a bit, "I know you can. Mum does too."

Tasha eyed her, "You feel that?"

"No," Tailor admitted, "But we believe it."

The Doctor smiled at his daughter, hearing so much of him and Angel in her it was truly remarkable how like them she was. He couldn't begin to describe how thankful he was that Tailor had been on the planet with them. He hadn't wanted her to grow up like that, in the middle of a town under siege, trapped on one planet, cut off from the TARDIS and all that the box had to offer them. But…he got to spend those centuries with his daughter, and that was the only thing that mattered, he'd been able to spend them with his Mate and child.

Tasha nodded, "Get back to your TARDIS, and fly away. Please," she looked at them, knowing them well enough to know they'd want to stay and try to protect Trenzalore again, " _Please_ , just…fly away."

The Doctor gave a short, though noncommittal nod and squeezed Angel's hand, "Take us home dear."

Angel nodded and closed her eyes, taking a breath, Tasha watching as the group of four disappeared in a flash of golden light.

~8~

"Ding!" Angel and Tailor called as they moved around the console, getting the box to work, Tailor familiarizing herself with the controls of her Aunt Idris once more.

The Doctor and Clara looked up from a side control only to hear a ding from below a moment later, making the Doctor laugh at that, "It's done," he nodded.

Clara frowned, "What is?"

"The turkey," Angel reminded her.

"Either or that or it's woken up," the Doctor joked, moving over to Angel's side.

"Come on, I'll help," Tailor offered, stepping away from the console to join Clara, she could remember the turkey from when she'd been younger. She wasn't sure if it was just because she'd been smaller or if it was true, but the turkey had looked rather heavy.

"Do you want some?" Clara looked back at the Time Lords as she and Tailor headed for the steps down to the underconsole.

"Go on then," the Doctor waved them off, him and Angel moving to a monitor.

"Got any plates?" Clara looked at Tailor.

She nodded, "We've even got Christmas crackers."

"Brilliant," Clara nodded…before blinking and stopping, "One thing," she held up a finger to Tailor, before turning around, heading back up the console as Tailor turned to watch her, confused, "Doctor, Angel," she walked up to them, "Look at me…look at me and promise me…promise you will never send me away ever again."

The Doctor glanced at Angel who gave him a nod. He smiled and turned to her, "Clara Oswald...we will never send you away...again."

Clara beamed and gave them a quick hug, before half-skipping back to the steps that led below. Tailor was a bit slower to follow, looking at her parents with a small sort of odd look, like a cross between a frown and suspicion.

"Go on," Angel nodded her off.

Tailor nodded slowly and headed back down the steps towards the underconsole, keeping her parents in her sight until she couldn't any longer, only to see Clara crouched before the panel, her eyes closed, just sniffing.

"Turkey smells good!" Clara grinned at her.

Tailor shook her head from her thoughts, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach as she headed over to Clara, crouching down to sniff herself, smiling, "It smells delicious," she told the girl.

~8~

The Doctor and Angel, however, stood by the console, more solemn than the two happy girls, looking at Barnable as he stood out in the snowy streets of Christmas, looking up at the sky, waiting for them. They looked at each other and then the stairs that Tailor had disappeared down, before they closed their eyes and took each other's hand, taking a breath as they moved to the controls, setting very specific, very silent ones.

They'd left one child waiting in the cold once before, they…they _couldn't_ do it again.

~8~

"Ooh, perfect," Clara grinned as she pulled the turkey out, the bird perfectly cooked, golden brown and crispy, just…delicious! She laughed, "Merry Christmas!" she cheered.

Tailor smiled and nodded, "Merry…" she started blinking a bit, the pit in her stomach growing, "Chris…tmas…" she let out a breath.

"A...Tailor?" Clara reached out to take her hand, knowing that look, having seen it enough times on Angel, "What is it?"

Tailor jut blinked once more, "Mum…" she breathed, "Dad!" she turned and bolted up the stairs, Clara leaving the turkey to run after the girl, only to see the two adult Time Lords were gone, "No…" Tailor shook her head, rushing out the doors.

"Tailor wait!" Clara cried, running after her, knowing that if they were on Christmas there might be a war on and…

They were NOT on Christmas, no…far from it…

They were standing outside the Powell Estates once more.

Tailor shook her head, spinning around, only to see the doors to the TARDIS shut behind them, "No!" she ran back over to the box, tugging on the doors…but they wouldn't open, "NO!" she shoved against them, "Aunt Idris let me in! Please let me in! You can't…please, you can't…"

But the TARDIS could only give a small, utterly devastated hum but refused to open as Tailor fell to her knees before the box, crying. Clara blinked back her own tears, moving to Tailor's side, kneeling beside her to rest a hand on her back, rubbing it, realizing what had happened. The Doctor and Angel had dropped themselves off on Trenzalore…before programming the TARDIS to take them to the safest place she could…home, Earth. They hadn't even broken their promise, she knew, because now she realized the loophole in it. The Doctor had sent Tailor away, and ANGEL had sent HER away...all to keep them safe.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, moving to hug the girl tightly, "I'm so sorry Tailor…"

Tailor turned, her back now to the TARDIS as she hugged her Aunt Clara tightly, crying for her parents…because right now…right now they were about to enter a battle, a never ending battle for the planet…a planet they died on. And they'd sent her away so that she wouldn't be able to get hurt. It was one thing to grow up in the middle of a siege…it was another go experience a war.

And she knew, after the Time War, that battle and bloodshed were the LAST thing that her parents wanted her to see.

~8~

On the fields of Trenzalore, the Doctor and Angel stood, side by side, hand in hand, as they looked at the clock tower, glancing back at the place the TARDIS had first dropped them off, knowing the box was not coming back. And, if they had their way, it never would, because to come back now...it would put their daughter in danger.

And they _had_ to protect her, no matter the cost.

~8~

" _And so to the fields of Trenzalore came all the Time Lord's enemies. For this was the winter of the Doctor. In time when all other races had retreated or burned only the Church of the Mainframe remained in the path of the Daleks. And so those ancient enemies, the Doctor, his Mate, and the Silence, stood back to back on the fields of Trenzalore._ "

~8~

Clara looked over from where she was handing out food, everything except the turkey, which was currently trapped in the TARDIS, to see Tailor standing by the window of her flat, leaning on the wall, her arms crossed as though hugging herself, as she looked down at the TARDIS as it sat in the courtyard. She was quiet, solemn, and just…it broke her heart to see the girl like that. She'd had to hold her as she cried, had to help her up and lead her in when the realization that her parents were likely not coming back had sunk in.

Tailor hadn't spoken a word since.

She'd explained it to her family that Tailor was a friend of Angie's, that she just needed a place to stay for the night while her parents were working on a business deal. Her father had welcomed Tailor with open arms, having no idea that the teenager before him was the same little girl he'd met not five minutes ago. Her Gran had warmly hugged the girl, and proceeded to 'mother her' asking if she was alright as she appeared very upset. That was when she'd brought up the business deal, it was hard for a child to be alone on Christmas. And that, of course, had just sent her Aunt Linda raving about what terrible parents they must be to do that on Christmas…

Which was why Tailor was now standing by the window, as far away from her aunt as she could get in the small flat, She'd tried to quiet her aunt down, but she just remarked about parents this and parents that and how the wrong color in a nursery could set a child down a bad path later in life. She had no idea how that was possible, but her aunt just liked to complain and make things difficult.

"Merry Christmas everyone," she looked over, hearing a toy go off, "Merry Christmas everyone."

She sighed, putting down the mashed potatoes and heading over to Tailor, thankfully unable to hear what her aunt was saying about the Doctor and Angel now. She knew it had to hurt the girl to hear that, to hear her aunt talk so harshly against people she didn't even know, not having a clue what the real situation was or how Tailor was alive and safe now because of her parents sacrifice.

"Hey," she reached out, brushing some hair from Tailor's face, touching the girl's cheek, now that she'd had time to get used to the new Tailor, she could see it, the little girl that was in there still, "You doing ok?"

"She's still talking about mum and dad, isn't she?" she whispered.

Clara glanced back at her aunt, not even needing to ask her who she meant, and sighed, "Yeah, I'm so sorry about her."

Tailor was silent, thankful that she was far enough away to not be able to hear the woman clearly even with Time Lord hearing, "We were supposed to be together," she murmured, "For Christmas, we were always supposed to be together. Dad…" she swallowed, "Daddy's going to…and I won't be there…" she started to tear up again, "To say goodbye…" she hated thinking like that, thinking she'd have to say goodbye to her father, but…what other future was there?

He was out of regeneration!

"These crackers are rubbish!" Clara glanced back, hearing her Gran complaining this time.

"I bought them," hear Aunt defended, finally NOT talking about the Time Lords.

"I know."

"They're classy."

"They don't have jokes."

"Exactly."

"They've got poems."

"They're more dramatic crackers."

"Dad loves the jokes," Tailor murmured.

"I like the jokes," Clara's Gran agreed, not even hearing Tailor say that.

Clara smiled, and put an arm around Tailor, turning her just a bit so she could look at the family and out the window too, "Tell us a joke Gran," she offered, holding up one of the crackers, hoping it would cheer up Tailor, "You know loads of jokes."

"I think were probably talking about that girl's rubbish excused for…"

"No," Clara cut in, sending her aunt a harsh look, "We were NOT."

"Linda lay off," Clara's father spoke up as well, "Look at her, the girl's upset enough as it is…"

"Gran?" Clara called, "A joke? Please?"

Her Gran nodded, "Hmm…What do you call a crazy spaceman?" she looked around the room expectantly, waiting for someone to throw out the punch line…so it was quite a shock when the line came from the doorway instead.

"An astronut…" a voice said, a distinct American accent to it.

Tailor was running across the room before Clara could even blink, throwing herself into the arms of the man who (somehow) had gotten her flat door open, "Uncle Jack!" the girl gasped, hugging him tightly.

Jack's eyes widened at the 'Uncle Jack' and looked at Clara, pointing at the girl dangling off his neck, "Ayla?" he mouthed at her and she nodded, "Oh my god," he breathed, hugging Tailor back immediately after.

"Um…Clara?" her father looked at her.

"Right, sorry, everyone this is Captain Jack Harkness," Clara moved over to the doorway, "He's Taylor's uncle."

"How are ya?" he winked at them, "Nice to meet you."

"Stop it," came the muffled response from Tailor who had her face buried in his neck, squeezing him tighter for hearing her mother's favored phrase.

"I'm just saying hello Tay," he rolled his eyes, setting her down and taking her hand, smiling at the Oswalds, "I just came to pick her up when I found out her parents were...occupied," he nodded, "We'll…just be going now."

"I'll walk you out!" Clara half-shouted, rushing after him, shutting the door behind her, "Thanks for coming."

Tailor looked at her shocked, "YOU called him?"

Clara nodded, "The family gave me their numbers at the Christmas Eve dinner," she told the girl, "I called him as soon as we got to the flat."

"And here I am," Jack grinned, holding out his arms, "With…" he moved to 'flex his muscles' but really he was showing them the Vortex Manipulator strapped to his wrist, "That ought to do it right?" he looked at Clara.

"Do what?" Tailor looked between them.

"It's a teleport, right?" Clara asked him, "And you have the codes?"

"Yes and yes," he winked.

"Codes to what?" Tailor shook her head, "Please will one of you explain what you're talking about?"

Jack smiled, "Your parents told you about when the Earth was moved right?" she nodded, "Well, K9, had the basecodes to the TARDIS didn't he? And now YOUR K9 does too. I put the codes in here," he tapped the wrist device, "And it'll get you both into that TARDIS," he had warned Clara that the Manipulator would only have enough juice for one teleport, but only for two people. He'd insisted it be him that went with Tailor, but Clara had reminded him she was just as qualified, even more so because she was not one day going to be a Time Agent, but was a Time Lady, and IS the current companion! He'd actually never been more terrified of anything in his life then when Clara had started in on him till he agreed to let her take his Manipulator with Tailor.

She reminded him very much of one of those tiny dogs that looked adorable on the outside in their smallness but was anything but sweet on the inside (though Clara WAS a very sweet girl…when she wasn't threatening him or his extremities).

"But K9's trapped in the TARDIS too," Tailor reminded them.

Jack laughed, "YOUR K9 is," he emphasized, "Tay…I already PUT the codes in," he held up the device, before sliding it off and taking her hand, putting it in her hand and curling her fingers around it, "You and Clara need to go, now," he told her, "Come on," he took her other hand and pulled her off, down the hall, the three of them running down the corridors, down the stairs, out to the TARDIS as it just sat there. The closer they were to the destination the less power it would take on the Manipulator, the more certain he could be that it would be able to sustain BOTH of them in this little hop.

"You're sure this will work?" Clara looked at Jack as Tailor handed her the device to slip on her wrist.

"90 percent," Jack nodded, pointing at Tailor, "You find your parents," he commanded her lightly, "You get them safe, and then you come and see me and bring that back ok?"

Tailor nodded, hugging him again, "Thank you so much Uncle Jack."

"My pleasure, Beautiful," he squeezed her tight, before stepping back as she put her hand on Clara's wrist as the woman held it up to her, "Good luck," he gave them a small salute.

Tailor saluted back just as Clara hit the button and they disappeared in a crackle of energy…

~8~

…and reappearing inside the TARDIS console room.

"Mistress!" MK9 called as he rolled over to her, "Mistress!"

"Hello," Tailor laughed, nearly in tears at being back in the console room, knowing that she'd be able to get back to her parents now. She…she knew she didn't know everything about the TARDIS, she'd only had a few decades of lessons and half of them had involved her being too short to see most of the controls. But her mother had taught her more while on Trenzalore, similar to what she'd done with River, giving her the knowledge, but in increments so that she'd truly understand each instruction she was taught. Between her and Clara though, she knew they'd be able to make it back.

"Right, then," Clara nodded, heading to the console, "Come on, we need to get to Trenzalore!"

Tailor rushed over to help, only for the TARDIS to groan, "Aunt Idris what are you doing!?" the girl called as a few sparks went up.

"What's she doing!?" Clara repeated as the room began to shake, the lights going red.

"She's fighting us!" Tailor called, "Well, not HER, but the programming, she wants to help but the program won't let her take us to mum and dad…"

"Well there's got to be something she can do!" Clara grabbed onto a control as they were nearly thrown back, "She's the best ship ever right?"

Tailor laughed as the TARDIS hummed, "She's…" she frowned, "Aunt Idris, please, earlier!"

But the box hummed again.

"What's she saying?!" Clara shouted above the noise of a bit of explosions going off.

"She can only take us to the end of the war…" Tailor looked at her.

Clara frowned, about to ask what was wrong with that, they'd get there…when she realized what the end of the war meant.

The Doctor's death.

Angel's death.

The end of the Time Lords as well.

~8~

The door to the clock tower opened, the Doctor looking back as he whittled a small toy out of wood for one of the children of town, "Barnable?" he looked back, the round spectacles of Amy's on his nose…

"Dad…" a voice breathed.

He stiffened, dropping the toy and turning in his chair completely, looking up to see Tailor standing there, still looking only about 15 years old, with Clara beside her, MK9 at the girl's feet.

"Hello Doctor," Clara added, reaching out to put a hand on Tailor's shoulder, squeezing it in comfort at what they were seeing.

The Doctor was sitting there, his hair long and pure white. His skin was even more wrinkled than it had been the last time they'd seen him. His eyes were staring at them from behind the round glasses, his clothes involving more layers now, he appeared a bit cold. His hands were clearly shaking, his voice weak, and his overall posture…he was such an old man now…it broke her heart to see him like that, the man who had been so strong and youthful and full of life…now old and weak and tired.

"Ayla..." he breathed, staring at Tailor, "I mean," he shook his head, "Tailor…"

Tailor smiled sadly and moved to his side, kneeling down to hug him tightly, " _Just call me Kitta,_ " she murmured to him in Gallifreayan.

He closed his eyes and held her tighter…only to hear a shattering noise a moment later and looked up, expecting an attack as there WAS a war raging right outside the doors…but really…it was just Angel, still looking exactly as she always had, not aged a day, stepping back in and dropping the tray of tea she'd been bringing him at the sight of Clara and their daughter back.

"Tailor," she breathed, rushing in to hug her daughter tightly, it had been…so long since they'd seen the girl, the girl turning to hug them just as tightly, taking them both in her arms, "Oi, Clara," she held out a hand, looking at Clara with tears in her eyes, "Come here."

Clara smiled and took Angel's hand, joining in on the group hug, swearing she could feel the love flowing around them all even without being an Empathic Psychic like Angel.

"What are you doing here?" Angel pulled back and looked at them.

Tailor turned to her mother, "You sent ME away," she whispered.

"We HAD to," the Doctor reached out and squeezed her hand, "We didn't want to," he added, "It was the LAST thing we wanted, but…we had to protect you sweetheart."

Tailor felt the tears falling from her eyes at how her father had wheezed out that last word. He was so weak, the TARDIS really had brought them right at the end. The battle outside wasn't quite as fearsome as they thought it would be. The TARDIS had set down and they'd stepped out, to see the only one of their enemies left to attack them was the Daleks (which they expected). They'd followed Tailor's own feelings, right back to the clock tower, and…there they were, reunited once more.

Tailor reached out and touched his cheek, feeling the wrinkles, they were really there, he was truly as old as he looked. Her mother was the same as ever, and she knew why, only the first and last bodies aged for their people. Their first to adult hood, their last to their deaths. Her father…was on his last life and he was aging now. He was aging again. Their people were immortal, they could live forever if they had no accidents that caused regeneration, it was only when the last body was there, when the energy had run out that they began to age again.

Her mother had only used 11 of her 12 regenerations, putting her on her 12th incarnation, her father had used up all of his though, this was his last body.

"Have you always been this young?" he whispered, looking at his daughter, her wide, innocent eyes that he could still see from the moment she'd regenerated into who she was, those green eyes, HIS green eyes so wide and curious, so pure and young…

"No," she shook her head, "That was you," she leaned forward and hugged him again, knowing that time was truly of the essence now…there was such a short amount of it left…this hug…it could be their last.

~8~

Outside the doors, the Daleks flew through the sky, the force field on Trenzalore having fallen ages ago, the war had begun and they were determined to see it end in Dalek Victory.

"Seek the Doctor!" they ordered each other, firing on the people, on the buildings, on anything they could to draw him out.

They were the last enemies left, the last left standing, the last to want to remain there and not leave, and they would NOT leave, till either they destroyed the Doctor and his Mate, or were destroyed themselves.

~8~

Clara looked down, realizing she was still holding the Christmas Cracker she'd picked up to try and cheer Tailor up before, "Merry Christmas," she handed it over to the family.

"Merry Christmas," the Doctor smiled at her, holding it out to Angel to tug…only to struggle a bit on his end. Tailor silently reached out and placed a gentle hand on his, helping him pull, a small card was the price, "Ah!" he smiled at it as Tailor picked it up to hand to Clara, "Is there a joke? Huh?"

"Extract from 'Thoughts On A Clock,'" Clara shook her head, "By Eric Ritchie Junior."

"Is it a knock-knock one? Those are best."

Clara smiled sadly at him, it was quite clearly NOT a knock-knock joke and she knew that, if the Doctor had been on the top of his game, he'd have realized that as well. It was just another testament that it wasn't just his body weakening, but his mind, "I don't think so."

"Will you read it Clara?" Angel looked at her, offering a smile.

Clara nodded, glancing at the crack that was still in the wall and stepped nearer to it, using the light from it to see the words clearer, "'And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven's hour is over now, the…the clock is striking twelve's.'"

The Time Family was silent a moment, absorbing that, how fitting it was for the situation, when the Doctor shifted, "I don't get it."

Clara smiled at that.

"Doctor!" a Dalek shouted suddenly, making them look over at the doors as they flew open, but it wasn't a Dalek that entered, but a boy, "The Doctor and the Abomination will be brought!" the Daleks continued to shout, their voices louder till the doors shut once more, "The Daleks demand the Doctor and his Mate!"

"They're here," the boy swallowed, "The Daleks, we can't stop them. They want you both."

"Oh alright Barnable," the Doctor sighed, before squinting at the boy, "Are you Barnable?"

"No my love," Angel whispered, "Barnable…he passed on a while ago," she reminded him.

"Ah yes," he nodded, before blinking at the boy, "It's ok Barnable," he spoke, making Angel look away, tears in her eyes at how his mind was slipping , more and more each day, and there was nothing she could do to help him, the Vortex couldn't cure old age, "Don't worry. I have a plan. Off you pop."

The boy looked at Angel, "It's alright Benjamin," she smiled at him reassuringly, he boy nodding and turning to go.

"You haven't got a plan, have you?" Tailor whispered.

"No," the Doctor sighed, "But people love it when I say that."

"No," Angel shook her head, "People just love it when you talk."

He smiled at her, reaching out to touch her cheek with the back of his wrinkled, scarred knuckles, "No one more than you though."

"Oh most certainly not," she agreed with a small laugh.

"What are you going to do?" Clara asked them quietly.

"Oh I don't know," the Doctor groaned as Angel helped him stand, him leaning over as much as he could to try and give her a peck, her leaning in the rest of the way to kiss him properly, "Talk very fast like someone loves," he winked at Angel as he rested his forehead to hers, "Hope something good happens…" he pointed to Tailor, one of the best things to happen in his life, "Take the credit. That's generally how it works."

"Dad…" Tailor shook her head, standing too.

"Not this time though," the Doctor swallowed, "This is it."

"Oh my love," Angel sighed, looking at him softly, "I have told you so many times…one must ALWAYS have faith."

She didn't know why she felt so…calm about this, about all this. The war raging outside, the Daleks attacking, the crack still echoing the blasted question, and the Doctor on his last legs…and yet…she felt…almost removed from it all. She felt…calm, she felt fuzzy, in a way, she felt…warm. She didn't understand it because that should be the opposite of what she felt, she should be frantic and upset and cold but…she wasn't. She could only pray that it was a sign, that it was a genuine feeling that everything, somehow, would be alright, that it would all be ok in the end.

That was the thought wasn't it? The phrase, 'It'll be alright in the end, and if it's not alright, it's not the end.' She rather liked that one.

But the Doctor shook his head, "We saw the future dear," he tapped her nose, "We were there, we experienced it. This is how it ends."

"Change it!" Clara cut in, not liking how he sounded like he was giving up, "Huh! Like Tasha said change the future!"

"We could have once," the Doctor agreed, "When there were Time Lords. Not anymore. Not even Angel could change this future."

They looked at the door, hearing the Daleks getting closer, "Locate the Doctor! Locate the Abomination!"

"Now you're going to stay here," the Doctor turned to the three of them, "Promise me you will."

"Why?" Clara frowned.

He smiled at them, "I'll be keeping you safe. One last victory. Allow me that. Give me that..."

But Angel shook her head, "I'm sorry my love, but I will not abandon you, not ever," she squeezed his hand, lifting it to her lips to kiss his scarred knuckles, not minding the wrinkles at all, their people…age and physical appearance had little to do with their perception of another person, they aged so oddly and appeared so differently it hardly mattered, "We have nearly lost each other more to more enemies and more times than we can count…I will not let the DALEKS win in this."

He smiled at her determination and nodded, "Alright then…"

"Me too," Tailor stepped up.

But he shook his head at that, "Tailor…no…"

"You sent me away," Tailor cut in, "You sent me away and you…" she swallowed, "I missed out on your life, all those years I could have had with you two, _should have_ had," she shook her head, "You are NOT sending me away again."

The Doctor laughed a bit, "Is this what the teenage years will be like, eh, missy?"

"I dunno," she shrugged, "You'll have to stick around and find out, won't you?"

He chuckled at that and looked at Clara, "Let me guess, you too?"

"Oh yeah," Clara nodded.

He shook his head, he should have known better than to argue with any of the girls, "Alright, alright, come along Clara," he started to make his way slowly to the doors.

Clara nodded, "I'll just be a mo," she called.

The Doctor waved back, assuming she needed a moment to gather herself before facing the Daleks, Tailor moving to his other side to take his arm as he nearly stumbled in that direction, steadying him, "The trouble with Daleks is," he began to Tailor, "They take so long to say anything. Probably die of boredom before they shoot me."

Clara flinched as the doors opened, "The Doctor and his Mate are required!" blasting into the room, before the doors shut.

She turned immediately to the crack and stormed over to it, "Listen to me you lot," she called, "Listen! Help him. Help him change the future. Do it. Do _something_."

She glanced back, hearing "Doctor! Angel!" from the Daleks.

"You've been asking a question..." she turned back to the crack, "But you HAVE to know you're asking the wrong one! You're asking a Mate to betray her partner," she shook her head, "And even if she could do it, his true name doesn't matter. Oh I know all about that, about our names, I was one of you, a long time ago. I remember that. So all you need to know is that his name is the Doctor. And that's all the name he needs. Everything you need to know about him. Bloody hell he's even Mated to an Angel! That should be proof enough for you that it's him. And if you love him, even in some small way, you need to help him. Help him. 'Cos he's heading to his death right now, and if he dies…so does his Mate. The light in the heart of time goes out, the oncoming storm diminishes…and their daughter is left an orphan. And not even YOU are THAT cold-hearted to do that to him."

She stood up quickly, hearing a groaning nose…before the crack snapped shut.

~8~

Clara ran out of the clock tower and into the gathering crowd of townspeople looking up at something, to see that the Doctor, Angel, and Tailor had just made it to the top of the tower, standing there, on either side of the Doctor as he faced down the Daleks that had been terrorizing the town.

"Sorry I'm a bit slow," the Doctor grinned at the Daleks, "I may not be at my best right now."

"You are dying Doctor."

"Yes...I'm dying," he scoffed, "You've been trying to kill me for centuries but my Mate's helped stop you each time he?" he looked at Angel, kissing her hand before tucking it in his arm, facing them again, "And here I am, dying of old age. The one thing not even the Life Bringer can stop," he smirked, seeing the Daleks quieting at her title, it was the one the mad Dalek in Van Statten's had called her before it had taken her to Earth, it seemed it was still as impactful as ever, "If you want something done do it yourself."

Though, he had to vaguely wonder if Tailor would ever come to have a title like theirs among the Daleks.

"You will die," one of the Daleks flew closer, "You and your Mate! And the Time Lords will never return!"

"You still can't work up the courage to shoot me can you? You're still worried I've got something up my sleeve. Well you knock yourselves out boys. I've got nothing this time!" he pointed up at them with his cane.

Angel let out a breath, blinking before she started to smile, looking up moments before a large, orange crack appeared in the sky, exactly like the crack in the wall but in the air above them.

"Is that the crack!?" Tailor gaped at it.

"Scanners indicate no temporal energy Mistress," MK9's ears moved as he scanned the crack, "Scanning," it called as a soft orange light drifted down from it, "Analysis completed, results confirmed…regeneration energy…"

Tailor and Angel watched in awe as the light flew right into the Doctor, the man breathing it in, before he looked down at his hand holding Angel's to see it glowing orange, before he quickly let go of her, realizing what had happened, what was going to happen.

"Tailor, come here," Angel called, ushering her daughter over as the Doctor moved onto one side of the tower's ledge, them at the other, unwilling to leave him but knowing they needed distance between them to be safer.

"You will die now Doctor, you and your family!" the Daleks shouted, clearly having no idea what had just happened, much like the people on the ground, save one girl who was staring up at the top of the tower in shock, recognizing the energy, "This is the end of you and your Mate. The rules of regeneration are known. You have expended all your lives. You shall die and your Mate with you!"

"Sorry what did you say?" the Doctor grinned up at them, Angel and Tailor smiling beside him, seeing a life in him that had been missing only moments ago, "Did you mention the rules? Now listen! Bit of advice. Tell me the truth if you think you know it. Lay down the law if you're feeling brave. But Daleks…never EVER tell me the rules!"

"Warning, Mistress!" MK9 warned, his small tail wagging, "Master is regenerating!"

"Emergency!" the Daleks started to whizz about again, their scanners picking up what MK9's had, "Emergency! The Doctor is regenerating! The Doctor is regenerating!"

The Doctor let out a deep laugh as he looked at his hands, both of them glowing with the orange energy, "Oh look at this," he glanced at his Mate and daughter, "Regeneration number 13," he turned back to the Daleks, "We're breaking some serious science here boys. I tell you what, it's going to be a whopper!"

"It most certainly is," Angel murmured in Tailor's ear as she clutched her daughter closer.

"Exterminate!" the Daleks tried to fire at him, "Exterminate the Doctor."

But a golden wall shot up in front of him, blocking their attacks.

"Thanks dear," he winked at her before turning to the Daleks once more, "You think you can stop me now Daleks?" he laughed, "If you want my life..." he straightened his bowtie, "Come...and…get it!" he spun his arm out around and threw his right hand up at the sky, taking out the Daleks flying past, doing the same with his other hand as Tailor and Angel ducked down, a golden wall erupting around them, keeping them safe as the Doctor regenerated not 5 feet from them.

"Get inside!" they could hear Clara urging the townspeople away, "Get off street! Get inside quick. Quick!"

"Love from Gallifrey boys!" the Doctor cheered, throwing his head back as the energy shot out of him…destroying every single Dalek and their ships in its path…

~8~

Clara stepped out of the hall she'd hidden the townspeople in to see it was just the stirrings of dawn happening outside. She looked around, the town seemed not quite in shambles but rather badly damaged yet the people seemed more pleased to know that it was completely over than to know that they needed to rebuild. All their enemies were gone now, they were sure, their town was safe, and they just needed to build up again, nothing too hard.

Clara looked up at the clock tower, but saw no sign of the Doctor or Angel or Tailor there, "Doctor?" she called, looking around, but there was no one, "Angel?" she headed over to the TARDIS, thankful it was still there, "Tailor?" she tried, but still there was no response. She sighed, stepping closer, seeing that the telephone was hanging from the instruction panel. She gently lifted it up, placing it back in its place and shutting the panel, before stepping in.

She paused, seeing a pile of clothes neatly folded on the side controls, spotting MK9 placed on the side-chair as she made her way over to him, "Where are they?" she asked the dog…only to hear the sounds of three sets of footsteps behind her.

She looked back to see Angel and Tailor step up onto the upper console deck…the Doctor joining them, now in his purple outfit, looking just as he used to, young.

"Hello," he smiled at Clara, moving to the console to pick up a fish finger from a bowl of custard set out there, tossing it into his mouth, regeneration…always made him so hungry.

"You're young again," Clara remarked, starting to smile, "You're ok. You didn't even change your face."

"Ha!" the Doctor shook his head, looking at his hand, not glowing, but he could feel it tingling, "It's started."

"It's a sort of reset," Angel told her, watching as Tailor moved to nibble on some of the fish fingers that were left, "It's rare, it happens when a Time Lord is given a new set of regenerations, a new cycle."

"Ooh," the Doctor shifted uncomfortably, "It's taking a bit longer than I'd hoped," he winced, Angel moving over to him, behind him, to rub his shoulders, "My angel," he whispered to her, dropping a kiss onto one of her hands.

"My madman," she leaned over his shoulders to kiss his cheek.

"Just got to break it in," he rolled his shoulders as Angel massaged them. He sighed, placing a hand on Angel's to stop her, tugging her to stand before him, giving him the chance to look at all three of them, all four of his girls actually if he included the TARDIS, "It all just disappears, doesn't it?" he murmured, not quite sure what to say, "Everything you are, gone in a moment…like breath on a mirror. Any moment now he's a-coming."

"Who's coming?" Clara frowned.

"Dad," Tailor stated, "The Next Doctor."

"The next one," the Doctor nodded, "Me, it will always be ME," he looked at Angel and Tailor more for that one, knowing that they'd had the most experience with regeneration, with the fears that came with it, "Times just…change...and so must I, but not…" he held out a hand to Angel, "Until I have one last dance," he smiled at her.

Angel hesitated in letting him tug her closer, "My love…" she swallowed, knowing what he wanted to do, "The last you regenerated and did this…"

"I had the absolute best memory to end my life on," he cut in, stepping closer to her when she refused to move closer to him, winding his arms around her, "Please dear," he whispered, "Give me another one?"

She let out a little breath and nodded, stepping closer and resting her head on his shoulder.

He smiled, closing his eyes and tilting his temple to rest against hers, his lips by her ears as he swayed her, humming lightly in her ear, before he began to sing softly, not even minding that Clara and Tailor were watching them, "I just want you for my own..." he smiled, feeling her let out a breath against his neck, "More than you could _ever_ know. Make my wish come true," he leaned back to smile at her, lifting her chin with a curl of his finger, "All I want for Christmas is you," he murmured, sincerity in his every word, " _All_ I want for Christmas...is _you_ ," he leaned in and gently kissed her, his hand moving to her cheek, stroking it, wiping away a single tear that fell from her eyes as she pulled back.

"All _I_ want for Christmas," she whispered to him, "Is for you to know how much I love you, how much our daughter loves you, and how much you are loved, by so many."

"I know," he nodded.

"No…" she shook her head, stepping back from him but not letting go of his hand, "Not yet at least," she reached behind her and pulled a lever on the console and a faint hum sounded.

He frowned, not quite sure what she'd done, when he heard Tailor gasp. He looked over to see her covering her mouth with both her hands, a habit she still kept after all those centuries, and followed her gaze a bit up…his eyes widening at what he saw.

"I couldn't get them all," Angel remarked, "But…I got our family at the very least."

Standing there, just up the stairs, all around the small upper level…were images, no…holograms of his family, their EARTH family, all the companions and friends they'd had since the war. And…the way they were looking at him, smiling, they way they were turned as though they knew exactly where he was…he knew it wasn't just a hologram…

It was a real-time projection.

All the companions, were REALLY there at that moment, in hologram form. All of them, Jack, Mickey, Martha, Donna, Sarah Jane, Jenny…even…even Rose was there, standing beside his 10th self, he could recognize them from their clothes it was just after the Moment, probably timed just before they'd left the Gallery in their TARDIS, the 9th Angel was there with them. Even…the Ponds were there, though he could see it was from the year the cubes had invaded given their age and appearance.

"How?" he looked at her, startled, his entire family after the war was there with him, all of them actually there in mind and spirit.

"It was your Christmas gift," she told him, smiling sadly, "I wanted to give you a moment in the TARDIS with all of them once more, without needing them all to be _in_ the TARDIS."

They both knew how hard it was for the companions to come and go, the Ponds had proven that. Once they left the TARDIS, it was truly best for them to not return to it, the temptation was terrible at times, and it always made it more difficult to return to normal life after it. This way…this message would be them all together. And he knew it was a tiny bit of a gift for his last self as well, to see the future companions they'd have, knowing he'd never remember it and it would be safe. The Ponds would probably think Clara was the companion they travelled with when NOT with them or something, they'd probably be shocked when they saw him next, saw him as his 11th self once more, they'd probably think this was a dream or something. And if not…well, they'd kept secrets about his future before.

"Thank you," he breathed, looking at his Mate with tears in his eyes. He lifted his free hand to shift into his vest of his outfit, tugging out the small angel-pendant Angel had given him so long ago, "Thank you so much."

She smiled and nodded, "Family is all we have in the end."

"Look at you all," he smiled, letting go of Angel's hand to spin around and look at them, "All the faces this face saw, the faces from before and before and before," he laughed.

Tailor stepped over to him, hugging him tightly, seeing the tears in his eyes, "We all change dad," she murmured as he hugged her tightly, "Every one of us."

He nodded, pulling away, his hands on her shoulders, "We're all different people all through our lives," he agreed, "And that's ok, that's good. You've got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be," he stepped back from her slowly undoing his bowtie in the process, "I will not forget one line of this," he looked at Angel for that, knowing, from how she was standing and looking at him that this was literally her worst fear come to life…him regenerating again, her terror that he'd forget her and he refused to do that, he refused to let her be that scared, he needed to comfort her, one last act for HIM as her Mate, he needed to make sure she'd be ok, "Not one day. I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me."

"Goodbye Doc," Jack called, the others murmuring their own goodbyes, except for Amy.

Amy merely smiled at him, giving him a nod, "Raggedy man..." she took a breath, "Good night."

He nodded, pulling his tie off completely, smiling at them all before he let the tie fall to the ground.

"No," Clara whimpered, everything getting to be too much for her, "No."

"Hey," he winked at her, "It'll be alright."

Tailor looked at Clara and took her hand, holding it tightly as Angel tried to keep from crying, not sad that he was dying, no, he was LIVING, he was going to live and she was thrilled…she was just…crying for fear of what would come next.

' _I love you Nella,_ ' he called to her in her mind, making her smile, both of them aware that, after all the time growing, Tailor could no longer hear them in her mind.

' _And I love you Theta,_ ' she nodded at him.

He gave her a wink…before suddenly throwing himself backwards, onto the console, accidently hitting the lever that had created the holograms, making them flicker off as he half-threw himself back standing, now…a very different man.

He was taller, thinner, his face just a tiny bit narrower. His eyebrows were thicker, his hair grayer, not as floppy but more curled. His eyes were lighter, his skin just a little wrinkled with age, not quite as shocking age as he'd endured on Trenzalore though. He panted, wincing as he felt a pain in his side, "Kidneys! I've got new kidneys," he grimaced, blinking his eyes open, "I don't like the color."

"Of your kidneys?" Clara shook her head, completely lost.

But the Doctor didn't answer, instead…he was looking intently at Angel, the woman standing there, almost petrified as he drew nearer and nearer, just…looking at her and looking at her and…not saying anything. And his gaze…it was so searching, so wide…she could feel her hearts pounding at what it could mean for him to look at her like that. His mind was all fuzzy, still trying to settle from the sudden shift in incarnation…she couldn't get a proper read off it…

"Doctor?" she swallowed hard, nearly choking on the word, too afraid to call him 'Theta' in his mind, terrified he wouldn't hear her or he'd hear her and be confused why he could.

He blinked, "Who are you?"

And her hearts shattered.

She let out a shuddering breath, tears pooling in her eyes…not again. This couldn't happen again, please…no…

"Are you my Mate?" he continued, starting to smile a bit as she blinked at him, utterly confused, but…her hearts slowly starting to piece together as his smile grew wider, "Are you my blessed Angel?" he reached out and touched her cheek, cupping it in his hand, his thumb stroking it, "I could hardly see you," he looked into her eyes, swimming with tears, "Your brilliant glow blinded me for a moment," his gaze flickered to her cheek as a tear fell from her eye, him brushing it away with a thumb, just as his last self had, "Don't cry my light," he murmured, making her breath hitch at his own small name for her. He grinned, seeing her reaction to it, she had called him her love so often…it seemed he was returning the gesture, she often WAS called, after all, the light of the Universe, and she was, she was his Universe, his entire world, her and their daughter.

He looked over, seeing Tailor watching him cautiously and he smiled at her, making her smile as well.

He opened his mouth, about to say something…when the TARDIS jolted terrible, nearly sending them all falling to the ground had they not grabbed onto the railings and console for stability.

"What's happening?" Clara gasped.

Angel looked up as the TARDIS hummed, "We're crashing!"

"Into what?" Tailor's eyes widened.

"Stay calm," the Doctor began, moving to the console, "Just…one question," he looked at them, "Do you happen to know how to fly this thing?"

And then Angel and Tailor burst out laughing, it was the Doctor alright.

To be continued...in...New Beginnings!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know...I was SO going to end this chapter on 'Who are you?' but I thought that would be too cruel to make you all wait till next week to find out if he really forgot her again ;) Can't say I'm too evil now ;) I can say I have something planned for when Angel ends up on her last body, whether she'll get a new set of regenerations too or not I won't say, but there's something coming for her }:) 
> 
> This story is officially my longest at over 500,000 words! 
> 
> I want to thank all of you, anyone who's read/reviewed/favorited/followed/anything this story. You all really do mean the world to me and I really feel so touched and so blessed that I have you as readers, I seriously do consider myself the luckiest person in the world because you are all SO amazing! I love you guys ^.-^


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